What's New in the CAAT Resource Library?
In September, one conference resource and one other resource were added to our Resource Library. Conference resources include materials such as handouts and presentations from conferences the CAAT presented at or attended. Listed below are the resources added in September:
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All presentations from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) 2014 Management Briefing Seminars held August 4-7, 2014, which discussed the most important issues facing the automotive industry today: manufacturing, powertrain, sales forecasting, connected and automated vehicles, purchasing, talent, and supply chain -
A collection of 14 modules that provide transportation professionals with fundamental concepts and practices related to ITS technologies
Browse the CAAT Resource Library |
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Did you know that over the last two months our most popular resource has been, "Toyota Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) Technical System Overview and Diagnostics"? This resource contains two Toyota Motors technician training courses. One course provides an overview of Toyota's hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and the other focuses on HEV diagnosis. Included in each course are individual modules containing instructional aids and lab activities. To view this great classroom-ready resource, click the link above!
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Did you know that the CAAT's Resource Library is shared on the NSDL, AMSER, and ATE Central websites as well as the CAAT site? Click the links above to see our resources in other digital libraries.
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Did you know?
that through the Non-Hit Car and Truck project, Volvo has made great progress towards offering a car in 2020 that will prevent occupants from being "killed or seriously injured" (SOURCE)? The Non-Hit Car and Truck project is a collaboration between academia, various institutions, and industry to reduce accidents and will come to an end in December. Through the program, Volvo has developed advanced automated and connected vehicle technologies. These technologies include "next-generation sensor fusion technologies" to provide a seamless 360-degree view around a car or truck and a "maneuver generator, a new safety feature that uses software to identify collision-free escape routes in all traffic scenarios. The system, which works by constantly analyzing threats around the car, can even assist drivers with auto-braking and steering." Two vehicles have been built to display the developed technologies and are seen as essential in progressing towards fully automated vehicles. To learn more about these technologies, visit the links in this section or this video created by Volvo.
Visit the CAAT Technologies Page
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EV Myth Busters
Myth: Electric car batteries pose a recycling problem
Fact: Internal combustion engine vehicles use lead-acid batteries, and their recycle rate is about 98% in the US (SOURCE). The newer batteries for electric vehicles, such as those made of lithium-ion, include even more valuable and recyclable metals and will have a life well beyond the vehicle. In fact, a Belgian company plans to use Tesla Motor's electric vehicle battery pack material to produce an alloy it can further refine into cobalt, nickel, and other valuable metals as well as special grades of concrete. Technology will soon allow for EV batteries to store energy produced by solar or wind power. |
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Save the Date for the 2015 CAAT Conference!
The CAAT will hold its annual conference on Friday, May 1, 2015, at Macomb Community College's South Campus in Warren, MI. Be sure to mark your calendar to attend this increasingly popular automotive event! Stay tuned! We'll tell you more about our plans for the 2015 conference right here in the CAAT monthly newsletter as our plans progress.
If you missed our conference last year, click here to learn more about it and download the conference presentations. |
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Submit your Seed Funding Proposal Today!
The CAAT is interested in receiving seed funding proposals to develop or adapt courses, modules, or other educational artifacts that advance the preparation of skilled automotive technicians, engineering technologists, and designers for jobs in the automotive industry. The CAAT evaluates and selects proposals from educational institutions for limited funding (up to $25,000) to improve and disseminate educational programs that better prepare technicians to work with powertrain and propulsion technologies, vehicle design, connected and automated vehicles, and materials technology. Although we welcome proposals in any of these areas, we are particularly looking for modules and related content in lightweight materials for designers and in the technologies of automated and connected vehicles for technicians.
Visit the Apply for Seed Funding page on the CAAT website for more information and to download the application materials. Visit our Funded Programs page to see how 10 educational institutions (intermediate school districts, community colleges, and universities) have already taken advantage of CAAT seed funding to enhance their automotive and engineering programs. All educational materials developed under these funded projects are available at no charge in the CAAT Resource Library, so check them out today!
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
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CAAT Joins Michigan Automated and Connected Vehicle Work Group
This group meets quarterly and just had its 12th meeting, which was attended by more than 50 people. The Michigan Department of Transportation uses the meeting as a forum for its initiatives including the recently announced partnership with General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and a University of Michigan (U-M) consortium to deploy vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technology-enabled corridors on more than 120 miles of Metro Detroit roadway, including stretches of I-696 (Walter P. Reuther Freeway) and I-94 (Edsel Ford Freeway). Doug Fertuck, CAAT assistant director, has joined the group, which is expanding its scope and activity now that the corridor is an active initiative. |
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CAAT Sponsors 2014 Robotics Engineering and Technology (RET) Days Event
Join us for RET Days 2014 being held on December 2-3 at Macomb Community College's South Campus in Warren, MI. The Robotics, Engineering and Technology Days event is cosponsored by the CAAT, the National Science Foundation, and Macomb Intermediate School District. Also providing support for the event are ATT, DTE Energy Foundation, Genisys and Michigan Schools and Government Credit Unions, Oakland University, SME Education Foundation, and Square One Network. Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are currently available for this free half-day event geared towards students in grades 6-12.
