As the U.S. semiconductor industry continues to grow, this nationally funded program will help ensure Texas Tech students are ready to make an immediate impact.
The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering at Texas Tech University received a $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to help students better prepare to enter the semiconductor workforce.
The grant is part of NSF’s Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.
Principal Investigator and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Tim Dallas sees this as a chance for Texas Tech to make an impact on the semiconductor industry, be it the designing, manufacturing or selling of microprocessors and other integrated circuits.
Dallas estimates there could be over $50 billion in new semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) under construction or nearing construction.
“Certainly, the state of Texas and a lot of the country are seeing a lot of new semiconductor fabs being built,” he said. “It’s quite a large industry, and it’s growing significantly, especially in Texas.”
Part of the semiconductor industry’s growth may soon be attributed to the U.S. government, which recently acquired a nearly 10% stake in Intel. The company designs and produces microchips for everything from self-driving cars to smartphones and laptops.
Over the course of the next five years, this S-STEM grant will provide scholarships to at least 36 ECE students across three cohorts. Students will also have access to industry mentors and various experiential learning opportunities to better understand the semiconductor industry’s needs and environment.
“A lot of students don’t know what a day in the life looks like for an engineer,” Dallas said. “Being able to meet with one of these industry professionals monthly and pick their brain about what life is like is going to be very important.”
By the end of the project’s five years, Dallas and his team hope to generate valuable insights on what makes effective educational experiences for students and present their eventual findings through conferences and journal articles.
This S-STEM grant continues to strengthen Texas Tech’s commitment to the growing semiconductor industry. Texas Tech and Dallas received a $3.75 million grant in May by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the State of Texas. That project focused on launching a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering program specializing in 3D Heterogenous Integration.
Dallas sees both grants as not only preparing students to join the semiconductor workforce but perhaps impacting Lubbock’s economy as well.
X-FAB Texas, located in Lubbock, is the only fab between cities like Albuquerque and Dallas or Austin. Based in a former Texas Instruments site, X-FAB Texas employs about 400 people covering a wide range of engineering responsibilities.
“They’re an important employer for our community,” Dallas said. “They’re one of the few fabs in the country that can produce silicon carbide-based chips, which are aimed at these higher power applications. Hopefully, some of those students will choose to work for them and stay here in Lubbock.”