Category Archives: DCO Tech NSF Grant

Bridge Programs, Computer Science, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Engineering Technology, Industry Tours, Information Technology, NOVA IET Career Pathways, STEM Careers, STEM Degrees

Bridge Program Highlights Summer 2024

Many HS Students Set to Attend NOVA This Fall Following Successful 2-Week Summer Bridge Programs

This summer, local high school students participated in intensive two-week bridge programs offered by NOVA’s IET department. Designed for both rising and graduating seniors, these programs provided a unique opportunity to explore the fields of Engineering Technology (ET), Data Center Operations (DCO), Information Technology (IT), and Computer Science (CS), all while earning college credit.

NOVA’s IT/CS program, guided by Business Administration Management Professor Cameisha Chin and IET Project Manager Dr. Chris Russell, attracted 31 students. Meanwhile, 36 students enrolled in the ET/DCO program, led by Career and Technical Education Coordinator Justin Owen.

Participants engaged in a variety of hands-on activities and gained real-world insights through industry site visits to places like Micron, George Mason University, Iron Mountain, QTS, and STACK.

“Micron is a leader in semiconductor chip manufacturing. During the tour, students receive an overview of several topics,” Justin said.

“First, the speaker introduces Micron and explains their work, including the process of creating a wafer and identifying their primary customer base, which is the automotive sector. Next, they discuss employment and internship opportunities. They also bring out a panel of 4-6 employees to participate in a Q&A session with the students. Micron understands that it’s more effective to answer the questions of their future workforce rather than lecture for an hour. By engaging with students where they are, Micron helps them achieve their employment goals,” he added.

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The following comments come from students who will attend NOVA’s cybersecurity program this fall:

Brian Resau, graduate of Heritage High School

“I’ve learned a lot about cybersecurity, generative AI, Linux, building computers, and college. It’s like a sample of everything. The site visit to Micron was a real-world experience. They’re hiring people and training them, which gives me hope for finding a job in IT.”

Javier Martinez, graduate of Hylton High School

“I’ve enjoyed it and wish it was longer. A highlight was the tour of George Mason University. We talked to engineering students who built robots, and it was cool and interesting to see different technology disciplines.”

The following comments are from rising seniors who plan to attend NOVA’s cybersecurity program in the fall of 2025:

Leiben Ezana, rising senior at Lake Braddock High School

“It’s been a lot of fun, especially the first week because it involved plenty of hands-on, challenging, and insightful assignments. It also gives you a taste of college life. If you’re interested in the IT field, you’ll definitely learn a lot. I’ve learned something new every day.”

 

SaVanna Jackson, rising senior at Woodbridge High School

“Since I’m interested in cybersecurity, attending this program made sense. The IT field is growing rapidly, and it’s always going to be in demand. It’s the future. I’ve enjoyed creating a website with HTML code, taking apart a computer and putting it back together, meeting new friends, and more. It’s excellent because it allows you to try different things, which helps you figure out what suits you and what doesn’t.”

Sheetaltal Stalin, rising senior at Marshall High School

“It gave me hands-on experience and a sense of what it’s like to take a college-level course. It’s great for students who don’t know much about the IT field, as well as for those who already know they want to enter it.”

Feedback from future NOVA computer science students:

Cat Tran, graduate of Brentsville High School:

“I loved summer bridge.The professors were amazing, I met new people, and had a productive, fun time. I enjoy learning about artificial intelligence, computer science, cybersecurity, and IT. When I talk to experts in the field, such as Dr. Russell, I find those complicated subjects really interesting.”

Omer Omer, graduate of Potomac High School:

“These past two weeks have been an amazing experience. I’ve explored tech and tech career paths in more depth, learned how to break into computer codes, and more. I enjoyed the trip to GMU because that’s where I plan to transfer after NOVA, and learning about the different types of engineering fields at Micron.”

