February 2020
CAAT TRACKS
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Register Now for the 2020 CAAT Conference
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Preparing Technicians for Autonomous Technologies
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Friday, May 8, 2020
Macomb Community College
Center Campus, Clinton Township, MI
University Center, Assembly Hall
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The 2020 CAAT Conference will be held on Friday, May 8, at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan. The theme this year is
Preparing Technicians for Autonomous Technologies
. Save the date and register now to be sure you don't miss this popular and free automotive conference!
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Richard Blust
Advance Driver Assistance Systems, North America
Test & Validation Manager
Continental Automotive Systems
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Michele Mueller
Senior Project Manager
Connected and Automated Vehicles
Michigan Department of Transportation
Connected and Automated Vehicles
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Jessica Robinson
Executive Director
Michigan Mobility Institute
State of Mobility
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Jonathan Beck
Director
National Center for Autonomous Technologies
Air Autonomous Technologies
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Chris Hadfield
Director
Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence
Land Autonomous Technologies
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Jill Zande
President and Executive Director
Marine Advanced Technology Education Center
Sea Autonomous Technologies
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Michele Economou Ureste
Executive Director
Workforce Intelligence Network
Technician/Technologist Labor Market
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The conference will also provide an opportunity for attendees to visit with various local STEM organizations.
And new this year, the CAAT is working with the Macomb Intermediate School District to seek approval from the Michigan Department of Education to offer
State Continuing Education Clock Hours
(SCECHs) for educators attending the CAAT Conference. We’ll keep you posted on our progress right here in the CAAT Tracks newsletter.
Visit our
conference page
to learn more about our speakers and download the
agenda
. The conference is free to attend, but seating is limited and
registration
is required.
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Attend a Free Information Session on the FCA Automotive Manufacturing Program (AMP)
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Do you want to combine real-life work skills with education for new career opportunities in automotive manufacturing?
Macomb Community College, in partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), is offering a program providing students the opportunity to develop leadership, problem-solving and communication skills while earning an associate degree at Macomb. Students participate in a paid co-op program, working one day per week as a production supervisor at an FCA manufacturing facility in the Greater Detroit area. Classes begin FALL 2020.
Learn more about the Automotive Manufacturing Program (AMP) at one of our FREE information sessions:
Dates & Times:
Wednesday, March 25 • 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Tuesday, April 28 • 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Location:
Macomb Community College
South Campus, S Building, Room 101
14500 E. 12 Mile Rd., Warren, MI 48088
For questions or more information, contact Sandy Webster at 586.445.7774 or
websters@macomb.edu
.
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Check Out the Driven Detroit Mobility Moments Podcast Featuring CAAT Director, Ben Cruz
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CAAT Director, Ben Cruz was recently featured in the Mobility Moments podcast by
Driven Detroit: The Region Leading the World in Mobility
,
which features guests who are
helping to
build the mobility ecosystem in the Detroit region. Cruz was interviewed by Claire Charlton and the podcast is dated February 6. The discussion focused on how important a properly skilled technical workforce is to the future of Michigan mobility.
Having worked with hundreds of engineers and technicians during his 36
year
Career at General Motors, Cruz noted how experienced, higher skilled technicians are often the anchors of automotive test facilities and laboratories, like the ones he worked in at General Motors. He then talked about how the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology at Macomb Community College provides a spectrum of educational opportunities to meet the expanding workforce needs of the automotive industry, including jobs in advanced automotive technologies such as vehicle electrification, automated and connected vehicles, materials light-weighting, and vehicle design. Cruz also explained how educational pathways help students progress from high school, to a community college like Macomb, to a 4-year university where, over time and with agreements among educational institutions, students can obtain a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree at a significantly reduced cost.
Cruz then explained that as vehicle technology advances, so too does the skillset required for those who work in the industry. In fact, the industry shift to electrified, connected and automated vehicles has lead the CAAT to develop a new degree program at Macomb called
Vehicle Engineering Technician
, which combines traditional electrical and mechanical courses with computer courses. In addition, the CAAT worked with other educational institutions to develop new courses which were created specifically for the Vehicle Engineering Technician degree.
Click
here
to listen or read the full podcast with CAAT director, Ben Cruz.
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Register Today for the Michigan Automotive Teachers Association Conference
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March 19 & 20
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI
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The Michigan Automotive Teachers Association (MATA) Conference will be held March 19 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm, and March 20 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm at
Ferris State University
in Big Rapids, Michigan. The conference is targeted to auto instructors from secondary and post-secondary education as well as industry. More than 80 people have already registered to attend this free automotive training conference.
CAAT Assistant Director, Nelson Kelly, will present a session on Connected, Automated and Intelligent Vehicles. Topics of discussion for this session will include:
- How sensors, such as cameras, radar, and Lidar (experimental at present), along with computer controlled electromechanical devices, can assist the driver at different levels of automation.
- How adding wireless connectivity to other vehicles, the infrastructure, and maps can increase the level of automation such that, under certain circumstances, the vehicle can drive itself.
