N Indian Crk Dr

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

PIVOTS: MECHATRONICS IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: MILE -THERE IS A HIGH DEMAND IN THE GEORGIA PIEDMONT TECHNICAL COLLEGE (GPTC) SERVICE REGION, AND NATIONWIDE, FOR TRAINED MECHATRONICS TECHNICIANS TO SUPPORT THIS CRITICAL INDUSTRY. MECHATRONICS IS A CUTTING-EDGE FIELD THAT MERGES MECHANICS, ELECTRONICS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE TO CREATE INTELLIGENT MACHINES AND SYSTEMS. TO SUPPORT THIS GROWING DEMAND, THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT A PATHWAY FOR MILITARY VETERANS TO HAVE AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE EXPOSING THEM TO THE MECHATRONICS CAREER FIELD. VETERANS ARE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED FOR THIS FIELD; EVEN THOSE WITHOUT DIRECT TECHNOLOGY TRAINING MAKE IDEAL CANDIDATES FOR A TECHNICAL POSITION IN THE CIVILIAN WORKFORCE, AS THEIR MILITARY EXPERIENCES HAVE INSTILLED DISCIPLINE, TEAMWORK, AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS, KEY QUALITIES THAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR IN A WORKFORCE. BECAUSE GPTC HAS A HIGH POPULATION OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM FIELDS, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN THE MECHATRONICS WORKFORCE AND GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HOW EXPOSURE TO MECHATRONICS THROUGH AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE CAN PREPARE A DIVERSE BODY OF PARTICIPANTS FOR HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELDS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE MILITARY VETERANS WITH AN ACCESSIBLE PATHWAY INTO CAREERS IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY. THIS PROJECT WILL PREPARE PARTICIPANTS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE AS A MECHATRONICS TECHNICIAN WITH RELEVANT TRAINING, WHILE INTEGRATING MENTORSHIP AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES INVOLVING REPRESENTATIVES FROM LOCAL INDUSTRIES AND WILL FOCUS ON EXPOSURE TO THE MECHATRONICS CAREER FIELD, ACADEMIC PERSISTENCE, WORKFORCE READINESS, AND JOB PLACEMENT. OVER A 16-WEEK PERIOD, PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FACILITATED BY GPTC FACULTY, COMBINING HANDS-ON TRAINING, CAREER EXPLORATION, AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITH LOCAL EMPLOYERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. ADDITIONALLY, A COMPETITIVE FINANCIAL STIPEND FOR PARTICIPANTS WILL BE PROVIDED TO ADDRESS ANY EQUITY GAPS, ENSURING INCLUSIVITY. THROUGH THIS APPROACH, THE PROJECT WILL OFFER A COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE, SERVING AS AN ENTRY POINT INTO HIGH-DEMAND, HIGH-WAGE CAREERS AS MECHATRONICS TECHNICIANS. PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ARTICULATE EARNED CREDITS TOWARDS GPTC'S DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MECHATRONICS OR RELATED EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FIELDS, FURTHER ADVANCING THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER PATHWAYS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

CYBERSECURITY PATHWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION -ACCORDING TO THE CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY (CISA) STRATEGIC PLAN (2023), THE UNITED STATES FACES A LACK OF BOTH QUALIFIED AND DIVERSE CYBER PROFESSIONALS. COMPOUNDING THESE CONCERNS, THE US BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS (2024), PROJECTS A 32% INCREASE IN CYBER-RELATED CAREERS FROM 2022-2032, RESULTING IN NEARLY 17,000 JOB OPENINGS ANNUALLY. TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, THIS PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH A ONE-YEAR DUAL ENROLLMENT (DE) PATHWAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO EARN A TECHNICAL CERTIFICATE OF CREDIT (TCC) IN CYBERSECURITY FUNDAMENTALS. OVER THREE YEARS, 135 STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED INTO THE PROGRAM, GAINING HANDS-ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS. THE PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE THE TRANSITION FROM K-12 TO HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREERS, IMPROVING STUDENT READINESS IN THIS HIGH-DEMAND FIELD. GPTC WILL STRUCTURE THE TCC AS A TWO-SEMESTER PROGRAM, INTEGRATING REAL-WORLD SIMULATIONS, PROFESSIONAL INTERACTIONS, AND CYBERSECURITY CAREER EXPOSURE. STUDENTS WILL EARN 18 COLLEGE CREDITS, DEVELOPING FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS IN NETWORK SECURITY, RISK MANAGEMENT, AND DIGITAL FORENSICS. THE PROGRAM CULMINATES IN A STUDENT SHOWCASE, WHERE STUDENTS PRESENT THEIR SKILLS TO PEERS, FACULTY, AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE K-12 PIPELINE BY ESTABLISHING A PATHWAY INTO FOR FUTURE ENROLLMENT INTO THE COLLEGE'S CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM AND OTHER EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FIELDS, AS WELL AS AN ENTRY POINT INTO THE WORKFORCE IN A CRITICAL AND HIGH-DEMAND FIELD. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS FOR THE ADVANCED-TECHNOLOGY FIELDS THAT DRIVE THE NATION'S ECONOMY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EPIIC: WORKFORCE AND INNOVATION COLLABORATIVE FOR REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS (WICRP) -THIS COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL BETWEEN HAMPTON UNIVERSITY (HU) AND GEORGIA PIEDMONT TECHNICAL COLLEGE (GPTC) AIMS TO ENHANCE THE ABILITY OF BOTH INSTITUTIONS TO FORM EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS THAT BOOST ACADEMIC AND INNOVATIVE GROWTH. BY WORKING TOGETHER, THE INSTITUTIONS PLAN TO CREATE A STRUCTURE FOR DEVELOPING REGIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE GRANT WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TOOLKIT TO HELP FORMALIZE PARTNERSHIP PROCESSES, WHICH CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER RESOURCE-LIMITED INSTITUTIONS, PARTICULARLY HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS) AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSIS). OVER THE GRANT PERIOD, THREE SYMPOSIUMS WILL IMMERSE PARTICIPANTS IN PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, FOCUSING ON MONETIZING RESEARCH AND FORMALIZING WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIPS. THE PROJECT GOALS INCLUDE ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP ECOSYSTEM, STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP CAPACITIES, AND ENHANCING PROGRAM SCALABILITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY, WITH A FOCUS ON SUPPORTING UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS, PARTICULARLY WOMEN IN STEM. THE INTELLECTUAL MERIT OF THIS PROJECT, WORKFORCE AND INNOVATION COLLABORATIVE FOR REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS (WICRP), LIES IN ITS EFFORTS TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS THAT SUPPORT EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FIELDS AND REGIONAL INNOVATION FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. THE PROJECT ADDRESSES CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED IN PREVIOUS RESEARCH, SUCH AS INEQUITIES FACED BY HBCUS IN FORMING RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS WITH NON-HBCUS. BY USING DATA AND FEEDBACK, THE TEAM AIMS TO UNDERSTAND AND OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES, SHARING THEIR FINDINGS TO IMPROVE CAPACITY-BUILDING EFFORTS AT HBCUS AND MSIS. THE BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE ALIGNING ECONOMIC GOALS, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, AND STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, FOSTERING BENEFICIAL INDUSTRY RELATIONSHIPS, AND ENHANCING RESEARCH AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AT BOTH HU AND GPTC. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

