After many years of faithful service, the old ATEEC Web site has earned the right to retire. Our Web address (www.ateec.org) remains the same, but we have updated the site's navigation, look, and structure.
Our goals for the new Web site are easy access to information, fast downloads, a clean professional look, and a fresh graphical interface. To this end, we have added a "portal page" that uses the ATEEC logo of the earth over a column and serves as a central entry page into the new ATEEC Web site. As your cursor passes over the subject areas to the right of the globe, scenic pictures appear on the globe with additional links taking you further into the Web site. Further down on the "portal page" are links to current environmental news--links that are refreshed every few minutes and refer you to articles from major national and international news services.
Once you are further into the site, a newly designed menu bar with a rotating globe provides quick navigation. This menu bar allows easy and consistent access to the rest of the ATEEC site. With only a few "clicks," you can move to where you want to go. The subject areas--with the fading background on the menu bar--take you to the main areas of our site. Passing your cursor over the circles below the subject areas brings up sub-menus to more specific areas.
We added a site map and a search engine. The site map does require that you have Java enabled in your browser. The search engine is designed to help you search for specific words or phrases (including Boolean searches) throughout the entire site, including the contents of Adobe Acrobat files. Our hope is to provide a richer graphical experience with smooth and rapid access to the information.
No good Web site is ever really "finished." This site will undergo constant refinements and improvements to better serve you. We would appreciate your taking a moment to complete our survey and help us understand and fulfill your needs. Simply scroll down our main home page and click on "Evaluate this site."
Since we needed to improve Web site performance and make maintenance easier, we altered the directory structure. Please upgrade your old bookmarks to secondary pages.
Also out-of-date material from the old site is still available in a special "archive" section of the new site. To reach the archive, go to the ATEEC Home page, move your cursor over the words "about us & our partners" and then click on "Archive" in the picture that appears on the globe.
If you have difficulty using the new site or locating material, please contact us or send a note to our Web master, Gary Olson, at golson@eiccd.cc.ia.us.
We hope you find the new site a reliable and useful resource for your environmental work.
The Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) Laboratory for Energy and the Environment are working together to integrate environmental technology research into the classroom and the community. One of the objectives of the partnership is to improve the information exchange among researchers, educators, and practitioners in the environmental technology field.
On April 27-29 of 2001, ATEEC and MIT hosted the Critical Issues in Environmental Technology forum at Endicott House in Dedham, Massachusetts. A group of research scientists, community college environmental technology instructors and administrators, environmental practitioners, and business leaders convened to discuss and recommend strategies for improving the information exchange among these diverse groups. The forum participants examined the needs of each group and focused on formulating solutions to overcome the existing barriers that have hampered a connectedness between research and the classroom.
The forum resulted from a partnership between MIT and ATEEC and was funded in part by a National Science Foundation grant project titled Integrating Environmental Technology Research Into the Classroom and Into the Community. The broad goals of this grant are to: 1) develop curriculum and educational materials that focus on emerging knowledge and technologies in the environmental field and 2) to establish a faculty exchange and professional development program, which will create connections between research and applied education as well as the workplace. The recommendations coming from this forum will be incorporated into subsequent activities of the project.
The synergy of researchers, educators, and business and industry working together will produce much greater results than if each group works separately. "Many people are convinced that environmental concerns and how to use our resources will be the defining issues of the 21st century, and MIT has undertaken a commitment to understand what that means," noted Jeffrey Steinfeld, Chemistry professor at MIT and co-Principal Investigator for the grant.
The forum began on Friday afternoon. Professor Jeffrey Steinfeld welcomed everyone to MIT's Endicott House. Ellen Kabat Lensch, Director of ATEEC, presented an overview of the ATEEC-MIT grant project and reviewed the objectives and group processes for the forum. With guidance from facilitators, the participants were divided into their representative groups (environmental researchers, educators, and practitioners) and asked to validate and brainstorm their particular needs in terms of improving the information exchange. Following the brainstorming session, the participants were brought back together and asked to share their needs statements with the large group. The 12 needs statements identified by the participants are listed below.
On Saturday the participants identified current barriers and brainstormed proposed strategies to address the needs statements. The participants were divided into groups that were a mix of researchers, educators, and practitioners. Each group was given a list of needs statements developed on Friday. For each need statement, the participants spent approximately one hour brainstorming/discussing its barriers and solutions. After identifying the current barriers and proposed strategies for a given need, the participants were assigned to another group until all of the needs statements were discussed.
