The 2017 Fall Southeastern Michigan Automotive Teachers Association (SEMATA) Conference will be held at Macomb Community College's South Campus in Warren, MI on Thursday, October 26. The event is scheduled from 7:45a.m.-3:00p.m. and includes industry updates, technical training classes, roundtable discussions, a trade show, and demonstrations. A continental breakfast and lunch is also included.

Those who attend the technical training sessions will receive certificates and NATEF hours at the end of the conference.

The following technical training sessions are confirmed:

Other companies planning to provide technical training sessions include CDX, Electude, Today's Class and the BES Buckeye Foundation.

While the event is free to attend, registration is required.

Rear end collisions make up 30% of automobile accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). Forward collision warnings could greatly reduce this number, and the injuries, deaths, and costs associated with rear end collisions.

A collision avoidance system (also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigating system) uses radar, laser and a camera to detect an imminent crash. The systems either provide a warning to the driver that there is an imminent collision and action is needed, or take action autonomously without any driver input (by braking or steering or both).

In 2017 forward collision warning systems are standard equipment on 14% of new cars, and an available option on an additional 64% of new cars. An agreement between NHTSA, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and 20 major automakers will make forward crash-prevention systems standard on all passenger cars by 2022.

Flexible Hybrid Electronics Workforce Profile:

Workers in the Flexible Hybrid Electronics Workforce (FHE) have diverse backgrounds and training. Currently, FHE has a lower market presence when compared to technology and processes that have been around for several years. Click to learn more about this employee group.

Regional Plan for Connected and Automated Transportation Systems Assets and Initiatives:

Key findings from a comparison of southeast Michigan with three other regions on CAV technology, including maps of regional CAV assets and a SWOT analysis.

Lane Keeping System by Visual Technology:

A research and concept-proving student project that will be used to develop teaching materials for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs).

Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0:

In this document, NHTSA offers a nonregulatory approach to automated vehicle technology safety. Replaces the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy released in 2016 and offers a path forward for the safe deployment of automated vehicles.

See all Resources.

Autonomous Ford Fusion

Michigan is known worldwide for leading-edge research and manufacturing for the automotive and defense industries. Southeast Michigan (greater Detroit), in particular, is an established hub of industrial innovation, including the high-tech, communication technology arena.

To better understand opportunities to enhance the region's connected and automated vehicle (CAV) environment and explore ways the defense and automotive sectors can achieve greater collaboration in this space, the Advance Michigan Defense Collaborative, through funding from a Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Industry Adjustment Grant, engaged the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), a CAAT partner, to develop a plan to strengthen the region's CAV ecosystem. This Regional Plan for Connected/Automated Transportation Systems Assets and Initiatives contains key findings from three parts of the project: a benchmarking exercise that compares southeast Michigan with three other regions on a variety of CAV technology topics, maps of regional CAV assets, and a SWOT analysis.

The Education section of this report advises that, "According to several recent studies released in southeast Michigan, as well as interviews conducted by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) with key individuals in the automotive industry, there are about 20 top skills and specific jobs in high demand related to CAV technology. These skills include software development, information security analysis, computer system engineering, coding, artificial intelligence expertise, app development, cybersecurity, software engineering, and others." The report concludes that "as technology advances, the need for highly skilled individuals becomes more necessary in the labor market. Therefore, the strength and offerings of the region's education and training systems are important factors to gauge the potential for future advancement in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology." The section also explores currently available CAV educational courses and programs available at universities and community colleges in the region. The CAAT and its free 2017 Conference are specifically mentioned on page 22 of the report:

"As an example, for the past 5 years, the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), a National Science Foundation-funded Advanced Technological Education Center that is a partnership between Macomb Community College and Wayne State University, has held a conference to provide information on advanced technology needs (CAV, lightweight materials, and powertrain electrification) to educators, government officials, and other key stakeholders. The 2017 CAAT Conference primarily focused on CAV-related technology, and the theme of the conference was, "Driverless Cars, but What is Driving the Workforce?"

Download the complete report from the CAAT's free resource library.

Visit our Resource Library today for more valuable information as new resources are added regularly.

Over the past two school years, the CAAT's highly successful (and free) in-classroom STEM labs have reached nearly 8,400 middle school students in nearly 200 middle school classrooms in Michigan.

For the 2017-2018 school year, the program has been updated to reflect the new standards of teaching in science that strive to engage and stress critical learning in students. The in-classroom labs will transform the typical classroom by encouraging a curriculum that is driven by problem solving, exploratory learning and planning, building using hands-on skills, testing, and observing and evaluating.

View the STEM Labs offered by the CAAT.

Labs added for the new school year include:

• Art Wiggle Bot
• Lift it with a Lever
• Two-Stage Balloon Rocket
• Marble Machine

The labs begin with a short presentation on why STEM is important, how it will impact students' in the future, a description of the STEM lab, and instructions for completing the lab. A worksheet containing all the technical details is provided for the students to fill out during the lab, which requires the students to use higher-order thinking skills. 

