Explorations: ETA-ESW DCL: transforming pathways for the future semiconductor workforce

This Cooperative Agreement award of $1,000,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) aims to expand and diversify the semiconductor workforce by recruiting current college students, primarily first-year students, into engineering programs and career pathways within the semiconductor industry. The project, led by Boise State University, will transform degree pathways through a partnership with the College of Southern Idaho (CSI). Key components include:

1. Offering a new Materials Science and Engineering course (MSE 101) and modules highlighting the semiconductor industry as part of the general education curriculum at CSI to serve as a recruiting mechanism.

2. Providing equitable access to industry-relevant experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and research projects, to a broader group of students.

3. Addressing system barriers around program inflexibility, lack of experiential learning, and socioeconomic challenges that may prevent student participation.

The award date is July 15, 2024, with an ultimate completion date of June 30, 2027. CSI will be a sub-grantee, responsible for adopting the new MSE 101 course and incorporating the semiconductor industry modules into its general education curriculum.

Abstract

This project will expand and diversify the semiconductor workforce by recruiting current college students ? Primarily first year students ? Into engineering programs and career pathways within the semiconductor industry. Students who are early in their college careers and are still exploring career options are more likely to consider how their major will impact their life and career opportunities. Recruiting will occur in freshmen level general education courses taken by all students. Opening the academic pathways into an engineering or computer science major, coupled with industry-relevant experiential learning (internships, semiconductor research, vertically integrated projects, short courses, and modules), will prepare existing college students for careers in the emerging technology fields of advanced memory manufacturing, microelectronics, and semiconductors. Students entering the university may be met with biases regarding stem disciplines and an institutional culture that can be difficult to navigate. Furthermore, while experiential learning opportunities are considered one of the most high-impact experiences a student can engage within college, financial responsibilities often keep specific groups of students from participating. The project examines how participation in experiential learning affects the student and evaluates how to best utilize the general education curriculum to recruit students into engineering and computer science. Further, three system barriers will be addressed: (1) program inflexibility, (2) lack of experiential learning opportunities, and (3) socioeconomic barriers. The efficacy of the following approaches will be examined: (1) individualized advising to help students identify internship opportunities that better align with other responsibilities, such as family obligations and mobility constraints and (2) financial support (including wrap-around services) that will allow students to focus their time and energy on their experiential learning activities, and thus have a greater impact on their developing identities as engineers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.