Teamed Internships: Innovative Education Program for Environmental Technicians and Engineers The project will create multi-disciplinary internships encompassing regional industries, federal research facilities, and two and four year educational programs. Teams of technicians from the Environmental Science Department at Pima Community College and engineers from the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona will work on industrial and academic projects under the direction of full-time faculty from both institutions. The project will foster teamwork and communication skills for technician and engineering students, include the development of instructional materials, provide a basis for upgrading curriculum on both the two- and four-year levels as well as teacher and faculty enhancement. Perceptions and insights and educational modules developed during the project will be disseminated to local secondary schools to foster interest in environmental technology/environmental science. High schools with high percentages of minorities in particular will be targeted. Dissemination on a regional/national level will be accomplished through participation in engineering, environmental and educational conferences and educational forums, publication of results, and collaboration with other NSF sponsored ATE centers or programs. Formative and summative evaluation tools will be used to direct the course of the project and demonstrate its effectiveness on student outcomes, The project is designed to bridge the gap between technicians and engineers to facilitate smooth introductions of new technologies and foster teamwork between operations and management. The project will also stress industrial educational needs including students capable of working in teams, aware of their community and possessing excellent written and oral communication skills. The increased cooperation and understanding between engineers and technicians should lead to increased industrial product ivity and personal development.
