LaGuardia Community College Receives Funding for Semiconductor Workforce Development Program With NY CREATES
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY— (October 3, 2024) – LaGuardia Community College is a sub-awardee on a recent, $4.7 million grant to The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the establishment of the Education Alliance for Semiconductor Experiential Learning (EASEL) program. This workforce development initiative aims to help address the growing national demand for a skilled workforce in the semiconductor industry, a critical need highlighted by the U.S. CHIPS & Science Act.
The U.S. CHIPS & Science Act, a transformational investment in the nation’s semiconductor industry, will help create an estimated 280,000 jobs across the computer chip industry, with nearly half of those positions requiring skilled technicians. EASEL will play a pivotal role in filling these technician positions by providing hands-on, immersive learning experiences for college students from across the U.S. at NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex to help them hit the ground running in semiconductor careers. EASEL will also provide similar experiences to teachers and instructors to better prepare them to educate the nation’s semiconductor workforce.
According to the announcement by NY CREATES, the EASEL program will bring together a coalition of community colleges and leading U.S. semiconductor manufacturers to develop and implement multi-modal experiential learning opportunities. Initially, the alliance will include four core community colleges—Columbus State Community College, Onondaga Community College, LaGuardia Community College, and Madison Area Technical College—and will expand to include additional institutions across key semiconductor manufacturing regions in the U.S.
Dr. Yves Ngabonziza, Professor and Director of the Engineering Program at LaGuardia and co-PI on the grant, says this is the first time LaGuardia is participating in a semi-conductor related research grant.
“Through this grant, the Engineering program at LaGuardia will implement a fourfold approach to support semiconductor manufacturing,” Dr. Ngabonziza said. “[including] curriculum development in some of our engineering course labs, engineering faculty professional development with the participation in a program at the Albany Nanotech Complex, student mentoring through research, and student experiential learning through bootcamps and summer research programs.”
“We were very pleased to be one of the partner two-year schools, and this grant is a result of the efforts we have been putting in place to enhance career readiness and experiential learning for our engineering students,” Dr. Ngabonziza said.
The proposed grant submitted by NY CREATES with LaGuardia as a partner institution will serve the Engineering program in the Department of Mathematics, Engineering, and Computer Science (MEC) by: 1) preparing students for future manufacturing opportunities as they join the job market and enhancing existing courses in the Energy Technology program; 2) providing advanced professional development pathways while working with NY CREATES facilities and staff; 3) offering a mentorship by two LaGuardia engineering faculty through research in the area of semiconductor and a bootcamp; and 4) offering a summer internship program for LaGuardia students interested in the semiconductor manufacturing and mentorship opportunities for four LaGuardia students who will work with LaGuardia professors on semiconductor research.
Activities to achieve the four goals will begin Fall 2024 and be tailored to align EASEL immersive experiential learning activities with existing LaGuardia academic programs and its student support structure.
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NY CREATES serves as a lab-to-fab bridge for advanced electronics, fostering public-private and industry-academic partnerships for technology development and innovation. NY CREATES attracts and leads industry-connected innovation and commercialization projects that secure significant investment, advance R&D in emerging technologies, and generate the jobs of tomorrow. NY CREATES runs some of the most advanced facilities in the world, boasts more than 2,700 industry experts and faculty, and manages public and private investments of more than $20 billion—placing it at the global epicenter of high-tech innovation and commercialization.
LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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