USA Receives $1 Million Grant to Create Semiconductor Package

---

Posted on August 16, 2024

Lance Crawford

---

---

The University of South Alabama has received a $1 million National Science Foundation grant to create and develop a semiconductor course package that includes a new semiconductor engineering concentration and a certificate program within the College of Engineering.

Dr. Jinhui Wang is the project’s principal investigator. His team includes Dr. Hulya Kirkici, Dr. Clive Woods and Dr. Na Gong, professors of electrical and computer engineering and Dr. Shenghua Zha, associate professor, department of counseling and instructional sciences within the College of Education and Professional Studies.

The team believes that this project will attract more students to semiconductor-related engineering programs and increase students’ access to career pathways in the semiconductor field. 

“Since the CHIPS and Science Act was enacted in 2022, many international chipmakers are making huge investments in new manufacturing facilities in the United States,” Wang said. “However, nearly all chipmakers are facing the same problem – a severe workforce shortage.”

Wang says the funds will be used for new course development, collaboration with industry and academic partners for hands-on work and student recruitment. The first cohort is expected in either the summer or fall semester of 2025.

“Most of the core courses will be shared with electrical and computer engineering,” Wang said. “Some semiconductor manufacture and microchip design courses will be added or designated as elective courses to meet the requirements of semiconductor engineering concentration.”

---