RET Site in Manufacturing Simulation and Automation

宾夕法尼亚州立大学贝伦德分校（PSB）的制造业模拟和自动化教师研究经验（RET）网站将让地区高中教师和社区大学教师参与制造业模拟和自动化前沿研究，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会地区的学校和社区学院的36名教师和大学讲师提供为期6周的密集暑期研究项目，涵盖宾夕法尼亚州、纽约州、俄亥俄州三州地区的县。RET的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，并使自己的学生参与科学和工程的真实体验。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。在每年夏季为期6周的时间里，PSB将接待来自学校和社区学院的12名高中教师和社区学院教职员工，这些学校和社区学院涵盖了不同的人口和代表性不足的学生群体。该计划的目标是：1)在Behrend提供一个基于stem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、大学和工业联系起来，向后代灌输更大的制造业意识和兴趣；3)促进课程模块、课堂活动的发展；和其他课堂教学材料，这些材料将在参与的学校和学院实施，并在全国范围内传播给更广泛的受众，4)帮助填补美国制造业的技能差距，为伊利大都会地区的中小学和大学生在制造业的本科学习和/或工作做好准备。该项目侧重于利用仿真和自动化教学制造，包括五个主要活动；每个代表一个制造范例。学员将发展制造技能、项目管理技能、科学写作技能和学术演讲技能。这些知识将通过动手实验和课堂活动传授给学生。此外，RET团队将帮助参与的学校和社区学院创建制造业学生俱乐部，确定任务，并提供活动支持。反过来，这将影响学生考虑在制造业领域的职业生涯。预计将有6000多名学生受益于该计划。开发的材料和活动将根据前后调查结果以及PSB指定的外部评估人员和行业顾问的反馈，每年进行评估和修订。为了吸引更广泛的受众，该网站的经验将通过在线教育平台和全国RET研讨会向公众开放。凭借PSB已经高度发达的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），以及对研究和行业合作的明确关注，该网站有可能对整个教育领域的研究和教学产生变革性影响。

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.