The University of Maine Portland Gateway and Maine Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will host a cross-sector event on May 18 exploring the region’s existing programs, resources and capacity across the semiconductor industry.
This event, to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 300 Fore Street, Portland, brings experts from academia and industry together with policymakers to plan for future workforce and research and development needs in this important sector of our regional and national economy.
“These developing partnerships among university and industry collaborators are at the heart of the work the Gateway does every day,” says Pips Veazey, director of the UMaine Portland Gateway. “We are thrilled to serve as a catalyst for our community and bring together talented people across sectors and institutions to advance work that we can only do as a team.”
A series of expert panelists and moderators will examine current and forthcoming needs, address the semiconductor workforce and R&D opportunities, discuss university strengths, explore industry needs and identify points of connection and possible gaps
“Our goal with this event is to listen to the industry and find out what skills they need in the future semiconductor workforce. We need to take a fresh look at our curriculum and partner with industry to train the future workforce needed in the semiconductors field,” says Ali Abedi, UMaine associate vice president for research and vice president of the IEEE Council on Radio Frequency Identification.
The slate of panelists from across sectors will prompt conversations about the latest research and innovation, workforce development, funding opportunities and other related topics. Several faculty from UMaine, the Roux Institute at Northeastern University, the University of Southern Maine and the University of New Hampshire will present alongside industry experts and funding agencies program managers.
Industry Speakers include:
- Moise Solomon, technical director for the Electronic Systems and Technologies Innovation Center at MITRE
- Yong Liu, principal member of the technical staff at Onsemi
- Steven Leibeger, principal technologist at Diodes Inc.
- Stephen Swan, MFAB site quality manager at Texas Instruments.
Funding agencies speakers are:
- Brian Whitney, president of the Maine Technology Institute
- Nadia El-Masry, program director for the National Science Foundation’s Future of Semiconductors initiative
- Julia Upton, chair of the Maine Section of IEEE and associate professor at Husson University.
Members of the semiconductor manufacturing, research and business community are invited to attend the event for panel discussions and a chance to network across sectors. Participants will benefit from the opportunity to develop a multi-faceted and shared understanding of the regional semiconductor education, research and manufacturing system.
Recent federal investments in semiconductor research, manufacturing and workforce development present an opportunity to build strategic expertise and enhance mutually beneficial partnerships across the state and region. Semiconductors are vital components in tools used every day from smartphones to medical devices.
Visit the Portland Gateway website to register for the event by Friday, May 5.
