A group of 12 UCF students and faculty enriched their understanding of semiconductor manufacturing through the Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advances in Recent Technologies (SMART) workshop that took place in July.
The two-week program, sponsored by Intel and hosted by UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science, exposed students and local educators to the field of semiconductor manufacturing through a series of comprehensive and hands-on experiences.
Semiconductor chips manipulate and store electromagnetic energy, making them essential components in electronics such as computers, medical devices and smartphones.
Intel supported the workshops financially and through its Intel Scholars program at UCF, which offers undergraduates interested in semiconductor manufacturing paid internships and opportunities to work in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 cleanrooms.
Intel scholars and faculty guided the participants through four separate modules that included the history of semiconductor electronics, the CHIPS and Science Act, semiconductor materials and a thorough look at the fabrication process.
There is a great need to prepare the emerging national workforce to meet the growing domestic and international demand for semiconductors, says Reza Abdolvand, UCF professor and chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department and SMART workshop coordinator.
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The SMART workshop aimed to address that gap in training and is a testament to UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 willingness to do so, Abdolvand says.
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The workshop covered many complex topics over a short time. Although it wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 a full education, it was crucial for igniting participants 麻豆精品 S� passion for furthering their semiconductor manufacturing knowledge, Abdolvand says.
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Educators at UCF and other higher learning institutions in the U.S. still have work to do in keeping pace with semiconductor manufacturing demand, Abdolvand says.
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Will Goodman, a Valencia College electrical and computer engineering technology lab supervisor, says the workshop was easy to understand and translate to others.
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The proliferation of semiconductors in everyday life is what prompted Eric Apfel, a Wekiva High School physics teacher, to attend SMART.
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Apfel says he 麻豆精品 S檒l implement both the knowledge and the instruction methods that he learned at the workshop to his students.
麻豆精品 S淚 plan to use everything in this workshop to give students an idea of something they may be interested in but may not even know about yet, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Melyia Ingram and Labiba Ibrahim, both Intel scholars, say it was gratifying to teach others about semiconductors and enrich their own knowledge, too.
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麻豆精品 S淪MART 2024 is a workshop that allows you to learn more about chip manufacturing and have an opportunity to gain that experience at an undergrad level, 麻豆精品 S� Ibrahim says. 麻豆精品 S淚 met all kinds of people, and they all had different perspectives. They asked us a lot of different questions and it helped reshape my perspectives, too. 麻豆精品 S�
Namisha Jagmohan 麻豆精品 S�24, a student in the ECE department and a cleanroom co-op, says the workshop was a great way to make the complex topic of semiconductor manufacturing much more accessible.
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The student participants also had a fulfilling experience, with their interest in semiconductors piqued.
麻豆精品 S淥nce I got to UCF, 麻豆精品 S� I found a lot of interest in semiconductors, as it 麻豆精品 S檚 an interconnect in fields such as physics, materials sciences and more, 麻豆精品 S� says Christian Turner, an electrical engineering student at UCF. 麻豆精品 S淕etting to go into the labs and feel like a researcher was different from going to class and just listening to a lecture. 麻豆精品 S�
The interactive portions of the SMART workshop provided UCF electrical engineering student Thomas Parker with a new perspective and real-world experience with semiconductor manufacturing, he says.
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Overall, the SMART workshop accomplished its goal in empowering and inspiring students and faculty to pursue semiconductor manufacturing as part of their STEM education and curriculum, Abdolvand says.
麻豆精品 S淚n my interactions with the students,” he says, “if I’ve managed to spark their curiosity and make them aware that this field exists [and is] something they can explore further, then that’s a significant victory in my book. 麻豆精品 S�
For more information on SMART 2024, please visit the . Interested electrical and computer engineering students can find available scholarships on the .
