Industry leaders give ASU students a look at emerging microtechnology careers
Arizona State University students who participated in the Microchip and Supplyframe DesignLab Workshop were led through hands-on exercises in basic techniques for assembling components of microelectronics technologies. Photo by Erika Gronek/ASU
Microelectronics is among the most robust of modern high-tech fields that are becoming integral to progress in many major industries. Its expanding capabilities are enabling advances that promise to boost demand for skills in a range of engineering, science and technology disciplines.
It’s why the School of Integrated Engineering, the newest of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, is equipping itself to prepare students for success in the field.
Those were among key messages trumpeted at a recent workshop, led by ASU’s Center for Broadening Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, that brought leaders and experts from tech companies Microchip Technology and Supplyframe DesignLab to ASU’s West Valley campus to talk to students about microtechnology careers.
“The idea for this workshop was for the leaders of these companies to expose students to different STEM career pathways and to support the school’s efforts to help communicate that message,” says Shawn Jordan, interim director of the School of Integrated Engineering.
More than 30 students attended the “Introduction to Electronics Design" workshop, and another event is scheduled for Oct. 4 in the Tooker House classrooms on ASU’s Tempe campus.
Career-building relationships
Speakers from the companies talked to students about the opportunities, challenges and expectations that those entering the microelectronics field are likely to experience or encounter.
The event was funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation and Accelerate Latinx Representation in STEM Education, or ALRISE, Alliance, which focuses on promoting diversity, particularly involving Latino students, and ensuring higher education institutions are broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Microchip wants to build and diversify its future workforce,” says Jennifer Gaetano, senior manager of integrated global corporate marketing at Microchip Technology.
“We realize that there’s an opportunity to tap into and build relationships with engineers, and one of our goals is to reach out to the university’s academic program to build those relationships,” she says.
Gabriel Noga, the ALRISE Alliance program coordinator at Phoenix College, says the event was a good first step toward realizing the broad and ambitious goals that set the stage for the ASU workshop.
“I think there will soon be collaborations among the workshop participants to figure out how we can build sustainable partnerships and work together for the benefit of students,” Noga says.
Paving paths into trail-blazing industries
The workshop featured an active participation presentation with the students. Giovanni Salinas, Supplyframe DesignLab senior product development engineer, guided students through hands-on instructional exercises to give them an understanding of the components, techniques and production processes that go into designing, building and manufacturing microelectronics components and systems.
Majenta Strongheart, director of the Suppyframe DesignLab, teamed with Salinas to develop the curriculum for the sessions, which have been part of workshops the company has led at events across the U.S. and in other countries.
“At the end of the session I heard one student who participated say ‘This is why I got into engineering.’ We are excited about being able to do something like this,” Strongheart says. “It’s part of our overall mission to guide students in navigating their way into the industry.”
Yarenci Soto Martinez, a first-year student studying to earn a degree in engineering science with a focus on business in the School of Integrated Engineering, says that‘s the reason she attended the workshop.
A curriculum that blends learning both the engineering and business aspects of various industries are especially valuable, Martinez says.
She is also finding a close-knit community within the school and ASU’s West Valley campus. Martinez plans to attend the school’s future events offering more opportunities to make industry connections.
“I really enjoyed the hands-on part of this workshop,” Martinez says, adding that she hopes to find internships that provide similar experiences.
Kevin Shepard, a undergraduate student majoring in engineering science with a focus on microelectronics, says he gained further understanding of the field from the glimpse the workshop provided into the multidimensional array of high-tech expertise that will be integral to the field’s evolution.
“Not all of Microchip’s employees studied microelectronics,” Shepard says, noting that students in the Fulton Schools’ electrical and mechanical engineering and computer science programs are undertaking efforts that could also position them for employment in the industry.
Insights into the inner workings of business
The workshop also featured Microchip Technology President and CEO Ganesh Moorthy, who led a session with other company leaders on giving students guidance for piloting their course into and through the microelectronics industry’s corporate and technical environments.
Moorthy, a member of the Semiconductor Industry Association Board of Directors, told students they need more than advanced education in STEM subjects. He advised them to also learn skills in communications and relationship-building and gain an understanding of the business and corporate priorities shaping management goals in high-tech industries.
The workshop offered students valuable hands-on lessons that will help prepare them for further education to pursue roles in the semiconductor field and the broader microelectronics industry, he says.
“The technical learning the students experienced, in addition to the collaborative skills they learned by working as a team, are essential to what they will need to know as they embark on their professional journeys,” Moorthy says. “Microchip is happy to have supported this workshop and invest in innovation and technology for future engineers.”
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