Join Us for this FREE CAAT Webinar!
Preparing Technicians for Careers in Advanced Mobility
Date: April 17, 2014, 1 p.m. EST
Length: 90 minutes
Description: Learn how the CAAT, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center, provides curricula in advanced automotive engineering technology for middle-skill technicians by:
- Working closely with industry to identify future education and training requirements
- Funding projects to develop new curricula demanded by industry
- Housing and disseminating the latest curricula to schools
Presenters:
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Did you know that Volkswagen believes it may be able to triple storage capacity for electric vehicle (EV) batteries using lithium-air battery technology? This battery technology could allow full-EVs to obtain ranges of 200-300 miles per charge and typical plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to travel 30-60 miles per charge (SOURCE). To learn more about EV and PHEV batteries, visit the links in this section of our Resource Library.
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Did you know that in the month of January, the CAAT website was visited a total of 817 times (our highest ever), including visits by 601 new unique visitors (also our highest ever)? In addition, our February website traffic resulted in 3,130 total page views (our highest ever). We are so pleased the CAAT website has become such a valuable tool for our visitors!
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Join Us at These Upcoming CAAT Activities!
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SAE 2014 World Congress & Exhibition
(April 8-10, 2014)
Visit the CAAT poster exhibit at the SAE 2014 World Congress. This annual event assembles the best talent in the automotive industry; experts, management teams, engineers, and executives alike gather to collaborate and address current challenges, celebrate evolution and achievement over the last 100+ years, and promote the multitude of opportunities fundamental for a successful future.
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Electric Vehicle Development Technician Information Sessions
Energize your future with a high-tech training program in Electric Vehicles. If you've lost your job or are underemployed you may qualify for free classes.
Tue, April 29, 2014, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Wed, May 21, 2014, from 6-8 p.m.
Mon, June 2, 2014, from 3-5 p.m.
If you've lost your job or are underemployed you may qualify for free classes.
Save the date to learn more about this exciting new program that begins in August 2014. This is a FREE event, but registration is required as seating is limited. Register online today!
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CAAT to Participate in NSF ATE Day Event
(May 13, 2014)
CAAT Director and Co-Principal Investigator (PI), Bob Feldmaier, has been invited to be a panelist at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Day event in Charleston, South Carolina. The event is being hosted by the Center for Aviation & Automotive Technical Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES). Over 20 technical colleges have been invited to attend from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
The event is designed to provide an overview of the NSF ATE program and will include information on how to get started and apply for grants, how to network and partner with existing ATE Centers and projects, how to become involved and participate in active programs and use existing materials. Speakers will include Dr. Celeste Carter, NSF ATE Lead Program Director, and Dr. Anand Gramopadhye, PI for the CA2VES ATE Center. The panel discussion will help those new to the NSF ATE program gain perspective from current PIs and Directors from both established and new ATE projects and centers.
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University Bound
(May 19-20, 2014)
University Bound is a summer program co-sponsored by the CAAT, Wayne State University (WSU), Macomb Community College (MCC), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program is targeted towards community college students considering transferring to WSU or other baccalaureate granting institutions. It's an opportunity for students to get acquainted with campus life. In the program, students attend two days of workshops geared at improving their college experience and supporting their goal of graduating with a bachelor's degree. Linking the two days of workshops is an overnight stay in one of WSU's dormitories.
The workshops and presentation are planned to:
- Increase academic skills
- Experience campus life at an urban research university
- Expand confidence, affirm positive attitudes, and enhance interpersonal skills
- Explore college/university services
University Bound 2014 will be held on Monday and Tuesday, May19-20. If you are a MCC student interested in this program, please check out the 2014 flyer and application. Evaluations from past attendees have been very positive, so don't miss out and consider joining us! The event is limited to 40 students, so apply today! The application deadline is May 2, 2014. If you have questions after reading the flyer, please contact Joyce Lien from WSU at 313-577-5386.
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Save the Date for the CAAT Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive Event!
The CAAT will offer a FREE Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive event at Macomb Community College's South Campus in Warren, MI on Friday, May 2, 2014, in conjunction with its annual conference to be held the same day. The event will be open to the public from 3-8 p.m. and will be held in the college's parking area along Hayes Road. The event will feature multiple makes and models of hybrid and electrified vehicles (EVs), which may include the Chevrolet Volt, the Ford C-MAX Hybrid Energi, the Nissan Leaf, the Tesla Model S, and more. Don't miss your opportunity to test drive and learn more about these exciting vehicles!
Vehicle manufacturers and charging station suppliers will be at the event to explain the technology behind EVs and the charging of EVs. The Michigan Tech Mobile Lab will also be available for tours. Refreshments will be provided.
The EV Ride & Drive event is FREE, but registration is required as space is limited. Additional information, such as how to register, will be provided soon. |
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Don't Miss Your Opportunity to Attend the FREE 2014 CAAT Conference! Register Today!
