Principal Investigator

Justin Starr

Status

Completed

Start Date

July 1, 2023

End Date

June 30, 2024

Project Type

Education - Workforce Development

Grant Program

US DOT BIL, Safety21, 2023 - 2028 (4811)

Grant Cycle

Safety21 : 23-24

Visibility

Public

Abstract

CCAC is proposing a program that strengthens the programs created under Mobility21 and lays the foundation for the first EV Technician apprenticeship program in the country, based on standards developed by the German government and a consortium of European automakers. Specifically, CCAC proposes to expand our Connected Vehicle Sensors Lab and technician education programs with the purchase of two Ouster lidar units, expand our supply chain and logistics curriculum with the purchase of an additional Skill Boss unit and support of student teams focused on orbital logistics for the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program, design a series of computer vision labs for technician education programs using Arduino hardware, and travel to Germany to receive training from the German government in EV apprenticeship programs.     

Description

Timeline

Strategic Description / RD&T

Specifically, these technologies will build technician awareness of AI and automated systems and lead to more productive, safer working relationships. This aligns with the following bullet in the Safe Technology section on p. 19: "Leverage innovative technologies to monitor, predict, and plan ways to reduce injuries and
fatalities among the transportation workforce and traveling public." Introducing supply chain and logistics education at the community college level and supporting students in their investigations into how this topics extend in spaceflight supports the "Resilient Supply Chains" Economic Strength and Global Competitiveness Research Priority on p.24. Additionally all of these programs support the "Creating Pathways to Good Quality Jobs" research priority and the "Create High-Quality Jobs and Career Pathways" research objective on p.31. Finally, CCAC will continue to disseminate these best practices so that other community colleges may model our efforts, supporting the "Collect Data and Share Best Practices" research objective on p.30.

Deployment Plan

Q1 – Order all materials and supplies. Starr and Koch travel to Germany for EV workshop. Select student teams for SSEP and coordinate first round of competition at Moonshot Museum. Instructors enroll in training programs.
Q2 – Setup and configure additional Skill Boss, run first CPT+ course for student industry certifications. Deploy Ousters in connected vehicle sensor lab. Create labs for Computer Vision Arduino Kits. Receive translated EV apprenticeship program materials.
Q3 – Deploy labs in first cohort of mechatronics students for computer vision; integrate Ouster / Velodyne troubleshooting into automotive classes. Segment EV apprenticeship program into courses for credit eligibility.
Q4 – Submit EV apprenticeship program to PA Dept. of Labor for registration. Share out findings at ASEE conference presentation and NSF High Impact Technology Exchange Conference. Present at Smart Mobility Connection where applicable. 

Expected Outcomes/Impacts

This project will create several frameworks for workforce development as well as freely available curriculum for technician education. As AI and AV technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, it is critical to integrate technician education - beyond automotive technologies. In the Greater Pittsburgh Area, manufacturing technicians report working alongside autonomous transportation systems and using large language models to complete their daily work. Integrating modules on AI and releasing these modules to the public will enable other community colleges and institutions of higher education to adopt these programs without incurring the costs of development. By using apprenticeship programs to implement these programs, we expect to have a direct impact on employers and manufacturers in the regional economy, ensuring impacts extend beyond education. 

Expected Outputs

Outputs will include: lab manuals, course outlines, SCORM course modules (for systems like Blackboard), a registered apprenticeship program, an interdisciplinary credit certificate program, translated EV materials and curriculum, K12 STEM activities, conference presentations and at least one publication about AI as a Skilled Trade.

TRID

N/A

Individuals Involved

Email	Name	Affiliation	Role	Position
rkoch@ccac.edu	Koch, Robert	Community College of Allegheny County	Co-PI	Faculty - Tenured
jstarr@ccac.edu	Starr, Justin	Community College of Allegheny County	PI	Faculty - Tenured
grants@ccac.edu	Starr, Justin	Community College of Allegheny County	Other	Staff - Business Manager

Budget

Amount of UTC Funds Awarded

$98618.00

Total Project Budget (from all funding sources)

$196713.48

Documents

Type	Name	Uploaded
Final Report	Starr_Justin_431.pdf	Oct. 17, 2024, 9:16 a.m.

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