This Week in Small

Big shoutout to Matthias Pleil and the team at the The University of New Mexico Manufacturing Training and Technology Center (MTTC) for an outstanding week of cleanroom learning through the MNT-EC AT3 Microfabrication Short Course.

This Week in Small: Micro Monday newsletter features a cool classroom resource: Making Ohio: Chip City Adventures. Thanks to Scot McLemore from Columbus State Community College.

This Week in Small: Micro Monday newsletter features the Florida Semiconductor Institute, K-12 Semiconductor Curriculum. A free, growing hub of ready-to-use lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school, plus curated hands-on activities, virtual labs, and career-exploration tools.

Restoring US manufacturing leadership requires a culture shift in how engineers, technologists, and technicians translate ideas into production.

Dominic Salerno’s team at CCP gowning up.

An Important MNT-EC Statement Regarding Recent Events… specifically, the disappearance of 413,793 KitKat bars

MNT-EC Gold Medal created by Nano Banana Pro AI platform as part of a pilot project to leverage AI tools for the center.

The Emil & Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center is a cutting-edge career and technical education hub transforming how students and community members prepare for today’s workforce. Located in a beautifully renovated 54,000-square-foot facility,

A new podcast is bringing technician voices to life, inviting them into the workforce conversation in a way that allows students and educators to learn about semiconductors and advanced manufacturing opportunities.

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 21 selections are now official, with multiple student research teams chosen for flight experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). 

Portland Community College (PCC) has opened a state-of-the-art teaching cleanroom at its Willow Creek campus, strengthening the region’s role in semiconductor workforce training.

Our students are running to a wide range of opportunities and proving themselves up to the task! MNT-EC for the win!!

UPDATE: NNME LOI deadline is today at 5pm Pacific… More in post.

From precision cleanrooms in New Mexico to nanobiotech & robotics in Texas, AT3 students are getting hands-on with the tools shaping tomorrow. Credit: University of North Texas Nanobiotech and Robotics program.

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) 23nd Flight Opportunity – SSEP Mission 21 to the International Space Station, Starting September 2, 2025

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) 23nd Flight Opportunity – SSEP Mission 21 to the International Space Station, Starting September 2, 2025

Register for the NEXTFLEX Listening Sessions 2025 — taking place on July 15 and July 22.

Join us for J ATE Writers Workshop with host Thomas Brown from Forsyth Technical Community College. Today, he interviews Jillian Blatti, an associate professor of chemistry at Pasadena City College, who goes by “Dr. jB” with her students.

Lorain County Community College (LCCC) has been running an engaging and successful Cleanroom Bootcamp Experience as part of its MERIT (Manufacturing Electronics & Rework Institute for Training) initiative.

So much to tell you…

🚀 Applications Open! AT³ Student Training Program. Gain hands-on experience, industry insights, and up to $1,000 in stipends. Open to community college & tech students—apply by April 30, 2025!

This week is filled with cool student success stories — read on for more on Paula Kirya’s research (and publication) as well as Gracious Mhlanga’s journey at Pasadena City College.

There are new internships and scholarships and jobs being added to the MNT-EC site almost every week! Take a look at the Internship and Scholarship Portal (see left nav) and we list jobs here when possible.

Update from Jared Ashcroft on the wildfire emergency in the Los Angeles area, including Pasadena City College students and faculty.

Share This Article Student Travel Funds Available! Explore Emerging Careers: TechConnect World 2025 Workforce Development Program Click here:➡️ Learn More and Apply Today TechConnect World 2025 is returning with a […]

You see that loving nudge from one horse to another? Just imagine that is someone from the nano community giving you a nudge to share our news with a peer today. 🙂

Share This Article Read more about Ani Hakobyan’s Community College Journey. U.S. Department of Energy Applications are now open for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Summer 2025 Undergraduate Internship Programs. […]

Share This Article Tune in to all the MNT-EC News this week. Scroll, scroll… Update 08OCT: Talking Technicians Latest Podcast Episode Drops… Click the Play button (to right) in the […]

Image of Science STEM Students in a futuristic collage. Created by TJ McCue via Midjourney AI _Prompt included in MNT “This Week in Small”

Updates on the new AT³, the 8-month Advanced Technology Technician Training program designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, & abilities essential for a successful career as a technician in the micro and nano industries.

