🎙️ New Podcast: “Troubleshooting Technicians” — Vacuum Technology from the Field
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.
Troubleshooting Technicians is part of NSF Award #2400426, an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) project that aims to improve technician education in vacuum technology. This skill is essential for semiconductor manufacturing, nanotechnology, surface coating, and research labs nationwide.
Dr. Elena Brewer from Erie Community College leads the project, joined by co-Principal Investigators Nancy Louwagie and John Lasswell (both at Normandale Community College). They have decades of experience in technician education and vacuum systems training, connecting classroom learning with real industry needs. The podcast continues this mission by sharing technician stories and practical problem-solving in a format that educators, students, and industry partners can use.
Editor’s Note: When I visited Nancy Louwagie’s classroom and lab at Normandale in 2023, I saw firsthand that vacuum systems are not a niche subject. The need for this knowledge is nationwide. These systems are essential in fabs, cleanrooms, and advanced manufacturing facilities. As the U.S. invests more in semiconductor production, demand for technicians skilled in vacuum systems will continue to increase.
This project is addressing that opportunity directly by:
• Expanding a freely available vacuum technology ebook with five new technician-level chapters
• Developing a hands-on laboratory manual built around useful experiments
• Creating an instructor’s guide to support the implementation of vacuum training systems
• Delivering professional development workshops for community college and high school faculty
• Designing experiential learning activities that mirror the troubleshooting technicians actually perform
All materials are reviewed by subject-matter experts, licensed under Creative Commons, and widely shared through professional societies and through our MNT Community of Practice. This ensures that two-year colleges across the country can access and use them.
Now, the podcast lets you hear these efforts in action.
In the first episodes, experienced vacuum professionals explain how they identify system failures, find faulty components, document their work, and prevent expensive downtime. The approach is practical and systematic, showing the disciplined thinking that skilled technicians build over time.
- Educators can use this resource in their classrooms.
- Students get a look into the skills and work involved.
- Industry partners can see the level of skill needed to keep advanced systems operating smoothly.
As the country works to rebuild its semiconductor manufacturing, technician education must keep pace with investments in equipment. Cleanrooms and fabrication tools depend on the skilled workforce that maintains them.
Projects like this, funded by the NSF ATE program and partly supported by Intel Corporation, are quietly but importantly building curriculum, training instructors, and raising technician expertise. The podcast adds another element: storytelling. It shows that technician work is analytical, methodical, and highly skilled.
If we want to strengthen semiconductor resilience and lead in advanced manufacturing, building technician pathways in areas like vacuum technology is essential.
This podcast offers a small but important look into that larger, ongoing effort started with the CHIPS & Science Act. Give it a listen.