Feedback from a future NOVA IT student:

Brian Miriashtiani, graduate of Heritage High School:

“It was extremely interesting to take a look into Micron, one of the biggest IT companies in the United States.”

These programs are part of NOVA’s ongoing commitment to preparing the next generation of leaders in the ever-evolving fields of technology and engineering.

 

Career & Leadership Readiness Institute, Career Skills, CLRI, Data Center Operations, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Entrepreneurship, GoVA DEEP IET Grant, In-Demand Technology Pathways, Industry Partnerships, Internships, Interpersonal Skills, Mentoring, NOVA IET Career Pathways, NOVA to Workforce, NSF Grant, Professional Development, Soft Skills, STEM Networking, Student Success, Student to Workforce, Uncategorized

CLRI Graduates Network With Industry Executives

Education meets opportunity! Our 6th cohort of NOVA IET CLRI (Career and Readiness Leadership Institute) grads at Northern Virginia Community College used new skills to make industry connections at our recent networking event aimed at securing #InDemandTech internships and jobs!

We had a record number of students this Fall, with 61 students at the preliminary interest meeting and 65 students attending at least one workshop.

NOVA IET’s  M. Andy Chaves and Sedrick Settle have done excellent work inspiring students to get involved and understand the value of interpersonal relationships in the technology industry.

Overall, 41 students are on track to complete CLRI, ready to get ahead with valuable soft-skills (Building Your Personal Brand, Interview Prep, Professionalism & Accountability, Effective Communication, Trends in IT, and How to Write a Technical Resume) that are vital for their technology career journey.

During the program, students were offered at least 4 site tours to Data Centers and a microchip processing plant to gain a fuller understanding of what they are preparing for.

The big finish – an Executive Mentoring and Networking Event where industry professionals advised and conversed with students to help them build their network. Many of these companies will provide internship and job opportunities to CLRI participants, as has been the case every time we do CLRI!

Big thanks to the following executives and companies who invested their time, knowledge, and experience for our CLRI grads looking to launch their careers:

CoreSite – Miguel Ramos, CMCO
Sustainable Workforce Development Solutions (SWDS) – Daisy Saulls
FedHIVE – Michael Cardaci
Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Stephen Jolly
Micron Technology – Michael Guttman
A Foot in the Door, Inc. – Keith W. Francis
Technology Infrastructure Advisors – Ajay Bawa

The feedback we received from students was effusive. Here’s a few of the responses:

“CLRI is an incredible program from beginning to the end, every single day was filled with great opportunities to learn and explore new careers. The best program ever created to achieve students confidence at the door step of widely expanding technology industries in Virginia. I’m thankful and grateful be in this program and hope future NOVA students will continue to be inspired by CLRI.”
– Shamalee Jayakodi Arachchige

It was fantastic! I had very thoughtful and insightful discussions with industry leaders. I feel much more confident in myself and in my speaking abilities. Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate, learn, and apply the concepts you’ve instilled in my CLRI teammates and I.” – Gabriel Diaz-Rosero

“Thank you for the the event. The mentors are so welcoming, open to share and listen. We are so glad to be a part of the community. I left with a clearer vision of my next step.” – Nga Tran

NOVA students who are interested in getting in on the 2024 CLRI sessions, go to https://bit.ly/CLRI24

More about CLRI at https://www.nvcc.edu/career-services/clri.html

ATE PI Conference 2023, Bridge Programs, Career & Technical Education, Conferences, Data Center Operations, DCO PD NSF Grant, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Design Thinking, Digital Fabrication, Externships, Fabrication, In-Demand Technology Pathways, Makers By Design NSF Grant, PDI NSF Grant, Product Design Incubator (PDI)

NOVA IET Highlights 4 NSF Grants at ATE PI Conference

Our team was on-point with presentations and exhibits at the ATE Principal Investigators’ Conference #ATEPI in Washington, D.C. this week, extolling the various National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grants that have provided us with vital avenues to expand technical education to help meet the need to fill #InDemandTech jobs and careers.

