Dakota College at Bottineau’s (DCB) Agriculture and Natural Resource instructors were in Washington D.C. this fall for the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) Principal Investigator’s conference. DCB earned the NSF-ATE grant from the U.S. government’s independent science agency in 2023.

The ATE program focuses on the education of technicians who work in high-tech fields that drive the nation’s economy. Because two-year community and technical colleges are the leading sources of technician education in the United States, faculty from these higher education institutions have had leadership roles in most ATE projects. This conference is an opportunity for DCB’s instructors, Angie Bartholomay, Michelle Cauley, and Dr. Linda Burbidge to collaborate with their project partners and focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education.

DCB’s NSF-ATE grant project aims to develop a stackable certificate program for drone technology to be incorporated into two-year degrees in Natural Resources, Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife, and Business. These short-term, industry-validated programs can be earned separately or in conjunction with other programs eventually leading to a higher-level certificate or degree.

DCB currently offers an 8-credit certificate of completion and is planning to launch a new certificate next fall. The three-year grant will help fund DCB’s Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) program which will provide an opportunity to improve technical education.