- The need for cybersecurity as vehicles become increasingly connected and have wireless features that are subject to hackers.
Other sessions include:
- FCA Stop/Start Belt Starter Generator Systems & Pacifica Hybrid/Fiat 500e, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Snap-on
- Are we Done with ICE’s? Toyota’s Next Generation Architecture Engines, Toyota
- Technician Certification Beta Testing, State of Michigan
- A/C Updates, Consulab
- Spark Your Student’s Electrical Training, Atech
- The True Value of Advisory Committees, ASEEF
The conference is free to attend, but
registration
is required. As in the past, ASE Education Foundation training hours will be awarded. Additional information is available on our
website
including an agenda, maps, and hotel information. Please share this information with associates and colleagues who may benefit from attending this conference.
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Free Professional Development Course on Electric-Drive Vehicle Technology
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Don't miss your opportunity to attend a free professional development course on electric-drive vehicle technology offered by the CAAT and Wayne State University. The course will be held May 11-12, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the
City College of Chicago Truman College Technical Center
.
The workshop is designed to provide the fundamentals of electric-drive vehicle powertrain configurations, electric propulsion components, electronic machines and power electronics, and connected and automated/autonomous vehicles.
This professional development opportunity is being offered to:
- Community college instructors and administrators
- 4-Year college/university engineering or technology faculty
- High school science or technology teachers, and
- Automotive industry professionals
The course will focus on four key topics:
- Topic 1: Overview of HEV/PHEV/EV/FCV
- Topic 2: Embedded systems for vehicles
- Topic 3: Traction Motors and Power Electronics for Electric-Drive Vehicles
- Topic 4: Connected and Automated/Autonomous Vehicles
Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a $150 stipend and a certificate of completion accredited by Wayne State University!
If you are interested in attending, please send completed application form via email to
geneliao@wayne.edu by
April 27, 2020.
Please direct questions to Gene Liao via the email above or at 313-577-8078.
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Certification Instructors Needed for Advanced Vehicle Technician Standards Validation
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The
NSF-ATE
Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange Grant (
NEVTEX DUE # 1700708
) is moving ahead on creating the Advanced Vehicle Technician Standards for high-pressure and high-voltage systems. The Advisory members for this grant will be compiling and broadcasting the results of this work during the 2020 year. 18 Advanced Standards have been identified and are being developed as the national standards for electric and fuel cell systems. Based on the pattern that we are following in the current grant, we are considering standards development for Advanced Driver Assist Systems as part of our next NSF-ATE project or center.
NEVTEX
participants have held multiple conversations with the
Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) Training Division. There is a mutual need by industry and education to create a mechanism to certify Vehicle Electrification Technicians.
NEVTEX is moving ahead with a plan to promote “Certification Instructors” who are trained on how to monitor SAE Certifications – both web testing and practical testing. Education and industry working together to create “SAE Testing Hubs” established around the country will determine the next steps.
If your college Vehicle Electrification Program instructors are interested in participating in the development of the practical testing site preparation, please contact Ken Mays, Principal Investigator for the NEVTEX Grant, at
kmays@cocc.edu
.
The CAAT at Macomb Community College has been selected by NEVTEX to assist in the process of disseminating NEVTEX resources. All NEVTEX resources will be available on the
CAAT’s NEVTEX page
for viewing and downloading.
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Macomb Community College Hosts Girl Scouts Engineering Day
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The CAAT hosted the
Girls Scouts of Southeastern Michigan
(GSSEM) Engineering Day event on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The event was held at Macomb Community College’s South Campus in Warren, Michigan.
The event was offered as part of the
National Engineers Week
celebration to inspire girls to explore career opportunities in the vast fields of engineering and technology. Approximately
120
people attended the event, including nearly 80 junior, cadet and senior girl scouts and more than 40 parents, troop leaders, mentors and volunteers.
The girl scouts participated in engineering and robotics-focused, hands-on activities. Saleta McMurray, CAAT’s STEM Outreach Coordinator, offered an AI Bot lab for 40 junior girl scouts who worked in small groups to build a remote-controlled robot. Some of the junior scouts also got to experience virtual reality (VR) videos through VR headsets. The
STEM Genius
organization offered a hands-on session called Robotics Junior Engineers for approximately
37
cadette, senior and ambassador scouts who also worked in small groups to build a robot.
Concurrently, parents and troop leaders attended a session just for them. Presentations were provided by Fatima A. Majid, Chair Elect, National Society of Black Engineers, Detroit Professional Chapter, and Dr. Missie Smith, Assistant Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Oakland University. The CAAT’s Saleta McMurray informed the parents and troop leaders about the upcoming Summer STEAM Camps that the CAAT and Macomb will offer this summer which are sponsored by General Motors and Bosch. In addition, the STEM Genius team provided parents and troop leaders with information on how to engage students in fun, STEM-based learning activities and a hands-on opportunity to try their hand at building small robotics and a remote controlled roller coaster. Near the end of the event, parents and troop leaders were invited into the student classrooms where they had a chance to see what their students had been working on, as well as student presentations and discussion about what was learned through the hands-on experience.
