From me to you This July our community gathers in Austin for HI-TEC, the national conference on advanced technological education, supported by the NSF ATE program. It is the one week a year when educators, counselors, technicians, and industry are in the same room to learn from each other and sharpen what they bring back home. I will be there. So will much of the MNT-EC team. Come find us in Austin. Jared P.S. And yes, the BBQ will, of course, feature banana pudding. In the News The microelectronics workforce-gap numbers most of us quote are two years old. That changes July 7, when McKinsey, the SEMI Foundation, and NSF unveil a new National Landscape Analysis. The early figure: a projected shortfall of 127,000 to 157,000 microelectronics workers by 2030. For community colleges building these pathways, that gap is the argument for the work. The reveal is a live webinar, and it is filling up. Register for the July 7 webinar Our take on what this means for micro and nano education is on LinkedIn. Student Opportunities & Job Listings Fourteen verified openings this week across semiconductors, optics, and advanced manufacturing, organized by region, student roles first, with community-college pathways called out where they exist. One role is decoded at the end. Jobs verified as of June 25, 2026. Some may have closed since. Southwest ★ Intel, Manufacturing Technician Internship Rio Rancho, NM · internship · enrolled A.A.S. students · rate not posted Texas Instruments, Plasma Equipment Technician · decoded below Richardson, TX · rate not posted · HS diploma or GED plus experience Corning, Process Technician I Phoenix, AZ · rate not posted · A.S./certificate or equivalent Applied Materials, Manufacturing Technician Tempe, AZ · rate not posted · A.S. Applied Materials, Customer Support Technician II Phoenix, AZ · $20–$27.50/hr · entry-level Applied Materials, Material Coordinator/Handler Austin, TX · $18–$24.80/hr · entry-level Mountain West Micron, Yield Enhancement Failure Analysis Lab SEM & ETM Process Technician (Idaho Fab 1) Boise, ID · rate not posted Micron, Associate Technician – Reticle Manufacturing Boise, ID · rate not posted · HS diploma Micron, Facilities I&C Technician Boise, ID · rate not posted Northeast ★ GlobalFoundries, Associate Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship Essex Junction, VT · apprenticeship, trains via the GF Technician Program · rate not posted GlobalFoundries, ETCH Equipment Technician (D Shift) Malta, NY · $5,000 sign-on bonus Edwards Vacuum, Sr. Machine Maintenance Technician New York · rate not posted · HS diploma Coherent, Optical Test Technician Woburn, MA · rate not posted · HS diploma · optics and photonics Southeast ★ Corning, Manufacturing Co-op for NC Community College Students Concord, NC · co-op · current NC community college enrollment · rate not posted 🔍 ROLE DECODED THIS WEEK Texas Instruments, Plasma Equipment Technician 📍 Richardson, TX · semiconductor fab (RFAB) · HS/GED, no degree, experience required What you would do. You keep the plasma tools in TI’s Richardson fab running. Preventive maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and new tool installs, plus the detective work when a tool keeps going down. You watch the tool data, find the pattern behind the repeat failures, bring in the supplier when a fix needs them, and write up what you found so the next person is not solving it twice. The schedule is 12-hour shifts, days or nights, including weekends. What it pays. Texas Instruments does not post a rate, and no single BLS occupation fits a plasma equipment technician cleanly. Two bracket it: semiconductor processing technicians at $51,180, and the closer duty match, industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance workers at $63,510 (both May 2024 medians). That maintenance occupation enters on a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, like this role, and is projected to grow 13 percent through 2034, much faster than average. How you get there. No degree required, but this is not a first job. The floor is a high school diploma or GED plus either two years as a semiconductor technician or five years of technician experience in another field or the military. That second path is the opening for a career changer or a transitioning veteran. A community college certificate or associate in electronics or mechatronics, paired with that hands-on time, is how you get in and move up, toward senior or lead technician, then equipment engineering technician. View the role. With enormous appreciation to Tiffany Kimoto, Executive Director of The Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech, for all her help building this week’s job roundup. Community Shout-Out: Greg Kepner and Mel Cossette Greg Kepner and Mel Cossette are running the Arduino workshop at HI-TEC, and it is built to send faculty home with something they can teach the next week. Half a day, Monday morning, July 27. You write and modify Arduino code. You wire up sensors and build real circuits, then troubleshoot them when they misbehave. Everyone leaves with a SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, a $106 value, to take straight into a classroom. Laptops are provided and MNT-EC sponsors it. Space is limited. If microcontrollers are anywhere on your radar, register early. For the Classroom: Meet Riko-chan Something lighter this week. IEEE Women in Engineering runs a free manga series starring Riko-chan, a girl who solves everyday problems with STEM. The stories are free to use beyond IEEE members, and one of the newest, “Hurray for Electronic Packaging Engineers!”, lands right in our world. Hand it to a student who thinks chips are boring, or to a kid who loves manga and has never tied it to a career. One number worth forwarding. ✂ Clip & Send A new national analysis from McKinsey, the SEMI Foundation, and NSF projects the U.S. will be short 127,000 to 157,000 microelectronics workers by 2030. Same number, other direction: that is up to 157,000 openings to fill this decade. Community and technical colleges are one of the fastest routes in. Source: National Landscape Analysis, previewed in the July 7 webinar One Question for You We read every reply. Here is ours this issue: What events or conferences are you going to this summer, professional development or otherwise? Tell us where you’ll be. Maybe we cross paths in Austin. Share your summer lineup