Northern Virginia Community College staff and faculty Josh Labrie, Natasha Schuh-Nuhfer, Richard Sewell, Cameisha Chin, Chris Russell, Jim Crane, and Thomas (TJ) Ciccone, (VP STACK Infrastructure) were on-hand to present and highlight 4 grants at the conference:

DCO PD (Data Center Operations Program Development), intended to raise awareness for the national need for data center operations education and to increase capacity for DCO education at community colleges and technical colleges around the nation.

DCO Tech (Data Center Operations Technology Training), designed to increase regional capacity for training in Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations through expanded recruitment, employment training, and increased collaboration between industry, K-12 educators, and faculty.

MBD (Makers By Design), created to strengthen the engineering technology pathways by providing professional learning for K-12 teachers, running digital fabrication summer camps, and hosting design challenges.

PDI (Product Design Incubator), established to train groups of community college students through a product design challenge, integrating entrepreneurship training and design thinking to guide students from initial ideation through the prototyping and pitch processes.

Read more about these grants and opportunities for fellowships, training, and more at https://lnkd.in/gyGpU22v

The ATE PI conference brings together more than 800 NSF ATE grantees and their project partners to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Conference participants represent community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, and four-year colleges covering projects in a wide variety of areas, such as information technology, engineering technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and others.

American Association of Community Colleges

#DataCenterOperations #DCO #DesignThinking #Fabrication#Entrepreneurship

Data Center Operations, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Engineering Technology, Externships, Fab Lab, In-Demand Technology Pathways, Professional Learning, STEM Education

PWCS Counselors and Advisors Visit the Fab Lab to Learn About ET and DCO

This month 18 Prince William County Schools Career Counselors and Advisors attended an information session, led by NOVA SySTEMic STEM Coordinator, Natasha Shah-Nuhfer, at the NOVA Fab Lab to learn about NOVA’s Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations programs as part of the DCO Tech Secondary Educator Externship Program.

Following the information session, they received a tour of the Engineering Technology classrooms and the Fab Lab. This visit was the first of four information sessions and tours planned for the school year.

In December, the group will visit the Medical Education Campus in Springfield to learn about NOVA’s nursing and health science programs ahead of the spring application deadlines.

Participants will finish out the externship in the spring with a tour of Micron and a local data center.

The DCO Tech Secondary Educator Externship Program is an NSF ATE-funded project to improve the pipeline of students prepared to enter the workforce as technicians for data center operations or engineering technology by providing educators, counselors, and administrators with first-hand knowledge of these career pathways through industry site visits and engagement with NOVA’s related programs of study.

Applications for the 2024 Externship will be open in January 2024 at http://iet.novastem.us/Externship

Click here for more info or contact Natasha Shuh-Nuhfer at nschuhnuhfer@nvcc.edu

 

3D Printing, ATE PI Conference 2022, Business Engagement, Career & Technical Education, Data Center Operations, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Design Thinking, Engineering Technology, Fab Lab, Fabrication, Fellowships, Grants, Industry Tours, Makers By Design NSF Grant, Makerspace, NSF Grants, PDI NSF Grant, Professional Development

NOVA IET at the ATE PI Conference

 

In Washington D.C. from Oct 26-28, five NOVA PI’s (principal investigators), leading three National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects attended the 2022 NSF ATE PI Conference to network with community college PIs and program officers at the annual conference. The NOVA PIs highlighted their project successes and collaborated with colleagues from around the country to advance the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive the nation’s economy.

The conference brought together more than 600 NSF ATE grantees and their project partners to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Conference participants represent community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, and four-year colleges in a wide variety of areas, such as information technology, engineering technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and more.

>> Article on Benefits of ATE Grants

Because of grant-based programs and activities, NOVA students have more access to in-demand, high-paying STEM careers, and NOVA faculty and staff are provided the tools to increase awareness and opportunities for these important fields of study.