On Sunday morning the participants identified themes that emerged from the forum discussions on Saturday. Next, the participants discussed potential benefits of improving the information exchange between researchers, educators, and practitioners, as well as currently existing resources that could be used to implement the group's proposed strategies. Finally, the participants discussed emerging trends affecting the environment.
This semester, Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICCD) has successfully begun the transition of their traditional Environmental Compliance and Technology (ECAT) program to a fully online program. The two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree was offered both on-campus and through correspondence distance learning. Because the information necessary to a career in the field of environmental technology has always been volatile, particularly in the areas of regulations and emerging technologies, EICCD decided to redesign the delivery of the ECAT program.
To provide EICCD students with the most up-to-date courses and instructional materials available, administrators and faculty decided to offer all ECAT courses through the World Wide Web. A large part of the instructional materials in each course is directly accessible by students online and is used with the program's own print-based textbooks. The ECAT textbooks have also been revised to update the course content and to complement the online data component of the individual courses.
The EICCD offers two new online courses for the ECAT program in the Fall 2001 semester: OSHA Regulations and EPA Regulations: Air and Water Quality. Eight additional courses are offered on a staggered timeline, with the entire program available online in the Fall 2002. (See below for schedule.)
Not unexpectedly, the first year of this effort has been hectic. It has become increasingly clear that this particular program is lucky to have one of the most important factors for the successful implementation of an online program-the commitment of both the administration and the faculty. The EICCD administration ensured up front that program needs were systematically assessed, and they committed the necessary funding, time, and support services to ensure program success. ECAT faculty has made a strong commitment to the program as well, to developing and maintaining a business and industry network to ensure professional input to the curriculum, and to their own professional development to ensure the highest quality instruction.
"We felt that we had to move into a Just-In-Time content delivery format. To accomplish this, the ECAT program needed to go on line. This gives us a better response time and flexibility to meet the needs of our clients."
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September 2001
It's hard to believe that the Fall season is upon us. I hope everyone enjoyed the summer as once again we begin another academic year. As we approach the year 2002, I would like to provide an update of the current and new PETE initiatives. The national PETE office has been busy with existing programs, seeking out new initiatives and assisting our PETE regional programs.
We are pleased to announce the successful transfer of the Northwest PETE Regional Office to Highline Community College in Washington State, under the able leadership of Mr. Steve Fenton, the new Northwest PETE Regional Director. Mr. Fenton, Nolan Curtis, NWPETE Board Chair, and the members of the NWPETE Board are working diligently to continue the activities in the Northwest. We wish them the best!
The following is a highlight of current and upcoming program activities:
NSF- FAST Program:
This National Science Foundation supported grant, "Faculty Associates on Science & Technology Program (FAST)," is in its final year with limited carryover funds. PETE has once again sponsored a group of faculty interns for the summer of 2001. These faculty interns from across the country have returned to their classrooms to share the real world experiences gained from their internships. The following is a list of the interns and their host employment site:
Faculty Name | School Name | City, State | Host Name | City, State |
| Todd Amundson | Lower Columbia College | Longview, WA | Washington State Parks | Tumwater, WA |
| Deanna K. Anderson | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT | Chevron Products Company | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Richard Barth | Front Range Com. College-Ft. Collins | Westminster, CO | Regional Transportation District | Denver, CO |
| Kelly Bringhurst | Dixie State College | St. George, UT | Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center | Bettendorf, IA |
| Walter Brown | Barton County Community College | Fort Riley, KS | Eagle Group / DOL | Fort Riley, KS |
| Yuanjian Deng | Texas Southern University | Houston, TX | Equilon Enterprises LLC | Houston, TX |
| Mark Dumas | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT | Trans-Jordan Cities | South Jordan, UT |
| Catherine Etter | Cape Cod Community College | W. Barnstable, MA | Anthro Photo | Cambridge, MA |
| Dallas Hanks | Utah Valley State College | Orem, UT | UVSC/Dept. of Environmental Technology | Orem, UT |
| Doo Jung Jin | Northwest College | Kirkland, WA | Yakama Nation Environmental Program | Toppenish, WA |
| John F. Katers | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay, WI | STS Consultants Ltd. | Green Bay, WI |
| Charles G. Lawrence | Upper Cape Regional High School | Bourne, MA | Wayne Hayes Seafood | Hyannis, MA |
| Steve Swanson | Lakeview Technical Academy | Pleasant Prairie, WI | Baxter Healthcare Corporation | Round Lake, IL |
| John Truitt | Barton County Community College | Fort Riley, KS | US Filter | Junction City, KS |
| Shashi Unnithan | Front Range Community College-Ft. Collins | Fort Collins, CO | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO |
DOE - C4 Energy Technician Curriculum Project:
Through our ATEEC partners, we are finalizing the model curricula for the associate degree program and the one-year certificate program in Energy Management and Efficiency Technician. ATEEC is also adapting their "Best Management Practices for launching a new program" module for inclusion in the model curricula package. Our current project will conclude at the end of September. We plan to release the curricula in early to mid-October. The third year of funding for the project pilot test is still in the process of being secured with DOE. Watch for the official announcement of the curricula release on the ATEEC and PETE Web sites.