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Here are some more details on the amazing program that IEEE and Women-in-Engineering created — a STEM Manga series with the heroine Riko-chan. Huge credit goes to the IEEE Japan Council Student Activities Committee who organized a Manga plot contest for IEEE student members, and IEEE Japan Council, DNP, Maruzen Yushodo, and professional manga artists will serve as judges to select the following three works from the student entries and publish them as comics.

Art Credit: IEEE Women-in-Engineering
Author: Annette Teng
Script: Yasunori Kasuga
Character development: Neta Mochino/TOKIFUDE

Here’s the flyer overview:

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And then the super cool “Hurray for Electronic Packaging Engineers!”

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Todd Richard Christenson.

Todd was not only an early supporter of the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC), but one of the very first industry leaders to truly believe in our mission—and in the potential of our students. At a time when we were just getting started, Todd stepped forward, opened his doors, and invited our students into his company. That simple act created opportunities, confidence, and inspiration that continue to ripple through our program today.

Many of us will always remember those early visits—especially Todd’s humor and warmth. He welcomed our students not just professionally, but personally… even sharing pizza with them and jokingly calling them “wafers.” It was a small moment, but one that perfectly captured who he was: generous, approachable, and genuinely invested in the next generation.

Todd was also a respected leader in our community, recognized with a HI-TEC Industry Award and serving at the very beginning of our Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT). His leadership helped shape how we engage industry partners nationwide.

What makes truly successful education and workforce programs is not just the resources, curriculum, or structure—it is the trust we build with one another and the respect we hold for the work we each do. Todd understood this deeply. He believed in people, in partnership, and in the idea that when we support each other, we create opportunities far greater than any one program alone.

Todd’s impact on MNT-EC and the broader technician workforce community cannot be overstated. He helped set the tone for what true industry partnership should look like—engaged, supportive, and centered on students.

On behalf of MNT-EC and personally, we extend our deepest gratitude for his friendship, his belief in our work, and his lasting contributions. Todd will be remembered not only for what he did, but for how he made people feel—valued, welcomed, and inspired.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

— Jared M. Ashcroft & the MNT-EC Community

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You can read more about him here where the family has posted details about the Celebration of Life on April 18, 2026.

Expanding Access to Hands-On STEM and Technician Education: Five Initiatives to Watch

First: Jared and Billie have published “Five Years of Building” as a review of MNT-EC’s achievements, progress, and momentum. You can give it a read at the above link.

