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ATE Centers (Image 5)
Firefighters use global positioning system technology to help combat wildfires in southern California. The National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence is a collaborative effort between colleges, universities and industry to expand the geospatial workforce. [Image 5 of 12 related images. See Image 6.] (Date of Image: 2009)
More about this Image
The National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech)--funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program (DUE 08-01893)--and its academic partners help colleges provide dynamic geospatial education opportunities. Geospatial technologies are increasingly used by technicians in health care, emergency management, sustainable energy, natural resources and transportation. By collaborating with industry, government and professional organizations, the GeoTech center and its partners develop curricula that meets the growing demand for a highly skilled geospatial workforce. In programs affiliated with the GeoTech center, students learn to employ the latest geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS) and emerging mobile technologies. They are prepared to use technologies that cross many disciplines and economic sectors.
Geospatial technologies enable other fields to improve productivity, profitability and efficiency. These new technologies are particularly useful for evaluating environmental impacts such as fires and sea-level changes along shorelines. To meet the need for technicians who know how to use geospatial technologies in various fields, the GeoTech Center and its partner colleges offer certificates and associate degrees in GIS and related disciplines. GeoTech is located at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. To learn more, visit the center's website Here.
NSF's ATE program supports efforts to improve the knowledge and skills of technicians who work in high-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. The program focuses on undergraduates, secondary school students and incumbent technicians, as well as on the educators who teach them. Community colleges are the main providers of education for technicians and have leadership roles in all ATE initiatives, working closely with industry, government and educators in other sectors to enhance the skills of the men and women who are essential to the vitality of the nation's economy. ATE partnerships help create new curricula; reform existing programs; enrich the technical knowledge of experienced college faculty members and teachers; prepare prospective educators with solid foundations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and undertake applied research in technological education. Further information on NSF's ATE program is available Here.
Credit: Photo from ATE Centers Impact 2008-2010 (www.atecenters.org)
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