During lunch, the scouts were able to participate in more STEM-based activities with assistance from several students from the
Oakland University Makers Club
. These students also provided robotics demonstrations to the full group near the end of the event.
The event was support by:
- Macomb Community College, Center for Advanced Automotive Technology
- STEM Genius
- Society of Black Engineers
- Continental Automotive Systems
- Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science
- National Science Foundation
Many of these supporters also contributed door prizes and small gifts for the scouts.
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Auto STEAM Days 2019 Survey Results Are In
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The survey results from December’s
Auto STEAM Days
event have been processed and indicate the event was very successful among both teachers and students!
TEACHER SURVEY (15 Responses)
- Two-thirds of the teachers who responded to the survey indicated that they found the Auto STEAM Days event to be a Very Effective (20%) or Effective (46.7%) learning tool. An additional 33.3% of respondents found the event to be a Moderately Effective learning tool.
- Teachers were asked to estimate the level of interest in the STEAM fields among their students before and after the event. Before the event, teachers estimated that 33.3% of their students had a high interest in the STEAM fields, but this number increased to 60% after the event.
STUDENT SURVEY (363 Responses)
- 60.3% of students indicated they liked the event a lot and another 26.2% indicated they liked it a little.
- 35.8% of students indicated they learned a lot at the event, 47.7% of students indicated they learned some, and another 14% indicated they learned a little at the event.
- Students were asked to note their level of interest in the STEAM fields (on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is low interest and 5 is high interest) both before and after the event. The results indicate that student interest in STEAM fields shifted significantly from lower interest to higher interest after the event. In fact, the number of students who indicated the highest level of interest before the event (85) increased to 134 after the event. Similarly, the number of students who indicated a level of interest of 4 before the event (110) increased to 129 after the event!
- After the event, students were asked what type of career they would like to pursue where 10 popular careers were listed along with undecided and other. 82 (25.5%) of the 363 students who responded to this question indicated they would like to pursue an Engineering/Automotive Technology/Car Design career. This was the career with the most responses. The next highest was 59 students who indicated they would pursue a career in graphic design/computer/information technology, followed by 49 students who indicated they would pursue a career in medical/bio-medical/health sciences.
- Student comments included, “It was cool to learn about the cars and the people who work with them,” “I thought it was a great experience and it was fun,” “It is so amazing,” “This was so much fun!,” and "It was fun/great/awesome/the best”!
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In this activity, students will build a miniature, biologically inspired robot, a robot "bug" that will automatically drive toward a light source, just like some real bugs do. This robot is a type of bristlebot, which gets its name because it uses bristles from a toothbrush as feet.
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This project will have two different sources of power: solar panels and stored energy in the form of batteries. Students will build an electrical circuit, or a loop through which electricity can flow, that allows a toggle between powering the robot from its batteries or its solar panels. The circuit will provide power to two motors that make the robot move, allowing students to investigate how the two different power supplies affect the robot's speed in different weather conditions.
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A Report on the employment and economic contribution of General Motors’ automotive operations to the United States economy including Michigan operations that produce electric car batteries and autonomous vehicle components.
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It is expected that self-driving cars will be in high demand in the disability community once they enter the mainstream market. The increased demand is expected to have a strong, positive financial impact to the automotive supply chain and ride share services. This report addresses specific requirements that need to be addressed in order for autonomous vehicles to be fully operable and accessible.
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Regulators, safety lobbyists and the automotive industry seek to expand the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) testing standards to address the safety hazards attributed to errors outside of a potential vehicle malfunction. One such standard is Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF). The SOTIF initiative aims at providing guidance on how to apply safety requirement completeness for AV artificial intelligence systems.
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Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have the potential to improve automobile safety and driving convenience, but their complexity requires comprehensive testing and verification systems to ensure safety across all types of traffic, road, and weather conditions.
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The Career Fair will be held in the college’s Expo Center (P Building) and is open to former and current students as well as the community, which will enable all job seekers to meet a diverse group of employers and have “on-the-spot” preliminary informational interviews. With over 250 employers attending, job seekers can expect to meet a wide group of employers in a multitude of different fields.
There is no need to register. Just make sure to come dressed in business attire with multiple copies of your resume. We look forward to having you at our Macomb Community College Job Fair!
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In Detroit, May Mobility drives revenue by transporting workers 1 mile from entertainment district with cheap parking to busy business district where parking is more expensive.
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A Bosch engineer from metro-Detroit created the Virtual Visor which utilizes artificial intelligence and a driver-monitoring camera to keep out the sun.
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Electric vehicle technology is over 100 years old, with electric powertrains outnumbering the competition in the early 1900's through the 1920's.
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The average EV pollution factor equals a gasoline vehicle that gets 88 miles mpg, significantly better than the most efficient (58 mpg) gasoline cars.
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These solar charging stations are truly emission free because they are independent of the electrical grid, local utility fuels and generators.
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