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Across the country, innovative programs are reshaping how students experience science, technology, engineering, and math. Each has a strong emphasis on hands-on learning, authentic research, and workforce alignment. This month, we’re highlighting five initiatives advancing STEM education from K–12 through technician-level training, with a special shout-out to our amazing Outreach Team that has shared many of these cool projects with us!!!

1. The Wolbachia Project – Real-World Microbiology Research
   https://wolbachiaproject.org/

The Wolbachia Project connects students and educators to authentic scientific discovery by investigating Wolbachia bacteria found in insects. Participants engage in field sampling, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, contributing to real research datasets while developing hands-on lab skills and scientific confidence. It’s a powerful example of inquiry-based STEM learning that blends classroom instruction with meaningful research.

2. Qolour – Quantum Computing Education Platform
   https://www.qolour.io/

Qolour is helping make quantum computing more accessible through interactive learning tools, guided tutorials, and structured course pathways. As quantum technologies continue to evolve, platforms like Qolour provide educators and students with approachable entry points into this advanced field, building foundational literacy in one of tomorrow’s most transformative technologies.

Editor’s Note: Jump to end of page for an embedded PDF about Qolour Activities.

3. University of Pittsburgh – Bringing Real Research into High School Classrooms
   https://www.pittwire.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/evolving-stem-pittsburgh-public-schools

Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh are partnering with Pittsburgh Public Schools through the EvolvingSTEM initiative to bring authentic biological research directly into high school classrooms. Students conduct real lab experiments, including bacterial evolution studies, gaining practical lab skills and a deeper understanding of scientific inquiry. It’s a strong model for connecting research universities with local school systems to spark early STEM engagement.

4. DNA Learning Center – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
   https://www.cshl.edu/dna-learning-center/

The DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a nationally recognized hub for genetics and biotechnology education. Through field trips, summer camps, student research programs, and teacher professional development, the center provides immersive, lab-based learning experiences that make modern biology accessible and exciting for students and educators alike.

5. MNT-EC Partners with CourseArc to Strengthen Digital Curriculum Development
   https://www.coursearc.com

MNT-EC is partnering with CourseArc to enhance how micro and nanotechnology curriculum is developed and shared across our national network. With a flexible, WCAG 2.2 AA-compliant digital authoring platform, faculty can create interactive, accessible modules that can be adopted and adapted across institutions. This collaboration supports our broader goal of making workforce-aligned, industry-informed content easier to build, scale, and distribute nationwide.

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As promised, here is the Qolour Activities PDF for viewing or download via link at end.

The Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) is pleased to announce that Billie Copley has been promoted to Center Director. Billie has served as Center Manager since the Center’s founding, working closely with Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Principal Investigator (PI) and overall leader of MNT-EC.

This promotion reflects Billie’s leadership, dedication, and growing role in guiding Center activities. Dr. Ashcroft will continue to provide strategic vision, build national partnerships, and shape the Center’s long-term direction as PI, while Billie expands her responsibilities as Center Director, ensuring strong coordination across projects, partners, and outreach efforts. Together, they will continue advancing the Center’s mission of supporting educators, students, and industry in micro and nanotechnology education.

“Working alongside Billie over the past several years has shown me just how committed she is to our mission. She has an incredible ability to connect with people, keep our projects moving forward, and ensure that everyone feels supported. Promoting her to Center Director is a natural next step, and I’m grateful we get to continue building MNT-EC together.” – Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Principal Investigator, MNT-EC

“Being part of MNT-EC since the beginning has been such a meaningful experience for me. I’m grateful for the trust and support of Jared, our team, and our partners, and I’m excited to keep building this work together. Stepping into the role of Center Director is both energizing and humbling, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next.” – Billie Copley, Center Director, MNT-EC

📖 Learn more about their leadership journeys:

• Partner Spotlight: Billie Copley
  
• Partner Spotlight: Dr. Jared Ashcroft
  

Please join us in congratulating Billie on her new role!