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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.

The small squiggles seen on the microscope screen are vinegar eels, a kind of nematode found in unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. The ATE project at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland trains K-12 teachers microscopy skills through a lesson focused around the nematodes. The college is working to create a Microscopy Training Hub on campus, exposing students and teachers to the biotechnology field.