Thailand - IRG Subcontract:
This subcontract continues the industrial environmental training in Thailand as a follow-up to the subcontract that PETE had with the Honolulu Community College that ended last year. There are three elements to this contract: 1) provide 2 weeks of training conducted by Chulee Grove, Honolulu Community College; 2) identify an industrial wastewater technical expert to review the industrial wastewater facilities operation (to be determined) for optimization potential; and 3) to determine future training needs. To date, the training and training assessment have been completed, and the industrial wastewater facility assessment is still being negotiated. This project's scheduled completion is September 2001.
EPA Region II - "Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" Project:
This is the third summer that PETE has had a grant with EPA Region II to implement a Summer "Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" program in New York City with an additional after school element. This summer's program involved placing 22 youth (ages 16-18) from the Bronx area of New York City at five NYC DEP wastewater facilities, laboratories, and field monitoring programs for a seven weeks in a work and environmental education experience. PETE hired five students from Bronx Community College as Youth Coordinators to work with the youth. This has been a very rewarding program. We have been given a tentative commitment to conduct the program again next summer with possibility of expanding the project within EPA Region II.
EPA National Enforcement Training Institute (NETI) Contract:
This contract consisted of surveying the PETE Colleges to identify environmental training programs that match existing NETI personnel training programs. Colleges were asked to complete an ATEEC / PETE survey on the ATEEC web site. Approximately 90 colleges completed the electronic survey. This data was complied and submitted to EPA NETI. Those colleges that have similar programs will be listed in the NETI training catalog this fall. This project is now complete.
National Environmental Training and Education Foundation (NEETF) Contract:
This contract consisted of PETE developing an Industrial Ecology Program into a train-the-trainer package. The Industrial Ecology Program was originally developed under a contract with Baltimore Community College at Catonsville, MD. The training package was retooled with a new name of "Strategic Environmental Management Systems for Small Businesses." PETE developed a "train-the-trainer" program that was offered at both the joint NC/NE/SE/SC PETE Instructor Conference in March 2001 and at the Western/NW PETE Instructor Conference in August of 2001. The complete training package will be made available on the NEETF web site later this year.
New Program Initiatives
"Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" - EPA Region I:
PETE has received a small grant to establish a "Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" program with four municipal wastewater facilities and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Environmental Division. This program will begin this fall.
"Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" - EPA Headquarters:
PETE will receive a grant from EPA Headquarters to develop a guide on "How to Launch a Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative" program. PETE should receive the grant this fall with work to be completed by the spring of 2002.
Tribal College Environmental Consortium Contract with U.S. EPA Headquarters - DfE Office:
This contract consists of National PETE and the NW PETE Region hosting a conference for Tribal Colleges from NW, NC, and SC PETE Regions, where the participants will review the concept of establishing Environmental Centers of Expertise at Tribal Colleges that assists Tribal Communities. The workshop is proposed November 2-3, 2001 at Highline Community College in Washington.
Water Use Efficiency (WAVE) Initiative on College Campuses / Pilot Program - U.S. EPA Headquarters:
We have received a grant to "pilot test" the EPA Water Use Efficiency Computer Software for Colleges and Universities. This project will be focused on Colleges and Universities within EPA Region I to demonstrate the potential savings of water use on campuses.
"Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative":
Through Michael Holmes at St. Louis Community College in St. Louis, MO, PETE hopes to launch a program in East St. Louis in 2002. We are also working with the U.S. EPA Region III, U.S. Department of Labor and the Washington, DC Bridges to Friendship Organization to launch a program in the Washington, DC area.
Green Campus:
PETE continues to identify a champion within EPA that will fund this project. PETE has been unsuccessful due to the politics at EPA this year. Randy Parker, Jim McKenney, and I will be meeting with EPA, AACC, and the National Wildlife Federation on August 20th to discuss a possible collaborative effort.
PETE and EPA Region I will cosponsor a one-day environmental compliance workshop for colleges and universities on October 23, 2001 at Colby College in Waterville, ME.
The National PETE Board Of Directors convened on June 6-7, 2001 in Las Vegas, NV with a very successful meeting that helped forger the future activities of National PETE.
PETE is working on several other initiatives that we hope to debut in the next ATEEC news. Once again we hope that you have a successful academic year.
Sincerely,
Kirk J. Laflin , CET
Executive Director
Partnership for Environmental Technology Education
2 Fort Road
South Portland, Maine 04106
Tel: (207) 767-2529
Fax: (207) 767-7174
Web Site: www.ateec.org/pete/
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On March 14 and 15 in 2001, the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC) conducted a national workshop, Defining Environmental Technology in the New Millennium. Its goal was to validate and update occupational information from ATEEC's 1996 report titled Defining Environmental Technology. This project was supported, in part, by the Advanced Technological Education Program of the National Science Foundation.
The environmental technology industry has evolved since the original Defining Environmental Technology report. The advent of new technology and the changing demands of industry call for a realignment of academia, industry, business, and government. New environmental technology career categories are emerging, and skill sets traditionally associated with environmental technology are cutting across industries.
ATEEC collaborated with the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE) to select participants for the workshop. ATEEC invited experienced practitioners and educators in environmental technology with a broad perspective of the various occupational areas included in this field. The 19 participants who attended the workshop included business, industry, and government agency representatives, as well as two- and four-year college environmental technology instructors and administrators. Approximately one-third of the participants were from business and industry, one-third were from government, and one-third were from education. ATEEC and PETE attempted to represent each region of the country, a variety of environmental technology areas, and industries that would employ "environmental technicians."
The audience for this report includes: (1) counselors, faculty, and administrators of academic institutions at all levels but particularly in two-year colleges and high schools; (2) employers of technicians, such as companies and government agencies; (3) leaders of professional societies; and (4) federal, state, and local government officials responsible for the quality and quantity of the nation's technical workforce.
A primary purpose of the report is to enhance counselor, teacher, and student awareness of environmental careers at the technician level. Ultimately, the report should contribute to addressing the environmental workforce needs of business, industry, and government by providing educators with information needed to develop relevant curriculum that prepares students for environmental technology careers. The report is also being used to provide direction for ATEEC.
Background Materials for Workshop
The participants reviewed the 1996 Defining Environmental Technology report before the workshop and considered these questions:
- What are the emerging employment trends in the environmental field?
- Does the "environmental technology" title and definition accurately describe the field? If not, how would you revise it?
- Does the definition for "technician" accurately describe the position? If not, how would you revise the definition?
- How would you categorize occupations in the environmental technology field?
- What specific technician-level occupations are typically found in each occupational category?
- What technician-level job functions/tasks are typically performed in each occupational category?
The participants were encouraged to post their responses and read other participants' responses before the workshop at a discussion board on ATEEC's Web site.
The Workshop
The workshop began March 14 at the Westin St. Louis hotel. Ellen Kabat Lensch, Director of ATEEC, welcomed the participants and presented ATEEC's mission and goals. Melonee Docherty, Lead Facilitator, reviewed the agenda, the objectives, and the group processes for the workshop.
Workshop Objectives
- Validate or revise the title and definition of the field of environmental technology
- Validate or revise the definition of technician
- Validate and/or update the environmental technology occupational categories
- Validate and/or update technician-level occupational titles
- Validate and/or update job functions/tasks typically performed in each occupational category
First, the participants reviewed the original "environmental technology" definition. Following some discussion of changing the title to "environmental health and safety," the group decided instead to make minor changes to the original definition.
