Help Support STEM Education in North Texas

The North Texas Semiconductor Institute (NTxSI) was founded at The University of Texas at Dallasto support research, prototyping and workforce development for the semiconductor industry. We have been bringing middle and high school students to campus to learn about semiconductor chips, how they are built and careers in the field. Semiconductors are critical to almost all electronics. Our survey data indicates that roughly 65% of youth know little to nothing about them. We aim to increase awareness of this invisible industry as well as to inspire students to enter STEM paths in general.

The goal of our fundraising effort is $2,500 which will be used to fund approximately three field trips. Our stretch goal is $5,000 which will allow us to host six field trips. The cost per student is $20 for the event, which includes supplies for a circuit, electronics, a disposable smock and lunch.

In post-trip surveys, 89% of the students say that they found the field trip interesting and 99% tell us that they now understand what semiconductors are and how they are used in technology. Our field trip is full of interactive activities that help participants learn about semiconductors. They are given a rubber mallet and use it to destroy electronics to look for chips. We have them work as a team to simulate a lithography process with a flashlight. They build a circuit to light up an LED. A favorite highlight for participants is when they dress up in a semiconductor smock and pick up wafers to see what it is like to work in a fab. We bring in industry representatives to give testimonials on their workdays and talk about career paths. Finally, we take them over to NSERL and let them see what a cleanroom looks like.

Some comments from the students:

Would you recommend this field trip to other students? Why or why not?

• “Yes of course, because not only was it informational it was also fun.”
• “Yes, it was a very inspirational experience.”
• “Yes, because it helps students understand the jobs they can get.”
• “Yes, since it taught about new career options.”
• “Absolutely. The trip was super fun and it’s based on something I am interested in. I would love to share this with other students.”

Some feedback from a teacher:

I would like to express my gratitude for such a great opportunity for our students. They had an amazing time at The University of Texas at Dallas and their semiconductor field trip and were talking about their career of choice, their hands-on experience, the professionals they were able to talk to, the labs, the school and their amazing experience on our way back to our campus. It is events like this that create such a great impact in our youth and future generations. We need more things like this so that we can get more students into STEM-related fields, especially those less fortunate. One of my students had already given up, she didn’t want to keep studying and push herself to better herself and after your presentation she sounded excited and believed she had a choice. She can now visualize the importance of bettering herself and getting a degree and into the things she likes more of a real thing. She is part of my digital electronics class where we discuss gates and gate theory in addition to microcontrollers she couldn’t visualize until now, she somehow connected what she learned in class with what you guys taught her.

Thanks again for such an amazing time. Feeling inspired. 

-Fernando Cepeda, Harmony Science Academy Dallas

 For more information:

 Website: https://ntxsi.utdallas.edu/resources/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-texas-semiconductor-institute/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ntxsemiinstitute/