After completion of the hands-on project, a new STEM reflection sheet is handed out. The questions on the reflection sheet require students to think about the best feature of their design and consider why it is the best feature, as well as determine the most challenging problem they had to solve and how they could improve upon their design.

All students will benefit from the CAAT's in-classroom STEM labs because the labs teach independent and team innovation, and allows students to explore engineering by utilizing the skills needed to become leaders.

Middle school teachers interested in scheduling a free CAAT STEM lab for their classroom should contact Saleta McMurray at mcmurrays36@macomb.edu or visit the CAAT's STEM Lab webpage to view lab descriptions, download a flyer or complete an online request form.

CAAT Principal Investigator, Joe Petrosky, attended and staffed a CAAT display table at the Michigan STEM Career Showcase on September 11 in Detroit, MI, The event was produced by the Michigan STEM Partnership and the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan (MTAM), a CAAT partner. The STEM Career Showcase was a "show within a show" held in conjunction with Technology in Motion, Detroit. The showcase focused on increasing awareness about STEM careers, with the goal of increasing student STEM education, participation and student pursuit of STEM careers. The showcase provided information to parents and educators about the career opportunities available to students with STEM training due to the substantial business and industry demand for STEM talent.

The event brought together people currently working in STEM careers and companies that utilize STEM professionals, along with students, parents and educators to enable the sharing of information through STEM Village participants, expert presentations, panel discussions, and hands-on experiences.

The event featured keynote speaker Jim Holland, Vice President, Vehicle Component and System Engineering at Ford Motor Company, whose role is central to the company's commitment to develop Ford and Lincoln vehicles with top quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart technology and value, globally. Several panel discussions were also on the agenda with topics such as:

• The Importance of STEM to Michigan's Economy
• Solving the STEM Talent Problem through Diversity
• The STEM Gender Gap and How to Close it
• How to Find a STEM Career in Today's Market
• Increasing the Availability of STEM Training
• STEM Students: Are They Prepared for STEM Careers?

STEM Village exhibitors included 9 colleges and universities (including CAAT partners MCC and WSU), two scouting organizations as well as several Michigan-based STEM programs and businesses. It is well known that the gap between the number of STEM-related jobs available and the number of qualified applicants to fill them is vast, and growing, in almost every field. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that by 2020 the US will have a shortage of 1.4 million people to fill computer science-related positions - the backbone for careers in connected technologies - in every industry. In Michigan alone that shortage could be more than 100,000 people by 2020. Michigan currently has 14,289 open computing jobs critical to automotive, health care, manufacturing, defense and other industries.

The CAAT will again sponsor, and Macomb Community College (MCC) will host, the second Auto STEAM Days event for middle and high school students December 5-6 at MCC's Sports and Expo Center in Warren, MI. Students will learn about careers in automotive design, robotics, manufacturing, and the technology that makes it happen. Each day will offer a morning session from 8:30-11 a.m. and an afternoon session from 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.

The Automotive Design and Engineering sector welcomes back 4 exhibitors from the highly successful 2016 event with exhibits by General Motors on clay/digital modeling, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on sketching, Ford Motor Company on production design and Magna International on augmented reality.

The Manufacturing and Technology sector will offer an exhibit on virtual welding by MCC, an exhibit by American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) on vehicle electrification and drivetrains, and an exhibit on Connected and Automated Vehicles.

The event will again feature an exciting car show (presented jointly by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Ford Motor Company) that will allow students to sit behind the wheel of high-tech vehicles and talk to real automobile designers and engineers.

Please visit the CAAT's Student Activities page for more information about this exciting event.

Additional financial sponsors are still being sought for the event. For sponsorship levels and information on how your company can participate, please contact Susan Bates at batess@macomb.edu.

Registration for schools is now open through November 7, 2017.

Students are also encouraged to bring their parents, family, and others to " Explore Careers in Manufacturing and Technology" on Wednesday, December 6 from 5:30-8 p.m. This related event will provide attendees the opportunity to:

Attendance is free, but advance registration is required. Free concessions, including pizza and hot dogs, will also be available. You can also enter to win a personal 3D printer, so register today!

Manufacturing and technology companies are invited to have a networking table at the event. If your company is interested in participating, please contact Susan Bates at batess@macomb.edu.

The evening event is presented by Macomb Community College, in collaboration with the college's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) partners. For more information, please visit the CAAT's Student Activities page.

The self-driving Bolt EV is potentially the first mass produced autonomous car. General Motors and it's subsidiary Cruise Automation, have already started building the vehicles in the Orion Assembly Plant, near Detroit, Michigan. While other semi-autonomous vehicles have the necessary radars and sensors attached after production, they will be built into the self-driving Bolt.

Cruise's fully autonomous software will probably be ready for testing on the Streets of San Francisco in a few months. It's not clear when these cars will be ready for consumer purchase, but employees will be able to hail them using the in-house Cruise Anywhere app.

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