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About Us

national science foundation advanced technological education

The National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT) was formulated through the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program. The NSF ATE program has been funding innovation at two-year colleges for over 25 years focusing on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. 

Fields of technology supported by the ATE program include, but are not limited to, advanced manufacturing technologies, agricultural bio-technologies, energy and environmental technologies, engineering technologies, information technologies, micro- and nano-technologies, security technologies, and learning, evaluation, and research. 

As the first national ATE center in autonomous technologies, NCAT is crafting, adapting, and implementing educational resources and serves as a resource hub for evidence-based research on the knowledge and skills needed to meet workforce demands while increasing the quality and diversity of the highly skilled technical workforce.

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OUR Mission

Lead the education of the nation’s Autonomous Technologies workforce through a concerted effort which will focus on expanding educational resources to address current workforce demands, develop career pathways, and broadly engage stakeholders from education, industry, government, and related ATE centers and projects. 

OUR
Vision.

Strategically navigate the future of Autonomous Technologies through visionary thought leadership and collaboration among stakeholders. 

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I believe autonomous technologies are transformative, changing the way society lives, works, travels and learns. Advancement of Autonomous Technologies will require a highly skilled and adaptable technical workforce. NCAT leads the nation's education in preparing the highly skilled technical workforce to cultivate opportunities that autonomous technologies are generating. NCAT is building the workforce by inspiring the future problem solvers, providing advanced skills training to leadership, connecting with industry and forming a nation-wide network of collaborators. There is no end to the journey, only new skies, roads and oceans to explore.
- Jonathan Beck, NCAT Executive Director & Principal Investigator

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Our
Viewbook

Our digital viewbook gives you a first-hand look inside the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), providing you with detailed information on our partners, offerings and activities. Take a look for yourself! 

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