NOVA’s NSF ATE Projects:

 DCO Tech: Expanding Regional Capacity for Training in Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations.

PI: Josh Labrie | Co-PIs: Amir Mehmood & TJ Ciccone

At the ATE conference, Josh Labrie, Director of NOVA SySTEMic, and TJ Ciccone, DCO Adjunct Faculty and VP of Critical Infrastructure at STACK Infrastructure, highlighted the NSF ATE project DCO Tech. This project is designed to increase regional capacity for training in Engineering Technology (ET) and Data Center Operations (DCO) through expanded recruitment, employment training, and increased collaboration between industry, K-12 educators, and faculty. At the conference the team highlighted the successes of the Summer Bridge Program and the Secondary Externship. In addition, Ciccone lead a presentation on DCO: Building Awareness and Opportunity for an Emerging Field.

In 2022, NOVA’s Summer Bridge Program for Engineering Technology saw 20 high school students (14 rising seniors and 6 graduates) complete the 2-week summer enrichment program which provided them with 1-credit in SDV. Students participated in industry tours of Micron Technology and STACK Infrastructure, a local data center, to learn about the career opportunities and pathways in engineering technology. Additionally, students experienced NOVA through campus tours and NOVA student offices presentations, and 14 earned an OSHA 10 industry certification. NOVA included transportation between campuses, field trips to industry partners, and an ice cream social to cap off the program.

In addition, 18 educators completed the Secondary Externship for school CTE administrators, teachers, and counselors to raise awareness for engineering technology and DCO careers. NOVA’s Secondary Externship program equips educators with knowledge about ET and DCO careers and the educational pathways NOVA provides to prepare students for the technology workforce. Externship educators attended tours of Micron and STACK Infrastructure, as well as a professional development day at the NOVA Fab Lab. The goal is to create clear pathways and provide materials to illuminate NOVA’s ET and DCO programs and the careers they lead to.

After the conference, Labrie was ebullient about the importance of Data Center Operations and the players behind its growth: “NOVA has exceptional faculty members like TJ Ciccone whose combination of industry experience and passion for education benefit our students and the grant funded work we do. At the NSF ATE PI conference, TJ and I were able to share NOVA’s DCO program with faculty from around the country. My hope is that NOVA’s successful program can serve as a model for other colleges to engage in DCO education, and that this work will raise awareness for data center education and career opportunities.”

Bridge programs and Externships continue in spring/summer 2023. Students and educators can sign up now to receive notification when applications are available at info.novastem.us/SummerPrograms

Makers By Design: Supporting Instructors to Embed Design Thinking in Digital Fabrication Courses.

PI: Josh Labrie | Co-PIs: Hamadi Belghith & Richard Sewell

Makers By Design (MBD) strengthens engineering technology pathways by providing professional learning for postsecondary faculty and K-12 educators and seeks to create a community of practice among engineering educators involved in community-based makerspaces at public libraries, private organizations, public school systems, colleges, and universities.

MBD Grant Project Manager Chris Russell represented MBD at the conference and highlighted the Design Thinking Fellowship to attendees.

The Fellowship, funded by MBD, is comprised of middle and high school teachers, informal STEM learning professionals, and college faculty. The fellowship comes with a stipend and involves completing a 5-day Professional Learning (PL) Institute at the NOVA Fab Lab in Spring 2023, teaching PL topics at a 1-week summer camp and creating and implementing PL classroom activities.

In 2022, the design thinking cohort of 17 fellows participated in five professional learning workshops and provided 116 middle and high school youth a digital fabrication summer camp at NOVA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. The cohort will complete the fellowship by creating a design challenge and contributing a lesson plan to the project for design thinking.