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CAAT Awards Seed Funding to Utica Community Schools and Wayne State University
The CAAT is pleased to announce that it has awarded Seed Funding to Utica Community Schools (UCS) for the development of a project-based junior high curriculum for students to design, create, and race electric vehicles (EVs), and to Wayne State University (WSU) for curriculum enhancement and adaption of motor control systems for advanced automotive propulsion systems.
UCS will create a project-based course for 7th-9th grade students which will focus on skills in science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) as it applies to EVs. The course is designed to encourage students to seriously consider the Career Technical Education (CTE) and STEM options that exist in high school. Students in seven junior high schools will design and build small electric powered vehicles with the intent of racing them in competition with other student created vehicles. In the process of building the vehicles, students will learn basic information about engineering and design processes, electrical circuits, batteries, gearing ratios, and converting electrical energy into mechanical energy. Additionally, the course will address applicable Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.
WSU will develop a course module that advances the preparation of skilled technicians and engineers for jobs in the hybrid and electric vehicle industry. The course module to be developed is "Analysis and Control of Electric Motors." The main activities include developing course materials, integrating them into WSU's course EET4200 (Control Systems), delivering the integrated course, disseminating the course materials, and adapting the developed course materials for students at community colleges. As a result of this project, students will be well prepared to be professionals in the area of hybrid and electric vehicles with motor control and analysis skills.
The CAAT congratulates UCS and WSU for their efforts to improve student education in EV technology! Once developed, the educational materials resulting from these projects will be added to the CAAT's free online Resource Library for use by other educational institutions.
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CAAT Participates in Automotive Instructor Update Training Workshop
The CAAT and Macomb Community College (MCC) hosted an automotive instructor update training workshop on March 12 at MCC's South Campus in Warren, MI. Despite a major snow storm that closed most schools in the area, the event was attended by more than 63 people! The event was a collaborative effort among the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES), and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF), all of whom participated in the workshop. The CAAT was invited to do a presentation on how the Center is helping to meet the expanding technician workforce needs of the automotive industry by:
- Increasing the pool of automotive technicians and engineering technologists to work with advanced propulsion vehicle systems and their components
- Being a regional resource for developing and disseminating advanced automotive technology education
The presentation also provided attendees with a glimpse of the future of the automotive industry in Michigan.
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CAAT Participates in Autorama Career Day
The CAAT recently participated in the 62nd Annual Autorama World of Wheels, America's Greatest Hot Rod Show, held March 7-9 at Cobo Center in Detroit, MI. This annual event is held in nearly 20 locations throughout the US and Canada. The Detroit show, however, boasts the highest attendance of all locations with nearly 150,000 attendees each year. This year the CAAT showed off its BEV27 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), which is a ground up build project based on a 1927 Roadster Kit, being built by a cross-functional team of students with faculty and industry advisors. The project is now 2/5 complete with all the fun of final design details, integration, assembly, and on-the-road development still to come.
The CAAT also participated in the Autorama World of Wheels Student Career Day, which began in 2006 as an initiative to support the automotive educational programs at schools by exposing students to the wide range of opportunities in the industry through speakers, corporate support, and event participation. School groups of high school and college level students participated in this positive and valuable educational experience.
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NSC TAACCCT Grant Extension Approved
On Tuesday March 4, 2014 the National STEM Consortium (NSC) received official notice from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) that their no-cost period of performance extension request has been approved, extending the term of the NSC Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant through September 30, 2015. The extension request focused on providing additional time for NSC partner colleges to meet participation and outcome goals. What this means for Macomb Community College is that we will have the opportunity to offer a third Electric Vehicle Development Technology Certificate cohort of up to 25 participants beginning in Fall 2014. For more information, please refer to the Electric Vehicle Development Technician Information Sessions article in the CAAT Upcoming Activities section of this newsletter.
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What's New in the CAAT Resource Library?
In February, one conference resource and two other resources 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 February:
- Smarter Cars, Smarter Students: 2014 Michigan Career Education Conference
Presentation delivered by the CAAT at the Michigan Career Education Conference discussing the CAAT's relationship with Macomb Community College and their automotive programs, Michigan's advantage to support advanced automotive technology development, CAAT's strategic priorities, current and future automotive technologies, fuel economy standards, Seed Funding, and more - Michigan is Auto
Report providing a substantive analysis of the automotive assets and resources that continue to make Michigan the global epicenter of the industry and the preferred location for automotive investment - Financing the Infrastructure to Support Alternative Fuel Vehicles: How Much Investment is Needed and How Will It Be Funded?
Research paper that describes the costs and benefits of various funding models (e.g. tax incentives, government loan programs, convertible bonds, and joint ventures) which have been or could be put in place to support alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) infrastructure investment spending
Browse the CAAT Resource Library
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