Excerpt from the Dayton Business Journal
Wright State University is a key participant in two of six awards to Ohio colleges and universities by the Intel Corporation, which is building two chip factories near Columbus. The grants are part of a coordinated effort to address the research and workforce needs of the growing semiconductor and microelectronic industries in Ohio.
Through the projects, Wright State University will collaborate with other regional universities to develop new curriculum and experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for careers in semiconductor manufacturing.
Intel’s Semiconductor Education and Research Program for Ohio was announced in March as part of the company’s pledge to invest $100M in education and research collaborations with universities, community colleges and technical educators in Ohio and across the country. The program is designed to help build a pipeline of talent and bolster research programs. Intel designated $50M specifically to Ohio colleges and universities. The National Science Foundation has pledged $50M in matching awards.
“Intel is excited to be in Ohio, the new ‘Silicon Heartland’ and home to what will be one of our most sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing plants in the world,” said Jim Evers, Intel vice president and Ohio general manager. “Higher education plays a key role in the future success of our industry. We’re proud to support these institutions from every corner of the state as they work to build the workforce of tomorrow.”
Wright State will collaborate with Central State University to help build a semiconductor educational program and a microelectronics lab and provide experiential learning opportunities for students.
In addition, Wright State is one of four leadership universities in an alliance of higher education institutions in Southwest Ohio that seeks to build a world-class knowledge base and workforce training ecosystem for the semiconductor industry. The alliance is led by the University of Cincinnati, which secured funding from Intel to support the project.
