About

New York City College of Technology (City Tech) is the designated senior college of technology within the 25-campus City University of New York (CUNY) system. City Tech is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and plays an important role in the education for STEM careers. There are new nationwide challenges arising in teaching STEM courses virtually. In fact, there is more need now to develop a 21st century curriculum model that can adapt to different modes of learning, hybrid, virtual and in-person.

In this proposal, the Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Technology (MEIDT) Department at City Tech in collaboration with the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at New York University (NYU) will develop a new curriculum component that merges virtual and in person hands-on-training in customized programs in industry setting. This project will bring a new strategy to bridge the gap between industry and academia by operating an advanced technical laboratory inside the Navy Yard Industrial Complex which houses more than 100 companies. Collaboration is extended to include Center of Functional Nanomaterials in Brookhaven National labs in New York. The proposed curriculum will help students gain a more in-depth knowledge in advanced manufacturing, engineering materials, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, the project will aim to improve the current low graduation rates in the MEIDT Dept. and increase participation of female students and students from under-represented groups in STEM.

Intellectual Merit

This model of collaboration with industry, outlined in the proposal, is rarely
adopted in technology programs and will follow the Business Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model developed by the National Convergence Technology Center (supported by NSF). Collaboration between technology programs and industry is still a nationwide challenge, especially in the manufacturing sector. Furthermore, the proposed approach merges intensive virtual and hands on activities to start technical training of students at an early stage (second semester) to ensure the acquisition and maintenance of industry relevant technical skills. This will ensure that students will get more time to gain additional technical skills before finishing their associate degree.

Broader Impact

The combination of industry exposure and BILT approaches in this proposal is novel and will prepare a workforce for the manufacturing industry. The newly developed curriculum that combines virtual mode and in-person mode, in collaboration with industry, will motivate more industries to build bridges with technology programs nationwide. The proposed project will be a model for Technology programs looking to develop a new system that allows them to provide the industry with a highly skilled workforce. Together, City Tech and NYU maintains the expertise, student population and location for improvements of the technical workforce. In addition, this project, originating from a MSI, has the diversity and inclusion at the core with the aim of recruiting, retaining and training students of underrepresented minority communities. We will make special efforts to include female students in the project. This effort will be extended to K-12 students and pre-service STEM teachers through intensive orientations and live demonstrations.

Project Goals

The goals of this project can be summarized as follows:

a) Expanding knowledge base for technology students in advanced materials and manufacturing through innovative experiential learning and industry exposure.

b) Promote entrepreneurship and innovation in technology and expose students to the business side of technology through curriculum and smart projects.

c) Improving technical education through the mixing of virtual training courses and hands-on activities using state of the art equipment and web platform.

d) Improving retention and graduation rates of students in the department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, especially of female students.

e) Fostering diversity and inclusion in the project. In particular, increase the number of female students and students from underrepresented groups enrolled in the department.