STRENGTHENING HIGH SCHOOL INITIATIVES IN FUTURE TECHNOLOGY -THERE IS A HIGH DEMAND IN THE GEORGIA PIEDMONT TECHNICAL COLLEGE (GPTC) SERVICE REGION, AND NATIONWIDE, FOR TRAINED MECHATRONICS TECHNICIANS TO SUPPORT THIS CRITICAL INDUSTRY. MECHATRONICS IS A CUTTING-EDGE FIELD THAT MERGES MECHANICS, ELECTRONICS, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE TO CREATE INTELLIGENT MACHINES AND SYSTEMS. TO SUPPORT THIS GROWING DEMAND, THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A ONE-YEAR PATHWAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL DUAL ENROLLMENT (DE) STUDENTS ON THE ACCELERATED CAREER PATHWAYS (ACP) HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PLAN, TO EARN TWO COLLEGE CERTIFICATES IN MECHATRONICS. IN GEORGIA, THE ACP OFFERS A UNIQUE PATH TO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION FOR CAREER-FOCUSED STUDENTS, WHERE THEY SIMULTANEOUSLY EARN A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND COLLEGE CREDENTIALS IN A SPECIFIC CAREER PATHWAY. OVER THE THREE YEARS OF THE PROJECT, 60 STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. THE PROJECT WILL ALIGN THE REQUIRED COURSES WITH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES, IN COORDINATION WITH THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS, STRENGTHENING THE K-12 PIPELINE AND IMPROVING THE READINESS OF STUDENTS TO TRANSITION INTO THE HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELD OF MECHATRONICS AS TECHNICIANS. BECAUSE GPTC HAS A HIGH POPULATION OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM FIELDS, THIS PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN THE MECHATRONICS WORKFORCE AND GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HOW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE PREPARED FOR COLLEGE AND HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELDS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO PREPARE STUDENTS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE AS A MECHATRONICS TECHNICIAN WITH RELEVANT CLASSROOM AND INDUSTRY EXPERIENCES. GPTC WILL ADAPT THE CURRENT TECHNICAL CERTIFICATES OF CREDIT (TCCS) INTO A TWO-SEMESTER PATHWAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHILE INTEGRATING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES INVOLVING REPRESENTATIVES FROM LOCAL INDUSTRIES AND WILL FOCUS ON EXPOSURE TO THE MECHATRONICS CAREER FIELD, ACADEMIC PERSISTENCE, WORKFORCE READINESS, AND JOB PLACEMENT. STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM WILL EARN 25 COLLEGE CREDITS IN TWO TARGETED MECHATRONICS TCCS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT WILL OFFER WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STEM TEACHERS TO INTRODUCE MECHATRONICS TOPICS AND LESSONS THAT THEY CAN THEN USE IN THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS. THIS WILL ADD TO THE FACULTY CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND CREATE A STRONGER PIPELINE INTO THE MECHATRONICS PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS FOR THE ADVANCED-TECHNOLOGY FIELDS THAT DRIVE THE NATION'S ECONOMY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT PROGRAM

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

CAMPUS BASED-FSEOG

CAMPUS BASED-FWS