Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center: Resources to Improve Water Environmental Technology Education

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Water and wastewater technician jobs are growing faster than average amid concerns about source water availability, aging infrastructure, water quality, remediation, and workforce issues. These jobs are regulated, cannot be outsourced, and survive economic downturn because humans need clean drinking water and wastewater treatment for health. In addition, businesses and industries need clean water and wastewater treatment to safely produce goods and services. The Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center will support growth of leadership and program capacity in water environmental technology. To achieve this goal, the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center will provide the nation's high schools, technical and community colleges, and the ATE community with educational materials, professional association, and business and industry information, contacts, research, evaluation, and mentoring.The Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center will: 1) update the current website and create a new Toolbox for educator information; 2) support and mentor prospective PIs to start or improve water environmental technology programs; 3) coordinate and support additional water environmental technology business, industry and academic partnerships; 4) promote technician careers and the public image in the water environmental technology field; 4) screen, validate, update and broadly distribute materials, curricula, pedagogical practices, projects and appropriate sources including supporting the adaption and implementation at new institutions of materials; and 5) connect and support PIs within the water environmental technology area. It is expected that broader use of Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center materials and curricula will result in an increased number of technicians in water environmental technology jobs, helping the Nation meet the growing need for a skilled, diverse workforce in advanced technology fields.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.