Advancing Technology Education for Pulp, Paper, and Chemical Process Technicians and Operators

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Alabama Southern Community College, with its partners from the Alabama Technology Network Center for Forestry, Paper and Chemical Technology, the Auburn University Chemical Engineering Department, and the Pulp and Paper Research Education Center at Auburn University, regional industry and participating regional K-12 school systems, are working on the development, evaluation and refinement of 12 curriculum modules. These industry driven and national skill based curricula are being utilized in training process operators and technicians for pulp, paper, chemical industries. This strategy of providing tools for a technician and operator education initiative is seen as the best possible solution to successfully develop qualified workers required to maintain and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the pulp, paper and chemical manufacturing industry in the United States. Once fully developed, the program utilizes all 12-curriculum modules (8 already developed and being used under previous NSF ATE funding and 4 to be developed under this project) to extend hands-on technical education experiences for three technical degree programs at Alabama Southern as well as with regional industry to upgrade employee skills. These curricula include classroom, multimedia as well as instructor-led and teaming laboratory experiences that emphasize safety and environmental issues of the process operations being modeled. The project is producing publication-ready curriculum modules with aligned industry driven laboratory ready for regional and national dissemination. it is also developing two workshops; one for community college faculty preparing students for employment in pulp, paper and allied industries throughout the southeast region of the US. The second is for high school faculty and interested high school students to provide opportunities for experiencing an industry simulated environment to strengthen math, chemistry, teaming and workplace leadership skills. In addition, the project focuses on increasing scholarship and internship opportunities of students particularly for minorities and other groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in these industries. Dissemination is through a project web page, presentations at national conferences and publication of articles in refereed journals.