More than 3,000 Valley students will get an interactive crash course in the capabilities of semiconductors on May 15.
The students — in grades seven through 12 — are expected to participate in Semiconductor Adventure Day to help expose students and get them excited about a potential career in the semiconductor industry.
The event is sponsored by Arizona State University’s Preparatory Academy, Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub, NXP, the SEMI Foundation and Ira Fulton School of Engineering.
“We’ve come up with this to excite students,” said Rachna Mathur, senior STEM strategist for ASU Prep.
At two separate locations, students will go through a conference-style event complete with speakers and breakout sessions. The locations are at ASU Preparatory Downtown in downtown Phoenix and at the ASU Preparatory Polytechnic campus in Mesa.
The event runs 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
As part of the instruction, students will use virtual reality headsets to explore a semiconductor fabrication center on Mars, Mathur said.
Students will watch a semiconductor expert take apart an iPhone — which is part of the planned activities for the adventure day event. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., NXP, Nikon Precision Inc. and Intel are expected to participate in the event.
It’s important for the local semiconductor space to have a pipeline for recruitment.
“With plans to have three cutting-edge semiconductor fabs running by the end of the decade and three more planned, we can’t just think about the workforce we need today,” said Christine Dotts, a TSMC Arizona spokesperson. “It’s critical that we plan for the future. One of the ways we do that is to expose students at a young age to STEM and to our industry. This ASU Prep event is exactly the type of program that will light that spark in the next-generation of innovators.”
An expert from NXP Semiconductors agrees.
NXP wants to showcase the industry as a whole while educating students about the potential of a wide range of roles from engineering to process and maintenance technicians, said Tamara Luckemeyer, director of manufacturing at NXP Semiconductors.
“We want the pipeline in the industry as a whole,” Luckemeyer said.
Brent Ruffner joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2021 where he writes about developments at TSMC and Maricopa County issues, including election topics.
He's written about stories that range from accusations that a Mesa monkey breeding facility is unsafe to what to do if you encounter a rattlesnake in the desert.
Community: He is a supporter of the American Cancer Society.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, May 2007.
Random Fact: He met former San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays at a Phoenix Firebird game after winning a contest for an autographed baseball.
Hobbies: Hiking in the woods and collecting sports memorabilia.
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