Next spring we will host a second cohort of Design Thinking Fellowship educators. Recruitment will begin in November and there will be interest meetings on Wednesday November 9th and also on Tuesday December 6th. You can sign up for these sessions at fellowship.novastem.us/MBDinfo. If you are already familiar with the fellowship and ready to apply you can do so at fellowship.novastem.us/MBDapply

On the ATE conference, Russell reflected: “increasing alignment between industry needs and classroom instruction is a pressing concern in rapidly advancing technological fields. Through the thoughtful feedback from our ATE colleagues, we will improve our teacher preparation to better serve employers and students in the region.”

Product Design Incubator (PDI): Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindset Through Interdisciplinary Product Design

PI: Richard Sewell | Co-PIs: Cameisha Chin & Paula Ford

Richard Sewell, NOVA’s Fab Lab Manager, was at the conference and observed: “the ATE Conference was an excellent opportunity to engage with fellow technology educators to compare our approaches, learn new methods, and share our findings in a constantly changing tech arena. By the end of the conference, it became clear that NOVA’s NSF ATE programs are tackling head-on the most pressing issues shared throughout the nation’s top academies.”

Sewell is the PI on the NSF Product Design Incubator (PDI) Grant. PDI is a new project designed to train community college students through a product design challenge that aims to combine technical knowledge with soft skills and interpersonal development. Each year, PDI participants will:

  • Learn entrepreneurship skills during 6 spring workshops.
  • Design and protype a product during a summer product design incubator.
  • Pitch a product to regional entrepreneurs
  • Receive a $3000 stipend for completion

Essentially, PDI will increase contact between students and industry professionals, foster interdisciplinary collaboration between NOVA students and staff, and increase the supply of IET workers with industry required collaboration, communication, and critical-thinking skills.

You can complete a apply PDI application at fablab.novastem.us/PDIapply

Interest meetings will be held on Thursday, November 10 and Thursday, December 8. You can register for those at fablab.novastem.us/PDIinfo

To learn more about our Grants in general visit www.nvcc.edu/academics/divisions/it/sponsored-grants.html

 

Bridge Programs, Career & Leadership Readiness Institute, Community Partnerships, Data Center Operations, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Engineering Technology, Externships, Industry Tours, Micron, NSF Grants

DCO Tech Advancing In-Demand Technology

NOVA’s DCO Tech Grant will be highlighted at the NSF ATE Principal Investigators’ Conference in October.

On October 26-28, NOVA SySTEMic director Josh Labrie and Stack Infrastructure’s VP (and NOVA professor) TJ Ciccone will present DCO Tech at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators’ (PI) Conference in Washington D.C. The conference will bring together more than 850 NSF ATE grantees and their project partners to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education.

NOVA’s DCO Tech Grant supports NOVA’s Engineering Tech Programs and is designed to increase regional capacity for training in Engineering Technology (ET) and Data Center Operations (DCO) through expanded recruitment, employment, training, and increased collaboration between industry, K-12 educators, and faculty.

This year, as part of DCO Tech, NOVA SySTEMic conducted successful Bridge Programs for high school juniors and seniors (bridging the gap between HS and college), and introduced students to Data Center Operations and Engineering Technology. Bridge students toured 2 NOVA campuses, visited industry partners (Micron and STACK Infrastructure) and conducted hands-on activities at NOVA’s mechatronics and data center labs. The program featured guest speakers from NOVA’s student support offices, IET faculty members, and industry volunteers. 20 high school students completed the 2-week program and earned 1 college credit with the opportunity to earn their OSHA 10 certification. NOVA provided free transportation between NOVA campuses to reduce barriers to participation.

One of the hallmarks of DCO Tech’s Bridge programs is that they can improve attitudes towards STEM disciplines and awareness of career opportunities. One student reflected “I really enjoyed building connections and understanding the different fields of STEM. I never understood data centers in this depth. I’m very glad it’s in-person and we get to see NOVA campuses.”

