IU ramps up semiconductor push with leadership consortium
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Indiana University President Pamela Whitten and the dean of its computer science and engineering school have joined a national consortium of higher education leaders seeking to bolster the country’s footing in the semiconductor industry.
The move falls in line with a recent $111 million microelectronics investment supporting a stronger relationship between defense contractors and partners. That money will build facilities, faculty, degree programs, research and other endeavors.
“Meeting our nation’s talent needs and strengthening the U.S semiconductor industry is only possible by growing and diversifying our STEM workforce at scale,” Whitten said in a news release. “This requires the leadership of powerhouse research universities like Indiana University and our partners in the EDGE Consortium. Working together, we can shape academic programs and industry collaborations that will lead to a growing, inclusive and resilient semiconductor workforce.”
The EDGE consortium is co-chaired by Whitten and includes Joanna Millunchick, the dean of the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.
The group of leaders will convene at its inaugural Fall Summit on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The group’s leaders also signed an open letter calling for the government and industry to work with academia to prepare more women and people of color to enter the field.
The initiative, which consists of female university presidents and the deans of engineering schools, will look to connect the academic and private sectors to improve the semiconductor and microelectronic landscape nationally. The university said its investment and consortium involvement will expand accessibility for STEM careers and diversify the talent pool.
“A simple truth is that expanding this workforce will be impossible without bringing in more women and people of color,” the letter reads.
The country produces 10% of the world’s supply, according to the White House. Recent pieces of legislation including the CHIPS and Science Act have thrust the country into prioritizing enlarged at-home production of these technologies, instead of relying on East Asia.