Getting high school students interested in high tech careers has grown in national importance and especially in Massachusetts. The just-released American Electronic Association's annual report, reveals that -- for the first time since 1998 -- Massachusetts is not one of the nation's top five states for overall high tech employment. The report found the state lost 18,500 high-tech jobs in 2003, the most recent year for which data are available. This represents a 7.3 percent decline in the state's tech jobs compared with a 5.6 percent drop for the nation as a whole.
“Intel is committed to helping our education system produce more young people who are comfortable with technology and have a solid grounding in science and math. High Tech U supports this goal, and we're proud to host it at our Hudson campus.”
High Tech U is designed to ensure that Massachusetts and the US do not lose their innovation lead. The program, which runs June 1-3, was created by San Jose, Calif.-based SEMI as a way of getting more students interested in science and math and in high-tech careers. The curriculum includes hands-on, fun experiments that introduce semiconductor manufacturing concepts and explain microchip logic, as well as sessions on educational pathways and career planning. Classes will be held at Teradyne, Intel, and Northeastern University.
Forty students from high schools in Boston, North Reading, Hudson and Worcester will participate in the program. They were selected by school guidance counselors and teachers. Sponsors Teradyne, Intel and Northeastern University are providing financial and instructor support.
"Electronics is an exciting business," said Mark Jagiela, president of Teradyne's worldwide Semiconductor Test business, "and semiconductor innovation drives the products we all use every day. High Tech U offers students a terrific opportunity to get a real insider's look at semiconductor technology, helping them see the potential of careers in high tech. Ultimately, the more young people we get excited about electronics, the more it helps the United States maintain its lead in electronics innovation."
"Skilled people are the lifeblood of the high-tech industry," said Rob Richardson, Intel's East Coast Education Manager. "Intel is committed to helping our education system produce more young people who are comfortable with technology and have a solid grounding in science and math. High Tech U supports this goal, and we're proud to host it at our Hudson campus."
Since the SEMI High Tech U program began in 2001, 30 "High Tech U" programs have been held nationwide in Massachusetts, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas. The Boston program is the fifth High Tech U to be held in 2005.
"We're helping to excite students and motivate them to pursue high tech careers," explained Lisa Anderson, vice president of workforce development for SEMI. "There has been a significant decline in the number of students pursuing math and science-related courses in the U.S. This is a problem that affects the greater Boston-area economy and every other high-tech community. Without interested, qualified students, our leadership in technology innovation will be lost."
About SEMI
SEMI is a global industry association serving companies that develop and provide manufacturing technology, materials and services to make semiconductors, flat panel displays (FPDs), micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and related microelectronics. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose (Calif.), Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit SEMI at www.semi.org.
About Teradyne
Teradyne (NYSE:TER) is a leading supplier of Automatic Test Equipment, and interconnection systems. The company's products deliver competitive advantage to the world's leading semiconductor, electronics, automotive and network systems companies. In 2004, Teradyne had sales of $1.8 billion, and currently employs about 5,900 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.teradyne.com. Teradyne(R) is a registered trademark of Teradyne, Inc. in the US and other countries.
About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
About Northeastern
Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. Cited for excellence three years running by U.S. News & World Report, Northeastern has quickly moved up into the top half of the "Best National Universities" rankings--an impressive 30 spots in three years. In addition, Northeastern was named a top college in the northeast by the Princeton Review 2003/04. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.
BEST VISUAL OPPORTUNITIES --
Day One: Wednesday, June 1 -- All activities are at Teradyne, 600 River Park Dr., North Reading
10:15-11:30 a.m. -- VIP welcome breakfast. Meet High Tech U staff; representatives from Teradyne and Intel; participating students, and community leaders.
Day Two: Thursday, June 2 -- All activities are at Intel, 75 Reed Road, Hudson
10:35-11:40 a.m. -- Hacky Sack Catapult: The air is filled with hacky sacks as kids learn how medieval technology relates to modern day chip making in a math and statistics exercise called "Statapult".
11:40 a.m.-12:25 p.m. -- Electronic Peg Board: Students develop working circuits similar to those on a chip.
2:25-3:25 p.m. -- Human Calculator: Using a "feet on" exercise, like the game "Twister", students try not to get tangled up as they simulate electron microprocessor flow.
Day Three: Friday, June 3 -- Northeastern University, Stearns Center, 4th Floor, 420 Huntington Ave, Boston
12:45 a.m.-2:25 p.m. -- Job interview skills: Students learn job interview techniques; conduct mock interviews with industry professionals.
2:25-3:25 p.m. -- Nanotechnology - Students learn "How small is small?" by participating in a live interactive measurement session with Penn State University engineering instructors via the Internet.
The SEMI "High Tech U" Program promotes partnership between industry and education
-- At a time when schools are facing increased fiscal constraints and are being forced to reduce core science and math programs, it is vital for industry to step up and support education where it can.
-- The SEMI "High Tech U" program provides an opportunity for the companies that built the semiconductor industry to contribute to the future success and growth of the industry. We're benefiting our youth through the support of education and benefiting our industry by fostering the development of our future workforce.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Delicious
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Digg
MySpace
Newsvine
Google Bookmark
Yahoo! Bookmark
Email
Email 
