RET Site: Chip Design Experiences for Teachers to Stimulate Semiconductor Education in Oklahoma

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Within the United States, there is a shortage of skilled semiconductor workforce across the board, from the very advanced integrated circuit (IC) design to mass production. The CHIPS for America Act calls for a $52 billion investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research, which will create 42,000 semiconductor jobs in 6 years. However, universities alone cannot meet this demand because many semiconductor jobs are more suitable for high school and community college students. This RET site addresses the semiconductor talent development challenge by introducing Stillwater and Tulsa area high school and community college teachers to a six-week open-source, cyber-secure chip design experience. These experiences will develop teachers' fundamental knowledge about semiconductors. Teachers will also translate their research into much-needed inquiry-based, culturally relevant semiconductor curricula in Grade 9-14 levels. With more students interested in semiconductors, our nation will have a sustainable talent pipeline to reclaim our technological leadership in semiconductors and semiconductor-enabled technologies, such as 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. The project also serves a region with a high minority student population. Higher participation in semiconductors would also improve the economic outlook of the area around Oklahoma, an EPSCoR state.This RET program will invite ten high school and community college teachers per year from Stillwater and Tulsa metropolitan area for three years for a six-week research experience on open-source, cyber-secure chip design at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Teachers will then translate their research experience into inquiry-based and culturally relevant semiconductor curricula in Grade 9-14. The objectives of the RET project are: 1) Develop teacher's knowledge in semiconductors, 2) Create innovative semiconductor curricula at grade 9-14 level, and 3) Build a long-term sustainable relationship between OSU, Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA), participating school districts and community colleges to increase student interests and stimulate semiconductor education in Oklahoma. The intellectual merit includes increasing awareness of cybersecurity issues related to hardware and lowering teachers' burden in developing new courses through open-source tools. The broader impacts include rapid semiconductor talent pipeline development in response to the CHIPS for America Act by increasing the interest levels for semiconductors among non-college grads, including minorities and underrepresented groups. The project will also help fill the semiconductor curriculum gap at Grade 9-14 levels and democratize chip design for everyone through open-source tools. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.