College students, faculty and administrators took the opportunity to network and learn what's on the cutting edge of technology, management and applied engineering, at ATMAE's 2012 Conference in Nashville, TN. The activities included presentations on the latest research by industry and education professionals, robotics competition and technology challenges for students.

Ann Arbor, MI December 04, 2012

Industry Professionals, college students and educators came together in Nashville, TN, the week of November 14, 2012, to share the latest in the fields of Technology Management and Applied Engineering at the ATMAE Annual Conference.

Students participated in the annual Robotics Competition. Nine college teams designed a challenge Robot that had to scoop up ping pong balls, sort them by color and distribute the balls to various points of the field. Each team's robot had to be programmed to do the scooping autonomously without student intervention. The teams were judged on automation, fabrication, control methodology, a technical report, design a poster and task completion.

The Winners:
1st Place Overall-Robotics: Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
2nd Place Overall-Robotics: East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
3rd Place, Overall-Robotics: University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Fabrication Winner-Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
Electronics Control Methodology Winner-Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
Technical Report Winner-Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Poster Winner-North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC

Dr. Haig Vahradian Technology Challenge - A Jeopardy-style, single-elimination competition that challenges students to answer questions on manufacturing, communication, construction, safety, electronics, energy, quality, and management.

The Winners:
1st Place: Leland Denney, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
2nd Place: Jason Thornton, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX
3rd Place: Brady Sims, Mississippi State University , Mississippi State, MS

Virtual Welding Competition, Sponsored by Lincoln Electric

Winner: Jeremy Ganfield, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Outstanding Chapter Award:

Winner: University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX

Students from twenty-four schools around the country attended the ATMAE Conference to compete, present research and network with each other and industry professionals.

The National Industrial Advisory Committee (NIAC), an advisory council to the Executive Board of ATMAE, organized two sessions that brought together students who will soon be entering the workforce with leading industry professionals. One session showed students the best and worst ways to interview and the second brought the students and industry leaders together in small roundtable discussions about the current state of industry and job potential in the market in the near future. Royall Mack, Chairman of the NIAC and ATMAE Executive Board Member, said "This is a remarkable opportunity for both the industry people and the students. "

Since 1967, ATMAE (formerly known as NAIT) members have been gathering to share the latest in industrial technology and educational research. The organization has grown, but the focus has stayed the same, high quality opportunities for members to present their research, network and help people develop themselves as professionals in the field of technology, management and applied engineering.

Dr. Heshium Lawrence, Chapter Advisor for the University of Texas at Tyler ATMAE chapter, said, "The ATMAE Chapter adds value to the campus due to the visibility of the chapter going to conference and representing UT Tyler. The students that attend the conference come back expressing to others around campus how exciting ATMAE is and how great their experiences were. The ATMAE Chapter also allows for collaboration between other organizations on campus."

Students have expressed appreciation for the opportunity to showcase their talents in an arena that appreciates their creativity and enthusiasm.

"The competition proved to be an excellent opportunity for our team members to constructively interact with other competing schools and gain the necessary practical knowledge to utilize in the future." Phillippe Schmider, East Carolina University ATMAE Chapter President.

"The competition was a great opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to an actual real-world project experience." Grover Black, East Carolina University ATMAE Chapter Member.

"The Competition was a great experience for our team! We learned great skills about designing for a specified task and overcoming obstacles that were presented throughout the process. It was such a great honor to be a part of the ATMAE Competition." Benjamin Ledbetter, Treasurer, ATMAE Chapter, Jacksonville State University.

"The whole ATMAE Robotics competition was valuable team building experience for every project member of the ECU Group." Ryan Burk, East Carolina University Student Chapter member.

Thank you, Amy Frank for this video from East Carolina University, that features all of the robots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TYqB1Can_c&feature=share&list=UL9TYqB1Can_c
The 2013 ATMAE Conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 20 through 23, 2013 at the Astor Crowne Plaza, in the heart of the French Quarter.

The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) is an international organization that sets standards for academic program accreditation, personal certification, and professional development for educators and industry professionals involved in integrating technology, leadership and design. For more information, visit our website at http://www.atmae.org.