Environmental technology is a career field that applies the principles of mathematics, science, engineering, communications, and economics to ensure human health and safety, and to manage and protect natural resources.
The 1996 report included a definition of "technician." However, the participants decided to delete the definition from this report. The educational background for technicians can range from a high school diploma plus on-the-job training to a bachelors degree. Typically, technicians complete a two-year associate degree in an applied technology program.
Next, the participants worked in two groups to validate or revise the environmental technology occupational categories listed in the 1996 report. The two groups shared their results and reached consensus on the following ten occupational categories:
- Air Quality
- Emergency Preparedness – Response
- Energy
- Information Management Systems
- Laboratory Services
- Natural Resources Management
- Safety – Health
- Site Management
- Waste Management
- Water – Wastewater
During the group discussion the participants decided to add "cross-categories." The participants identified eight functional areas that cut across most environmental technology occupational categories.
- Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)
- Regulatory Affairs
- Sampling and Monitoring
- Instrumentation
- Pollution Prevention
- Emergency Planning
- Preventive Maintenance
- Biotechnology
In addition to discussing cross-categories, the participants identified related areas that are emerging in the environmental technology field. Geospatial sciences, eco-efficiency, sustainable development, and environmental justice are integral to many environmental occupations. Therefore, technicians are often expected to have a background in one or more of these areas. For example, environmental technology jobs often require a background in geospatial sciences so technicians can collect, manage, and integrate spatial and attribute data using geographic information systems (GIS).
The remainder of the workshop was spent validating, updating, and refining technician-level job titles and broad job functions or tasks typically performed in each occupational category. The 1996 report was the basis for validation of job titles and functions/tasks, with new titles and functions added as necessary.
Top Environmental Technology Occupations
From the list of technician-level occupations identified for all ten occupational categories, each participant selected what he or she considered to be the top six occupations based on labor market demand over the next 5 years. The occupations selected most often were:
- Safety & Health Trainer/Industrial Trainer
- Redevelopment Technician
- GIS Technician (Information Management)
- GIS Technician (Natural Resources Management)
- Environmental Technician
- Emergency Response Technician
- Source Sampling Technician
- Environmental Site Assessor
- Environmental Specialist/Technician (Waste Management)
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Energy Technician
If you would like to receive a copy of the report Defining Environmental Technology in the New Millennium, please contact Jeanette Bryson at 563-441-4091 or send an e-mail message to jbryson@eiccd.cc.ia.us. You can view or download the report at ATEEC's Web site.
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Twenty high school and community college science, math, and environmental technology teachers gathered June 18-28 at the University of Northern Iowa for the seventh ATEEC Fellows Institute. The teachers, ATEEC staff, and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studied issues and concepts associated with additives used to oxygenate gasoline.
The Fellows attended UNI and MIT seminars on fuel technologies, participated in a field trip to a gasohol plant in the middle of Iowa corn country, and developed contextual teaching and learning activities, which interpret the clean fuels topic for colleagues and students. The Fellows also provided feedback on environmental teaching resource units under development through an ATEEC and MIT grant from NSF.
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Regional PETE Web Sites
Northwest PETE
Western PETE
North Central PETE
Northeast PETE
Southeast PETE
The 2001 West/Northwest PETE Annual Instructor's Resource Conference was held at the beautiful NorthStar resort located in Lake Tahoe, California. Seventy-four attendees enjoyed the beautiful location, great training, and fabulous food at this year's conference.
Workshops offered included:
- Competitive Environmental Practices Train-The-Trainer
- HMTRI Refresher Training
- Earthquake 101
- Role of the Chemical Hygiene Officer
- Safety in Academia
- Marketing Safety in the Academic Setting
- Playground Inspection & How to Become an Inspector
- Lake Ecology and field trip
- ATEEC's ATEEL (Advanced Technology Environmental Education Library)
- Energy Efficiency in the Classroom
Not only did each participant receive a PETE hat but also a folder with great information about our sponsors and contributors AND a CD-Rom containing information on many of the workshops that were offered.
We would like to thank Northwest PETE, Ed>Net, HMTRI, ATEEC, the California REBRAC's, Intelecom, NETA, and all of those who made this conference possible. We hope everyone had a great time and look forward to seeing all of you next year!
Some pictures from the conference!
Good News for Brownfields!