Students attending RET Days will participate in exciting exhibits while they learn about careers in robotics and engineering and the exciting technology being used in these fields! Students will check out the latest trends in automotive technology, discover electric vehicles (EVs) and participate in an EV race, talk with leading experts in the fields of engineering and robotics, interact with underwater remotely operated vehicles, program a robot and "battle" against other students, and examine renewable energy technologies like biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells, and a student designed solar trike.
Also new this year on December 2 will be the evening event "Exploring Careers in Manufacturing and Technology." The event is designed as a follow-up to the successful Manufacturing Day activities held earlier this month where Macomb County and the Macomb Intermediate School District arranged for over 1,200 high school students to tour area manufacturing and technology companies. The December 2 event will run from 5:30-8:00 p.m. and is targeted at high school students and their parents to come and learn more about careers in these areas. The event is open to the public, though pre-registration is encouraged. Be sure to watch www.macomb.edu for more details.
If you are interested in attending RET Days 2014 or participating as a corporate sponsor or exhibitor, please click here for more information.
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Recently Held CAAT Activities
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Nearly 60 Educators and Industry Professionals Attend Seminar on Lightweighting: The Implications for Automotive Design Development
The free evening seminar, which was offered by the asbe Foundation and supported by the CAAT, was held on Wednesday, October 15, at Macomb Community College's Lorenzo Cultural Center in Clinton Township, Michigan, and was a big success. The seminar featured technical briefings on two of the automotive industry's hottest topics: advanced materials and joining technologies. The event included important networking opportunities and complimentary hors d'oeuvres and refreshments provided by the CAAT.
Technical presentations included an "Overview of Advanced Materials and Joining Technology" by Mark Stevens of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and a presentation by Matt Zaluzec, from Ford Motor Company and Jeff Conklin from Magna International on the "25% Weight Saving Ford Fusion Project." The technical presentations were followed by a lively question and answer session.
A survey completed at the conclusion of the seminar showed that of the seminar attendees who completed the survey:
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86% rated the overall seminar as either extremely valuable or very valuable -
85% indicated that their knowledge and awareness of lightweighting technologies had increased to a large extent or a very large extent
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Now Available! The Presentation and Recording of the CAAT Webinar, The Future of Automotive Technology: Keeping Your Automotive Technology Up-to-Date
The CAAT recently hosted its second webinar, which explored the vast economic and societal impact of the automotive industry on energy, safety, and emissions and how automotive technology is changing rapidly in response to these concerns. The webinar also included highlights from the 2014 CAAT Conference, held earlier this year, which addressed the future of automotive technology as presented by several well-known industry experts. Information was also provided on how CAAT seed funding can support keeping your automotive, electronics, and IT curricula up-to-date.
More than 40 people registered to attend the webinar, but if you weren't one of them, click here to see what you missed, download the webinar presentation, and listen to the webinar recording. |
CAAT
Attends National ATE Principal Investigator's Conference
The conference was attended by approximately 850 people and focused on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Key people working on ATE projects across the country participated in the conference. CAAT attendees were Joe Petrosky (PI), Bob Feldmaier and Scott Palmer (co-PI's), Sherri Doherty, Doug Fertuck, and Mary Hojnacki (CAAT staff), and Mike McMillan, an ATE Center student alumni (and CAAT employee) selected to attend the event by the NSF and the AACC.
Conference attendees represented community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, four-year colleges, and research and development centers covering projects in a wide variety of areas such as information technology, engineering technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and more.
Keynote speakers for the event were:
- Chandra Brown, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
- Esther J. Cepeda, an opinion journalist and expert on the issues of U.S. Hispanics/Latinos
- Keith J. Masback, chief executive officer of the not-for-profit United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation
- Mark Mitsui, the new deputy assistant secretary for community colleges in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education
The event also featured showcase sessions which provided grantees an opportunity to exhibit their programs and share information with other programs and non-ATE guests at the conference. These showcases were a highlight of the conference, and the CAAT proudly hosted two showcases: a center showcase and a student showcase hosted by Mike McMillan.
Per the most recent ATE statistics, ATE centers and projects such as the CAAT have educated 96,460 students at 2,240 educational institutions, served 72,840 educators, developed 2,760 curriculum materials, facilitated 1,570 articulation agreements and collaborated with 16,920 groups that provided $16M in monetary contributions and $13M of in-kind support! Congratulations to all of the ATE centers and projects for their contribution to these significant program results!
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