RET Site in Manufacturing Simulation and Automation

宾夕法尼亚州立大学贝伦德(PSB)制造业模拟和自动化教师研究体验(RET)网站将邀请地区高中教师和社区大学教师参与制造模拟和自动化的尖端研究，以帮助提高STEM技能和课堂上的制造业教育。在三年的时间里，该网站将为来自伊利大都市区学校和社区大学的总共36名教师和大学教师提供为期6周的密集暑期研究项目，覆盖宾夕法尼亚州、纽约和俄亥俄州三州地区的县。RET参与者将通过参与密集的研究活动来获得第一手经验，以开发有效的课程模块，并让自己的学生参与真实的科学和工程体验。项目成果将与现代制造业的教育标准和培训需求保持一致。在每年夏天的6周时间里，PSB将接待来自学校和社区大学的12名高中教师和社区大学教职员工，这些学校和社区大学涵盖了不同的人口和代表不足的学生群体。该计划的目标是：1)在贝伦德提供一个以STEM为基础的平台，让高中教师和社区大学教师参与最先进的制造业研究；2)探索一种可持续的教育模式，将高中、社区学院、大学和行业联系起来，向子孙后代灌输对制造业更大的意识和兴趣；3)促进课程模块、课堂活动和其他课堂教学材料的开发，这些材料将在参与的学校和大学实施，并在全国范围内传播。以及4)帮助填补美国制造业的技能缺口，并为伊利大都市区的中小学生和大学生为制造业的本科学习和/或工作做好准备。该项目的重点是使用模拟和自动化教授制造，它由五个主要活动组成；每个活动代表一个制造范例。学员将发展制造、项目管理、科学写作和学术报告方面的技能。这些知识将通过动手实验和课堂活动传达给学生。此外，RET团队将帮助参与的学校和社区大学创建制造业学生俱乐部，确定任务，并提供活动支持。这反过来又会影响学生考虑在制造业领域就业。预计将有6000多名学生从拟议的计划中受益。每年将根据调查前/调查后的结果以及公安局指定的外部评估员和行业顾问的反馈，对编制的材料和活动进行评估和修订。为了接触到更广泛的受众，网站经验将通过公众访问的在线教育平台和全国RET研讨会分享。该网站已经在公安局建立了高度发达的K-12基础设施和网络，以及新成立的先进制造和创新中心(AMIC)，并明确了对研究和行业合作的关注，该网站有可能对整个教育领域的研究和教学产生革命性的影响。

This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site in Manufacturing Simulation and Automation at Penn State Behrend (PSB) will engage regional high school teachers and community college instructors in manufacturing simulation and automation cutting-edge research, to help improve STEM skills and manufacturing education in their classrooms. Over a three-year period, the site will offer an intensive 6-week summer research program to a total of 36 teachers and college instructors from schools and community colleges in the Erie metropolitan area covering counties in the Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio tristate region. The RET participants will gain first-hand experience by participating in intensive research activities to develop effective curriculum modules and engage their own students in authentic experiences in science and engineering. The project outcomes will be aligned with the educational standards and the training needs of modern manufacturing.Over a 6-week period each summer, PSB will host a cohort of 12 high school teachers and community college faculty participants from schools and community colleges that encompass a diverse population and underrepresented groups of students. The program goals are to: 1) provide a STEM-based platform at Behrend to engage high school teachers and community college instructors in state-of-the-art manufacturing research, 2) explore a sustainable educational model that connects high schools, community colleges, university, and industry to instill future generations with greater awareness and interest in manufacturing, 3) facilitate the development of curricular modules, classroom activities, and other classroom instructional materials that will be implemented in the participating schools and colleges and also disseminated to a broader audience nationally, and 4) help fill the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing and prepare school and college students in the Erie metropolitan area for undergraduate studies and/or jobs in manufacturing. The project focuses on teaching manufacturing using simulation and automation and it consists of five main activities; each representing a manufacturing paradigm. The participants will develop skills in manufacturing as well as project management, scientific writing, and academic presentation. The knowledge will be conveyed to students through hands-on experiments and classroom activities. In addition, the RET team will help participating schools and community colleges to create manufacturing student clubs, identify the missions, and provide activity support. This, in turn, will influence the students to consider careers in manufacturing fields. It is expected that over 6,000 students will benefit from the proposed program. The developed materials and activities will be evaluated and revised every year based on pre/post survey results, as well as feedback from PSB designated external evaluators and industry advisors. To reach out to a broader audience, the site experiences will be shared via online education platforms for public access and nationwide RET symposiums. With an already highly developed K-12 infrastructure and network in place at PSB as well as the newly established Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation Center (AMIC) and a defined focus on research and industry collaboration, this site has the potential to have a transformative effect on research and instruction across the full educational spectrum.