Brownfields in a Box has been added to the National Science Teacher's
Association (NSTA) Newsletter and to the California Science Teacher's
Association's (CSTA) Web site as a great resource for teachers. Western PETE
will also be showcasing Brownfields in a Box at the upcoming CSTA annual
conference in Palm Springs schedule for October 2001.
Western PETE has a new phone and fax number. You can now reach us at:
(661)395-4116 phone
(661)395-4119 fax
and as always you can email us at smccaugh@bc.cc.ca.us.
Thanks!
Northwest PETE Now at Highline Community College
In March of 2001, the transition of the Northwest PETE home office from Salish Kootenai College in Montana to Highline Community College in Washington took place.
In April 2001, Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon received a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education grant in the amount of $689,531 to continue work in the Integrated Natural Resources Technology program. This 3-year award will focus on establishing a watershed resources assessment and protocol. Dr. Andrew Jackman, Dean of Special Projects, is the Principal Investigator. Dr. Jackman also serves Northwest PETE as a Board Member and was recently elected as Vice Chair.
On August 1-4, 2001, Northwest PETE in cooperation with Western PETE co-hosted an instructor conference at the Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe, California. This conference was attended by 74 individuals and was very successful. The theme of the conference was "Compliance in an Academic Setting."
Northwest PETE in cooperation with National PETE will be hosting an "All Nations Tribal College Environmental Program Capacity Building" workshop at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington on November 2-3, 2001. This workshop is being funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency - Design for the Environment Office. The goal of the workshop is to identify barriers and opportunities in the development of the Comprehensive Capacity Building and Tribal Community-based Environmental Technical Assistance Program that benefits the "All Nations" through the Tribal College system.
The Northwest PETE 2002 membership drive begins September 1. Don't miss out on the many benefits and opportunities PETE membership provides for instructors, institutions, and students. Contact Steve Fenton, Executive Director, for more information and your membership application.
New Contact Information for Northwest PETE
- Steven Fenton, Executive Director
- Highline Community College
- 2400 S. 240th Street, M/S: Omni 3-3
- Des Moines, Washington 98198-9800
- Phone: (206) 878-3710, Ext. 5101
- Fax: (206) 870-5950
- Email: sfenton@hcc.ctc.edu
Northwest PETE Board of Directors
- Steven Fenton - Executive Director, Highline Community College, Washington
- Nolan Curtis - Board Chair and At-Large Member, National PETE, Fluor Hanford, Washington
- Dr. Andrew Jackman - Vice Chair and NW Representative to National PETE, Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon
- Ken Erickson - Past Chair, Eastern Idaho Technical College, Idaho
- Vince Kelly - NW Representative to National PETE, Prince William Sound Community College, Alaska
- Dr. Judy Gobert, Salish Kootenai College, Montana
- Lars Svanevik, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon
- Bill Mixer, Casper Community College, Wyoming
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September 2001
NE PETE continues collaboration with EPA Region I on the College and University Compliance Initiative through training/outreach opportunities within EPA Region I. We are pleased to be co-sponsoring another workshop entitled "Environmental 101 for colleges and Universities," scheduled for October 23, 2001 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Northeast PETE is pleased to announce a joint Northeast/Southeast PETE Instructor Conference in the Spring of 2002 in Cape Cod, MA. Cape Cod Community College will be the local host for the conference. Currently, the date and location for the conference will be secured for early April. Specific conference details sent out as well as a "Call for Papers" in late September. Watch for the Conference Announcements.
For more information please contact the acting Northeast PETE Regional Director, Kirk J. Laflin, CET .
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September 2001
Inviting all PETE's . . . 2002 PETE Conference
The 2002 PETE Conference will be held again in St. Louis, Missouri at the Millennium Hotel from March 13 - 15, 2002. St. Louis Community College has graciously consented to host the conference. Conference topics will include the MIT modules ATEEC is working on: Environmental Policy and Decision Making, Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases, Industrial Point Source Contamination of Ground Water, and Air Quality.
Your help is needed!!! We are calling for papers on Campus Ecology, Alternative Energy, Environmental Health and Safety, Non Point Source Pollution. Please send papers to Patti Thompson at fax 319.398.1250 or pthoms@kirkwood.cc.ia.us .
More information will be coming to you. Please mark your calendars now and invite co-workers, peers, and students to join us. For more information, contact Patti Thompson at 319.398.5893.