Share This Article That’s it. That’s the focus this week. AT3. Catch the bus. Learn more here at the AT3 Apply Now section. You will see an Apply Now button […]

Share This ArticleRight next door, so to speak, in the Think Small news section is a photo and profile of our beloved Center Manager, Billie Copley. Please read it and […]

Share This ArticleRegistered Apprenticeship IEEE Article GlobalFoundries’ Registered Apprenticeship in Malta, NY, creates a vital / valuable pipeline of technicians with hands-on mechanical and electrical skills for the semiconductor industry. […]

Cohort of 20 students who visited the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2024 — learn more about how undergrads in MNT-EC programs find and participate in amazing opportunities.

Share This Article—Updates & New additions at end of post Apprenticeship Program at Purdue University You probably recognized the “Grow Your Future” image above if you are an MNT newsletter […]

Share This Article — There are a FEW Seats left!! — Register here Or, if you want to read more, the ANFF-SA PDF is below where you can read it […]

Share This ArticleWhat you’ll find here in This Week in Small: “MNT-EC’s Talking Technicians podcast is about technicians in the micro and nano industry. Our podcast guests share their real […]

Share This Article March 25, 2024: This Week in Small March 26 Update: Adding THREE Cool Events (2 online; 1 in-person in Minnesota) Solar Eclipse Livestream Details “For those not […]

Share This ArticleThis Week in Small: Curated News – articles and research that we’ve found or that has been shared with us by our most-loved subscribers (that means you – […]

Share This ArticleJan 22, 2024 – This Week in Small Join the 2024 Community College Innovation Challenge! We’re dedicating This Week In Small to the Innovation Challenge from the American […]

Share This ArticleSometimes, the young people have all the best sayings… 😉 First, Dr. Ashcroft’s next Director’s Message post is about Student Recruitment. If you want that hot off the […]

Share This Article Program manager, John-David R. Rocha, Ph.D. for the American Chemical Society (ACS) shared the following links and information with MNT Center Director, Dr. Jared Ashcroft with this […]

Share This ArticleWhat we’re reading: NSF congratulates laureates of the 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry Summary: The U.S. National Science Foundation congratulates Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei […]

Share This ArticleVacuum Systems Technology at Normandale Community College Vacuum systems play a key role as an enabling technology, supporting vital processes in the production of many everyday products, and […]

Share This Article The Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE) is embarking on a new pilot program: J ATE Connect – focused on increasing the number and quality of […]

Share This Article Of course, our readers and visitors probably already have a good grasp of micro and nanotechnology. But that does not mean everyone does. We write to inform […]

Share This ArticleAs many of you know, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 is in motion with proposals being requested by the Department of Commerce from industry and educational […]

Share This ArticleYou may have read last week about a couple of our PCC students who were awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Both of them had one person in common, […]

Share This ArticleDON’T MISS THIS ONE!: If you are interested in nanotechnology solutions for climate change, don’t miss this virtual meeting on this Wed, April 26 at 630PM Eastern time, […]

Share This ArticleBelow is a letter from NEATEC, a MNT-EC Partner and Ally. There’s still time for students to consider and apply. Info on the photo that marks this post […]

Share This Article View the MNT-EC Playlist on YouTube: Your Future in Nanotechnology This terrific YouTube playlist comes from Dr. Marco Curreli at The Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC). […]

Share This ArticleWhat We’re Reading || February 27, 2023: This Week In Small Jesse Versluys in his Science for Everyone blog has another big list with tons of vetted science […]

Share This ArticleWhat we’re reading || February 20, 2023: This Week In Small. In this weekly curation, we have a couple of opportunities/calls for students to share their research, projects, […]

Share This Article Did you know MNT-CURN mentor and PCC alum, Sophia Barber, achieved her first publication recently. She was published in Neurobiology of Disease. Read about it on our […]