NEWS & EVENTS
LIFT and IACMI Launch National Online Manufacturing Learning Hub for Educators and Students
First Manufacturing USA institute-led open source repository designed to provide educators the tools and materials necessary to teach tomorrow’s workforce essential skills
Contacts:
Joe Steele
LIFT
313-309-9132
jsteele@lift.technology
Robin Pate
IACMI
865-946-1591
rpate@iacmi.org
DETROIT – Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT) and IACMI – The Composites Institute, today announced the launch of the LIFT-IACMI Online Learning Hub. The Hub is the first open source online library developed and designed by Manufacturing USA institutes to provide educators and students from across the country access to in-demand manufacturing tools and materials.
The Hub, accessible at www.lift.technology/learninghub or www.iacmi.org/learninghub, allows teachers and students to search for educational materials related to lightweight metals and composite materials, and the processes and technologies related to them which are impacting manufacturing across a wide array of sectors including transportation, energy and defense.
The educational materials available vary in length and format and have been collected from a wide range of sources, which can then be filtered to find exactly what they are looking for. Results can be filtered by:
- Age group/educational level
- Principal material
- Topic
- Time the material takes to complete
- Format of the material – video, lab, lecture, or others
“As our two national manufacturing innovation institutes are breaking new ground in lightweight metals and composite materials, education and job training for manufacturing careers will need to incorporate new information and develop new skills for workforce success,” said Emily DeRocco, education and workforce development director, LIFT. “This new online library supplements our efforts to equip educators at all levels with the information and tools they need to begin developing the high-tech, advanced manufacturing workforce served by the Manufacturing USA institutes.”
Educational materials and resources available on the Hub were researched and vetted by MatEdU (National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education), a National Science Foundation-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center focused on material science housed at Edmonds Community College in Washington State.
“We are proud to work with LIFT and the research team to put these materials at the fingertips of both educators and students around the country,” said Mel Cossette, executive director and principal investigator, MatEdU. “Availability and access will be key drivers in delivering the information and tools necessary for tomorrow’s workforce to succeed.”
Additional materials will continue to be added to the Hub as they become available or are recommended to the LIFT and IACMI teams.
The Learning Hub development work group was chaired in the first year by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and executed in partnership with LIFT by MatEDU. Other workgroup members included the University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, Purdue University, Ohio State University, Tennessee Technological University, Austin Peay University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Cincinnati Research Institute, Wayne State University, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame, Macomb Community College (MI), Pellissippi State Community College (TN), Lorain County Community College (OH), Cincinnati State Community and Technical College (OH), Sinclair College (OH), the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KY), National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), American Welding Society (AWS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers and ASM International.
LIFT, based in Detroit, and IACMI, based in Knoxville, with an automotive scale- up facility in Detroit, are Manufacturing USA institutes researching technology advancements in lightweight metals and composite materials, respectively, as well as investing in the education and development of the future workforce.
ABOUT LIFT
LIFT is a Detroit-based, public-private partnership committed to the development and deployment of advanced lightweight metal manufacturing technologies, and implementing education and training initiatives to better prepare the workforce today and in the future. LIFT is one of the founding institutes of Manufacturing USA, and is funded in part by the Department of Defense with management through the Office of Naval Research. Visit www.lift.technology or follow on Twitter @NewsFromLIFT to learn more.
ABOUT IACMI
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national institute is part of the Manufacturing USA network and is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.