Kilgore College student William Atkinson was among only 44 students nationwide selected to present at the American Association of Community Colleges’ Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators Conference, held Oct. 29-31 in Washington, D.C.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the conference brought together more than 850 grantees and project partners representing 253 community colleges from across the country to address key issues in advanced technological education.
Atkinson represented KC alongside students from 29 community colleges, each chosen to showcase innovative projects. His poster presentation detailed the setup, development, maintenance and progressive upgrades of KC’s Computer Information Technology (CIT) department’s virtual lab environment — a system that allows students to learn IT skills and complete real-world tasks from anywhere with an internet connection.
“This virtual lab environment breaks down traditional barriers to technology education,” Atkinson said during his presentation. “Students can access enterprise-level systems and gain hands-on experience that would typically require extensive hardware resources.”
Joining Atkinson at the conference were Dr. Ginger Dennis, department chair of Business & Information Technology; and Danny Darden, CIT instructor, who attended as co-principal investigators of KC’s NSF-funded ATE project, Reducing Barriers for IT Technician Education (RBITTE). Atkinson currently serves as the lab manager funded under the RBITTE project.
This national recognition highlights KC’s commitment to providing student-centered, high-tech learning opportunities that prepare graduates for success in evolving technical fields.
About the ATE Program:
The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program focuses on educating technicians for high-technology fields essential to the nation’s economy and security.
(Photo, left to right): Danny Darden, William Atkinson and Dr. Ginger Dennis at the American Association of Community Colleges’ Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Principal Investigators Conference in Washington, D.C.