Marine Advanced Technology Education Support Center

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Marine technology is vital to many aspects of our national economy. This project characterizes and researches trends in the ocean workforce, identifies the knowledge and skills this workforce needs, places this information in the hands of educational institutions at all levels, and works to ensure that curricula and programs are appropriately preparing students for the workplace. MATE's programs represent unique approaches to engaging students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning experiences and developing the capacity for increasing the nation's technological workforce. As a Support Center for marine technology education, the MATE Center will: 1. Expand and strengthen partnerships with academic institutions, employers, and professional societies to better prepare students for the ocean workforce. 2. Develop an international remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technician competency and assessment program endorsed by industry. 3. Continue to improve student learning in STEM through activities such as regional and international underwater robotics (ROV) competitions that simulate the high performance workplace and build academic and industry partnerships. 4. Offer faculty professional development institutes that focus on marine technology, create an awareness of ocean-related careers, and empower instructors to deliver interdisciplinary, technology-rich learning experiences to their students. 5. Continue the MATE at-sea technical internship program and increase the numbers of underrepresented students participating in the program. 6. Disseminate MATE products, including curricula, textbooks, occupational guidelines, competencies, and procedural guides, in both traditional formats and electronically through the Center's web sites www.marinetech.org and www.OceanCareers.com. The MATE Center's breadth of academic, industry, and professional society partnerships support the development, testing, and widespread implementation of exceptional marine technical education programs, instructional materials, activities, and the dissemination of these innovative resources. This, in turn, strengthens linkages between educational programs; catalyzes other activities that provide students with additional educational opportunities and pathways to careers; and helps to address both regional and national marine technical workforce needs. These efforts will prepare a diverse workforce that will help ensure U.S. competitiveness in a global economy that is currently, and increasingly, dependent on ocean activities.