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September 2001
As you might have noticed my new e-mail address, I have recently gone to work for Baton Rouge Community College as the Director of Corporate Training and will serve as regional executive director on a quarter-time basis. In July I moved into a new position at the college–Director of Quality, Best Practices, and Professional Development. This position will help me search for new opportunities for SC PETE and to strengthen our partnerships in the Louisiana Community College.
And, those new opportunities have already begun to flow. In July I began working with Byron Howell to offer micro-scale training as a professional development activity for Louisiana and Texas secondary faculty. Byron teaches the bulk of the information. I provide a short workshop on grant development to help faculty find funding sources for the conversion of labs to a micro-scale format. You can check Byron's web site for complete information.
In 2001, I believe we will begin to see much of Kirk Laflin's efforts in the National PETE office come to fruition. New opportunities in conjunction with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System as well as those that Kirk and Randy Parker are bringing to us will see the beginning of a stable and sustained future for PETE. My thanks to both of these individuals for all they have done to help this organization progress.
If you want to be included in the SC PETE Newsletter database, please fill in the following form and e-mail to Lea Campbell at campbell@mail.brcc.cc.la.us
or fax to 225-219-3518
Please be sure my name is included in the SC PETE Newsletter Database:
Name:
e-mail:
Affiliation:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Teaching discipline:
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CCCHST Refresher and Train-the-Trainer participants have had a wonderful year and are looking forward to dates for next year. New members include Central Washington University, WA; Lakeshore Technical College, WI; Lawson State Community College, AL; US Postal Service, UT; Red River Army Depot, TX; Fox Valley Technical College, WI; Intermountain Environmental Consultants, Inc, UT; Scagitt Valley College, WA; University of Puerto Rico @Aguadilla, PR; and Milwaukee Community Service Corps, WI.
Refresher dates for 2002 are March 13 - 16 in conjunction with the St. Louis PETE Conference, May 13 - 15 at HMTRI, June 12 - 14 at HMTRI, and early August with destination not yet determined. The two week Train-the-Trainer will be July 15 - 26 at HMTRI in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Applications for the two week program will be coming out toward the end of October. Anyone interested can contact Patti Thompson or pthomps@kirkwood.cc.ia.us.
For more information please call Patti at 319.398.5893 or contact Patti Thompson by e-mail.
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The Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI), under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will offer two Strategies for Job Development and Training in Brownfields Communities workshops in 2002. Tentative dates and locations are:
- February 2002 in Charleston, South Carolina
- June 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio
These two-day invitational workshops will involve stakeholders that are located in or near Brownfields Assessment Demonstration pilot sites. The workshops will examine strategies for job development and training in Brownfields communities and will include the following topics:
Overview of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative
- Assessing the Labor Market
- Developing Partnerships
- Creating Quality Job Training Programs
- Employer's Perspective/Working with Organized Labor
- Employability and Life Skills
- Innovative Technologies
- Funding Sources
- Resources
Participants will leave with an understanding of and information pertaining to all aspects of developing job training programs, creating and maintaining strong workforce partnerships, and the future directions of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative.
For more information, contact:
Glo Hanne, HMTRI Project Coordination Specialist
Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute
500 Belmont Road
Bettendorf, IA 52722
Phone: (563) 441-4081
FAX: (563) 441-4080
ghanne@eiccd.cc.ia.us
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ATEEC is forging ahead with plans to integrate the interactive CD-ROM "Brownfields in a Box" into the nation's classrooms as well as corporate boardrooms.
What's the connection?
Actually, it's quite simple.
ATEEC plans to appeal to the philanthropic efforts of our nation's corporations, who set aside foundation dollars to support education and the environment.
- What's in it for me?
Each PETE region can benefit from selling "Brownfields in a Box." Part of the profits will stay in your PETE region, and a portion will go to National PETE.
- What's in it for them?
It would truly be a win-win-win situation for business and industry to purchase and donate the software for schools in our community.
A company wins by having its logo featured on each package, which displays support for the community schools and commitment to the environment.
The schools win by receiving a bundle of great teaching materials.
The PETE regions win by getting "Brownfields in a Box" into their local schools and by supporting regional activities.
- How can I get a piece of the pie?
Check the appropriate box on the ATEEC order form to indicate which region to credit for the sale. You must indicate your region on the form!
