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Best Practices highlighting great innovation and achievements within their programs Florida Career Pathways Network serves as a platform for educational practitioners and leaders to collaborate on initiatives that are targeted to prepare students at the secondary and postsecondary level for the 21st century high-tech, high-skill and high-paying jobs. FCPN supports excellence in the planning, implementation, evaluation and improvement of career pathways, career and technical education, and education-related reform initiatives across Florida. Its cohort of members and partners who include educators, administrators, and employers have been effective in pooling an extensive array of information aimed at providing a network of communication and resources for new and existing programs.    FLATE is closely involved and has been a longtime member of the organization. As part of its ongoing involvement with statewide Career & Technical (CTE) programs, every year FLATE attends ...

Janice first joined FLATE in 2006, as a part time student in mass communication/public relations attending the University of South Florida. She was hired to develop our FLATE FOCUS newsletter and expand communications with our stakeholders. Janice brought important skills and an outgoing personality to the position along with an eagerness to learn and do a great job. She brought many ideas and much know how to the position. Over the years, she pushed to expand our communications into many new online vehicles, as well as drove our newsletter to excellence. The FLATE team had the opportunity to see her graduate from the University of South Florida (USF). In addition to her bachelor’s degree at USF, Janice has a B.A. in English literature from the University of Delhi, India. In her years with FLATE, Janice had the opportunity to grow professionally as FLATE Communication Specialist and, in 2016, she took over as our Outreach Project Manager, running our robotic summer camp program, coordi...

      Answer for sTEm-at Work Puzzle # 62:           Grinch's Plan to Foil Santa's Trip Fails Ok, I admit, this puzzle solution requires a tiny stretch in your reality gene.  But it was the season for that anyway. The evidence did support dismissal of the Grinch's law suit to stop Santa's flight and it was based on graphic provided below.  First, the altitude references and Santa's North Pole value is available from graph.  Second, the visual of the snack bags, (the ones the Grinch said Santa didn't put in his pack at the North Pole) are "puffed" up.  This, agree, could be for other reasons, but the higher elevation at Santa's first stop, in Denver, also means lower pressure so the snack bags would "puff" up.  In addition, the Jurors from Florida would know that the bags didn't come that "puffed" up.  (Again, granted that potato chip bags do seem to have more air in them than chips, but that a diff...

NSF ATE Opportunities for Educators and Students I. STUDENT INNOVATION CHALLENGE There is still about 1 month before submissions to the NSF Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) close for 2018.  CCIC is a prestigious, two-stage competition where community college student teams use science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems, compete for cash awards, and earn full travel support (students and faculty) to attend an Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. The challenge is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). 2018 will be the 4 th year of this amazing challenge. WHO : Teams of 3 to 5 community college students with an interest in STEM, innovation and entrepreneurism, and in making a difference, a faculty mentor and an industry partner. WHEN : Submit from October 18, 2017, to February 14, 2018, by 11:59 p.m. EST. Required Innovation Boot Camp for ...

On November 9, 2017, FLATE partnered with the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida (USF) to present a workshop focused on the role of innovation in the workplace for all members of the workforce. The workshop program was entitled “ Design Thinking and Decision Making: Creating the Entrepreneurial MINDSET Students Need to Succeed in the Global Economy .” A panel of six of FLATE’s Tampa Bay industry partners shared how and why their companies encouraged creativity and innovation for all employees and what businesses in the 21st century expect from all workers. The panelists started with brief introductions about themselves, their companies and products they make, or services they provide to industry. Following those introductions, the 30 plus K-12 educators from the Tampa Bay region eagerly quizzed the panel members about what their students could expect in the modern workplace, how much and how they used 3D printing, and ...

Every year as October rolls around manufacturers in Florida and across the country come together to celebrate, what is dubbed as, the biggest event to mark the strength and excellence in American manufacturing. Those of you who have been involved and/or been following MFG Day over the years, are aware that MFG Day/Month is BIG in Florida. Florida held the #1 spot for a number of years in hosting and organizing MFG Month industry tours and events. Since the inception of MFG Day in 2013, MFG Day has been a statewide cohesive effort with FLATE initially taking a leading role in formulating a statewide strategy for MFG Day/Month. This effort enabled Regional Manufacturers Associations (RMAs), School Districts, Government and Community Organizations to collectively assume the role of MFG Day coordinators, and built in-roads for them to take on the task of hosting and/or organizing MFG Day industry tours and events. Here in Florida, Manufacturing Day is not just a one day event; it is a mont...

FLATE continues its partnership efforts with FloridaMakes to be the driving point for manufacturing education excellence. As indicated in our October edition of the FLATE Focu s, a three pronged manufacturing situation reality is still the challenge to be dealt with: Baby boomers are leaving the technical workforce taking their valuable experience and skills with them.  Technology is changing pace exponentially and at no other time has technical innovation moved so quickly into the manufacturing sector. High skilled related manufacturing is moving back to the U.S. creating an even bigger demand on the manufacturer workforce needs. Although these issues magnify the skills gap problem Florida manufacturers face, they also mask the inherent nature of this skills gap.  The Engineering Colleges within the Florida University System produce national accredited B.S. Degree Engineering program graduates that are well qualified to support advanced manufacturing facilities in Florida. ...