Etste DCL: developing and using resources and strategies to educate technicians in vacuum technologies

This National Science Foundation (NSF) STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) project grant award of $649,647 to Erie Community College aims to strengthen the technician workforce pathway for the semiconductor industry, other vacuum technology-reliant industries, and research organizations. The project will achieve this through three objectives: 1) providing professional development opportunities in vacuum technology for community college and high school faculty, 2) developing and assessing new educational resources for vacuum technicians, and 3) creating experiential-learning activities for educating vacuum technicians. Specifically, the project will produce five new chapters of a freely available e-book, a laboratory manual with hands-on experiments, and an instructor's guide to support the implementation of vacuum training systems. The materials will be reviewed by subject matter experts and disseminated through professional societies. The award was made on September 15, 2024, with a scheduled completion date of August 31, 2027.

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing technician-level educational resources that address advanced topics in vacuum technology along with strategies for preparing future instructors to deliver a curriculum in this field. Vacuum technology is a critical technology for many industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, nanotechnology, and surface coating. Recent legislation passed by congress that aims to strengthen the semiconductor industry is likely to increase the demand for semiconductor manufacturing technicians who will need training in vacuum systems. This project seeks to address this opportunity by providing the two-year college community with technician-level instructional materials specific to vacuum technology and providing faculty professional development activities. Ultimately, this project aims to better prepare the vacuum technology education community to support the inevitable growth in the semiconductor industry. The goal of this project is to strengthen the technician workforce pathway for the semiconductor industry, other vacuum technology reliant industries, and research organizations. This goal will be achieved through three project objectives: 1) provide professional development opportunities in rough and high vacuum for community college and high school faculty, 2) develop and assess new education resources for vacuum technicians, and 3) create experiential-learning activities for educating vacuum technicians. More specifically, five new chapters of a freely available ebook, a laboratory manual with hands-on experiments, and an instructor?s guide that supports implementation of vacuum training systems will be developed, implemented and assessed. Professional development workshops for community college and high school faculty will be implemented in the region and at relevant conferences. All materials produced are slated to be reviewed by subject matter experts. The ebook will be licensed through creative commons and disseminated through the support of several professional societies. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program and is supported in part by funds from intel corporation under the etste DCL. The program focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. 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.