Marine Technology Mentoring and Internship Program on Oceanographic Research Vessels

该奖项为蒙特利半岛学院海洋先进技术教育（MATE）中心的实习项目提供了新的资助。MATE中心是一个由社区学院、高中、大学、研究机构、海洋产业、专业协会和个人组成的全国性网络，共同致力于改善海洋技术教育，更好地为美国未来的海洋科学和技术劳动力做好准备。海上海洋技术实习计划是与大学国家海洋学实验室系统（UNOLS）和美国海岸警卫队（USCG）建立的一项为期12年的伙伴关系，负责协调学生海洋技术人员在研究船上的实习。该项目将在未来三年（2011-2013年）每年为14-17名本科生提供2至8周的实习机会，并为一名学生提供6个月的实习机会。MATE中心的海洋技术实习项目始于1999年。自成立以来，该项目已为236名学生提供了海上和岸上实习岗位。MATE实习与海洋技术人员和科学家一起在研究船上工作，这些经历为他们提供了发展技术，科学，航海和人际交往能力的机会。尽管对合格的海洋技术人员的需求空前高涨，尤其是在深水地平线石油泄漏事件之后，但为学生准备海洋技术职业的培训项目却很少，主要是因为大多数项目提供大量的海上时间和使用最先进设备的时间过于昂贵。选择从事海洋技术职业的学生常常陷入这样的矛盾：没有工作经验就找不到工作，没有工作就得不到工作经验。MATE的船舶技术实习项目是解决这一问题的关键；现场技术实习可以帮助本科生获得他们所需的经验，也可以帮助相关雇主接触到能够满足其劳动力需求的合格技术专业人员。MATE中心有56个正式的社区学院和大学合作伙伴，这些合作伙伴积极招募实习生。该项目面向海洋科学技术专业的社区大学生和对海洋技术职业感兴趣的大学生，并不断向海洋技术产业丰富的地理区域的高校伸出援助之手，邀请他们参加MATE活动。此外，MATE在招收传统上代表性不足的系统学科的学生方面做出了巨大的努力。该计划的主要目标受众是就读于社区学院的学生，因为这些学生往往比四年制大学的学生更多样化（年龄、社会经济和种族），而且通常不会提供研究机会。该计划支持海洋科学界和海洋工业与海上技术相关的劳动力发展工作。

This award provides renewed funding for an internship program at Monterey Peninsula College's Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center. The MATE Center is a national network of community colleges, high schools, universities, research institutions, marine industries, professional societies and individuals working together to improve marine technical education and better prepare America's future workforce for marine science and technology occupations. The at-sea marine technical internship program, which represents a 12-year partnership with University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), coordinates internships for student marine technicians aboard research vessels. The program will provide 14-17 undergraduate students with two to eight-week internships and one student with a six-month internship each year for the next three years (2011-2013). The MATE Center's marine technical internship program began in 1999. Since its inception, theprogram has placed 236 students in at-sea and shore-based internship positions. MATE internswork with marine technicians and scientists onboard research vessels, and these experiencesprovide them with the opportunity to develop their technical, scientific, seamanship, andinterpersonal skills. Although the need for qualified marine technicians is at an all time high,especially in the wake of the Deep Horizon Oil Spill, training programs that prepare students formarine technical careers are few, mainly because it is prohibitively expensive for most programsto offer substantial time at sea and time working with state-of-the-art equipment. Students whochoose to pursue marine technical careers are often caught in the paradox of not being able toacquire a job without work experience, and not being able to get work experience without a job.MATE's marine technical internship program is an essential solution to this problem; at-seatechnical internships help undergraduate students gain the experience they need and ocean relatedemployers to gain access to qualified technical professionals who can fill their workforceneeds.The MATE Center has 56 formal community college and university partnerships from which theinterns are actively recruited. The program targets community college students enrolled inmarine science and technology programs and university students interested in marine technicalcareers and continually reaches out to colleges and universities located in geographic regionsrich in marine technology industries to invite them to participate in MATE activities. Further,MATE makes a substantial effort to recruit students who are traditionally underrepresented inSTEM disciplines. The program's primary target audience is students enrolled in communitycolleges as these students tend to be more diverse (age, socioeconomic and ethnic) than four-yearuniversity students and are not typically provided with research opportunities. This program supports workforce development efforts related to at-sea technology both for the ocean science community and ocean industry.