Mail or fax (563.441.4080) the order form, available on ATEEC's web site.
A tip for marketing "Brownfields in a Box" in your region is to have potential buyers browse through the PowerPoint presentation featured on the "Brownfields in a Box" page of ATEEC's web site.
The presentation gives an overview of the CD-ROMS and includes a short introduction to ATEEC.
This can truly be a wonderful opportunity for PETE regions to collaborate with local schools, businesses and industry, and the communities.
Happy selling!
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ATEEC will soon release two new CD ROMs: "Virtual Waste Site" and "Infectious Disease Emergence."
Virtual Waste Site is an interactive simulation, conceived by HMTRI's Doug Feil and produced at Dixie College by Ron Woodland and ATEEC Fellow Kelly Bringhurst. In the simulation, students comply with the requirements of a site health and safety plan. Panoramas, video clips, and "paperwork," put students into the scene, where they learn from their decisions.
Infectious Disease Emergence is the first instructional module to be completed for the MIT-ATEEC grant. A case study approach is used to inform teachers about researchers' views of societal, ecological, and environmental trends associated with a dangerous increase of both old and new infectious diseases. The module includes student activities and Web resources for multidisciplinary teaching opportunities in environmental technology, the basic and social sciences, math, allied health fields, and communications.
Contact Jeanette Bryson for release dates and ordering information at 563-441-4091 or email her at jbryson@eiccd.cc.ia.us.
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Featured Profile
ATEEC's newest Board Member Gerardo Manuel Mejía Velazquez received in 1980 a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí. In 1984 he received a M.E. degree in Process Systems from ITESM and in 1992 a Ph.D. degree from the Chemical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. From 1980 to 1991, Dr. Mejia worked for different companies in Monterrey, San Luis Potosí, and Texas. He has been professor at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí and at ITESM Campus San Luis Potosí. In 1992 he joined the Center for Environmental Quality of ITESM where he is the Coordinator of the Environmental Modeling Laboratory and teaches courses in Environmental Engineering and in Chemical Engineering. He was an invited professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the fall of 2000.
Research interests of Dr. Mejía include Environmental Modeling, Flow through Porous Media, and Optimization and Parameter Estimation. In the last five years, he has worked in joint research international projects related to air quality modeling and education with Carnegie-Mellon University, the University of Utah, the Southwest Research Insitute, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In México he has worked in projects with the Government of the State of Nuevo Leon, the Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, and in consulting projects with the private industry.
In 1996, Dr. Mejía received the Prize to the Academic Work and Research from ITESM Campus Monterrey. He is the coordinator of the M.S. program in Environmental Engineering, and he was founder and current coordinator of the program on Environmental Management and Planning at ITESM. He has participated on several environmental committees for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and the Government of Nuevo Leon. At this time he is member of the Geo Science and Environment Committee of CONACYT and of the Network of Air Quality Research in Mega Cities.
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Profiles: Students from Cape Cod Community College
Lori Whalen currently attends Cape Cod Community College where she is finishing
her Associates degree in Environmental Technologies. Then she will transfer to Bridgewater State College to begin work on her Bachelors
degree in Geography. She will represent the college at the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) conference in October.
Lori sums up her education and current goals: "It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to be
when I grew up (I am now in my 40's) and realized time was getting short,
and I needed to decide. I always thought it would just happen...and it did.
I wanted to be in a relatively new field so that learning for everyone would
be new and exciting. I found this with Geographical Information Systems. A
wonderful blend of land areas, mapping, computer graphics, and fresh air.
Everything a girl could want! I fell in love with GIS, and when a wonderful
internship came my way, my fate was sealed. I have thoroughly enjoyed the
adventure."
Emily's major at Cape Cod Community College is Environmental Technology and Aquaculture.
The curriculum includes hydroponics, wastewater treatment, OSHA standards, water quality, aquaculture,
vermacomposting and so much more. Emily's main interests are aquaculture, hydroponics, and conservation of threatened animals and ecosystems.
Emily shared, "I plan on continuing my education until I can come back to Cape Cod and can help preserve it
for generations to come. I may choose to educate others by starting a newsletter or getting a job with an
environmental advisory committee.
"Since I was a little girl my family always had a garden. I spent summers on farms playing in the woods
and swimming in the ocean. I have always had a deep love and understanding for the relationship between
the earth and its inhabitants."
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