Wright State to help local teachers build knowledge of STEM fields

Dan Young is a professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Wright State.

The Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Wright State University will train local K–12 teachers to improve their skills teaching STEM subjects as part of a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers grant-funded program.

The project, Teacher POWER (Preparing Our Workforce through Electronics and Research), is a collaboration with the University of Dayton and Central State University to instill teachers with state-of-the-art STEM knowledge that they can dispense to their students.

For the next three summers, teachers will be paid to participate in research projects and pedagogy development activities at Wright State.

“It’s a multi-university, collaborative project with UD and CSU to impart electronics and semiconductor expertise into the local educational ecosystem in order to support the upcoming electronics industry in this region of Ohio,” said Dan Young, Ph.D., professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Wright State. “Everyone is aware of the new Intel facilities, but many other companies in the semiconductor and electronics industry have a strong footprint in Ohio, with expansions planned. This project will help develop our workforce to make this industry a local success.”

Intel, which is building two advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities near Columbus, has committed to working with community, technical and four-year colleges and universities in Ohio to expand and accelerate Ohio’s talent pipeline through education programs.

Wright State is the lead institution for the $600,000 NSF project, which resulted from a longstanding collaboration between the University of Dayton and Central State, Young said.

Principal investigators from all three institutions will work closely together and while all three universities will host teachers, the entire group will get together for group activities such as K-12 curriculum development, local industry and university tours and other activities.

Ahsan Mian is a professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Wright State.

“The main motivation of the project is to inspire the next generation of workforce in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing so that we can support the regional and national demands in the area,” said Ahsan Mian, Ph.D., professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Wright State. “There has been a growing demand in the field, and there exists a gap between the number of scientists and engineers that are in demand by the industry and that graduate every year. So, it is imperative that we inform the students about the field early so that they can be inspired to pursue a career in related STEM fields.”

The six-week summer experience includes hands-on research, tours of local companies and cleanrooms, development activities, experiential learning about electronics technology and earning certifications. The experience culminates with the development of materials, contents and modules teachers can use in their classrooms.

“This project is meant to support the overall growth of the semiconductor and electronics industry in Ohio,” said Young.

Mian foresees a shift in career opportunities in Ohio once the Intel chips facilities are operating as other relevant companies are expected to open their doors in Ohio as a result. As such, there will be tremendous job opportunities in the field as this project will not only impact the state but also the national electronic ecosystem, Mian said.