Community College Innovation Challenge Relaunch, 2020-2022

美国的劳动力正在迅速变化。新的工作世界将要求工人获得重要的就业技能，并参与终身学习以保持技术技能的最新发展。白宫国家科学技术委员会在其2019年的报告《规划成功之路：美国的STEM教育战略》中讨论了创业教育和机会的必要性，以满足不断变化的劳动力需求。为了应对这些需求，美国社区学院协会（AACC）将通过领导重新启动社区学院创新挑战赛（CCIC）来培养创新和创业精神，并支持社区学院学生的本科研究经历。AACC成功地与美国国家科学基金会合作举办了2015-2018年CCIC竞赛，并努力重新设想和加强这一项目，以获得更多的学生团队申请，为学生和教师提供专业和领导力发展机会，并提高社区学院在STEM创新方面的宝贵贡献的认识。拟议的活动将使社区大学的学生能够发现并展示他们使用STEM改变世界的能力。参加CCIC将使学生具备工作技能；为学生保留、完成学业和就业提供潜在的途径；并提供一个机会，创造基于stem的产品和服务，对社会有潜在的好处。CCIC通过培养学生/教师在UREs方面的合作，并提供领导力发展和技术援助的场所，有助于使美国在STEM素养、创新和就业方面保持全球领先地位。预计CCIC还将对促进社区大学在STEM创新、创业方面的领导价值和国家意义产生影响，并满足美国对高技能劳动力日益增长的需求。AACC建议：1。制定全国申请要求，并在2020年、2021年和2022年启动年度社区大学创新挑战。由2-4名社区大学生组成的团队，在一名教师导师的指导下，将被要求为现实世界的问题制定创新的基于stem的解决方案，这些解决方案与NSF的十大理念相一致。2 .制定并实施一项战略传播和推广计划，旨在接触更多的社区大学学生和教师，以提高认识并鼓励提交。在2020年、2021年和2022年举办三届CCIC新兵训练营，每年通过全国申请程序选出10-13个入围团队。新兵训练营是一个为期四天的活动，模仿了NSF的创新队（I-Corps）模式，旨在为团队提供实践机会，学习沟通、商业和创业策略，以进一步推进他们的STEM创新。新兵训练营的特点是在国会山上举行高调的海报会议，并以“创智赢家”的形式向评委小组进行最后的展示，以确定第一名和第二名的获胜团队。利用与NSF I-Corps项目经验丰富的专业人员的合作；战略传播和社会变革机构；与全国社区大学创业协会就训练营议程、资源和材料的发展进行合作。在全国范围内传播CCIC获奖者的信息，以及社区学院在引领本科生研究、STEM创新和创业努力方面的重要作用。这些活动将促进对各种STEM技术人员教育领域和技术的认识和理解，以及它们在思想和创新中的作用。CCIC将丰富和支持学生学习重要的就业技能；培养将知识转化为行动的STEM创新；并为学生和教师团队提供专业和领导力发展的机会。此外，CCIC将在全国范围内传播支持社区学院创业教育的信息和资源。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The U.S. workforce is rapidly changing. The new world of work will require workers to acquire vital employability skills as well as engaging in life-long learning to keep technological skills current. In its 2019 report "Charting a Course for Success: America's Strategy for STEM Education" the National Science and Technology Council of the White House discusses the need for entrepreneurial education and opportunities to meet changing workforce demands. To respond to these needs, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) will cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship and support undergraduate research experiences for community college students by leading the re-launch of the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). AACC successfully partnered with the National Science Foundation to host the 2015-2018 CCIC competitions and has worked to re-envision and strengthen this offering to garner greater numbers of student team applications, provide professional and leadership development opportunities for students and for faculty, and to raise awareness of the valuable contributions of community colleges in STEM innovation. The proposed activities will enable community college students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world. CCIC participation will prepare students with workplace skills; offer potential pathways to student retention, completion, and employment; and provide an opportunity to create STEM-based products and services of potential benefit to society. The CCIC contributes to enabling the U.S. to remain a global leader in STEM literacy, innovation, and employment by nurturing student/faculty collaborations on UREs and providing a venue for leadership development and technical assistance. The CCIC is also expected to have an impact on promoting the value and national significance of community college leadership in STEM innovation, entrepreneurship, and meeting the rising demand for a highly-skilled U.S. workforce.The AACC proposes to:1. Develop a national request for applications and launch an annual Community College Innovation Challenge in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Teams of 2-4 community college students, working alongside a faculty mentor, will be asked to craft innovative STEM-based solutions for real world problems that are aligned with NSF's Ten Big Ideas.2. Create and implement a strategic dissemination and outreach plan designed to reach greater numbers of community college students and faculty to raise awareness and encourage submissions.3. Host three CCIC Boot Camps in 2020, 2021, and 2022 to convene the 10-13 finalist teams selected each year through a national application process. The Boot Camp is a four-day event, modeled on NSF's Innovation Corps (I-Corps) model, designed to provide hands-on opportunities for the teams to learn communication, business, and entrepreneurial strategies to further their STEM innovations. The Boot Camp features a high-profile poster session on Capitol Hill, and a final presentation to a panel of judges in a "Shark Tank" format to determine the first and second place winning teams.4. Leverage collaborations with experienced professionals from NSF's I-Corps program; strategic communication and social change agencies; and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship on the development of the Boot Camp agenda, resources, and materials.5. Disseminate nationally information on the CCIC winners and the significant role of community colleges in leading undergraduate research, STEM innovation, and entrepreneurship efforts.These activities will advance the knowledge and understanding of various STEM technician education fields and technologies and their role in ideation and innovation. The CCIC will enrich and support students in learning vital employability skills; cultivate STEM innovations that translate knowledge into action; and provide professional and leadership development opportunities for student and faculty teams. In addition, CCIC information and resources to support community college UREs and entrepreneurial education will be disseminated on a national level.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.