The 2013 Advancing Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators Conference was held in Washington, DC, from October 23 to 25. A program of NSF’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources, ATE spurs partnerships between technical/community colleges and employers, promoting education of technicians for the high technology fields critical to the U.S. economy. The conference provides ATE grantees a chance to listen, learn and showcase their work. The ATE program marked its 20th anniversary in 2013.

This remote controlled crane robot was built by students from CUNY New York City College of Technology. The students are in the school’s Mechatronics Technology Center, which allows students to engage in a variety of hands-on design activities.