In addition, DCO Tech helps provide career readiness for NOVA students through the Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI), which enhances leadership skills and develops career connections, teaching students how to interview, create a standout resume, network effectively, and manage interpersonal skills. Students who complete CLRI will receive priority consideration for paid internships with industry partners. New CLRI courses begin on Oct 18 and you can sign up for info sessions on Oct 4, 6, and 11. Applications are due on October 12. Find out more and sign up at https://www.nvcc.edu/career-services/clri.html

Another component of DCO Tech is the K12 Educator Externship, which raises awareness for Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations career pathways among secondary educators. This Engineering Technology Externship is designed to provide teachers, counselors, and administrators with first-hand knowledge of engineering technology and data center operations through industry site visits and engagement with NOVA’s related programs of study. This year we had 18 externship completers who visited Micron Technology, Stack Infrastructure, and NOVA’s Fab Lab to help inform them on creating an action plan to improve the pipeline of students entering the workforce as technicians for DCO or Engineering Technology. In polling, 100% of participants rated the overall externship as above average or excellent. All participants expressed moderate to very confident abilities in educating their colleagues on guiding students to ET and DCO careers.

One educator said “we were given a clear picture of the type of student that would succeed in this industry, the skillsets needed, along with the curriculum. This, along with actually touring the facility, increased my awareness and as such, I feel more confident in sharing this with students, parents, and teachers.”

**We will be continuing the Summer Bridge Programs and Secondary Educator Externship Programs in 2023. Complete this form to be notified when registration is live. You can also sign up for the monthly NOVA IET newsletter which will have details about the 2023 programs as soon as they are available.

To learn more about Engineering Technology at NOVA visit https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/areas/applied-technologies/engineering-technology.html

For more about Data Center Operations at NOVA, go to https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/areas/applied-technologies/data-center-operations.html

To learn more about the NSF ATE PI Conference, click here

 

Bridge Programs, Computer Science, DCO Tech NSF Grant, Engineering Technology, Industry Tours, Information Technology, NOVA IET Career Pathways, STEM Careers, STEM Degrees

Bridge Programs Prepare Students For College

We just completed our first series of Summer Bridge Programs in #InformationTechnology (IT), #EngineeringTechnology (ET), and #ComputerScience (CS)! These programs are intended to “bridge’ the gap between high school and college with a pathway that leads to further technology education and in-demand, well-paying technology careers.

The IT Bridge Program performed hands-on activities such as cisco packet tracer and networking, the Virginia Cyber League and cybersecurity, and web site development.

The CS Bridge Program engaged in hands on programming activities such as using recurrent neural networks to generate text based on an input model, building games in Unity, and using the Virginia Cyber League to do the “password ripper.

Students in the Engineering Tech Bridge program worked on engineering cable termination, used the Fab Lab smart factory and other mechatronics equipment, and also had the opportunity to tour Micron and STACK Infrastructure’s Data Center.

One Computer Science Bridge student concluded that the most effective experience in the program was “learning the difference between IT and Comp Sci [and] what it takes to work in the Comp Sci field.”

An IT Bridge student reflected “the greatest takeaway of the program was seeing how people like myself think and how others don’t see the world. The skills in IT will be of great benefit. The instructors were excellent and I loved how they were caring, honest and used real world knowledge…”

Another Bridge student said “the greatest learning for me was about how to be successful in college.”

Bridge Programs are made possible through and NSF DCO Tech Grant, which is geared toward expanding regional capacity for training in Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations

Learn more about these pathways at NOVA:

Information Technology: https://bit.ly/3yJhEjf

Engineering Technology: https://bit.ly/3ONHJmD

Computer Science: https://bit.ly/3ye03ym

Rising High School Juniors and Seniors can apply for next summer’s Bridge Program starting in Spring, 2023.

Sign up for our newsletter (The IET Interface) for developing info or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

#WeDoSTEM #InDemandTech #EveryProgramAchieves #EveryStudentSucceeds #CollegePrep #BoldlyNOVA