Mexican faculty complete ‘Phase 2’ CHIPS training

ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering held a four-day semiconductor faculty development program starting Dec. 4 in Tempe for faculty members from 14 different Mexican higher education institutions. Part of ASU’s effort to bolster North America’s semiconductor production to support the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 by the Biden-Harris Administration, the  “Phase 2” program expands on the topics covered during the train-the-trainer course held in Hermosillo, Sonora, in the summer, said Jose A. Quiroga, global development director for Global Outreach and Extended Education at FSE. 

“During this Phase 2 program, participants engaged in a series of presentations and collaborative discussions with renowned ASU faculty and industry experts, gaining comprehensive understanding of key workforce development needs in the semiconductor industry,” Quiroga said. “The program included seminar-style lectures, tours of ASU laboratory and research facilities, a site visit at the Intel Corporation and a panel discussion with industry representatives.”  

Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma Barragán gave remarks during an opening ceremony organized and emceed by ASU’s Executive Director for Mexico Relations Paola Hidalgo . Remarks were also given by Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo; ASU Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff James O’Brien; Dr. Francisco Acuña, president, Sonora Council for Sustainable Development; and Dr. Rita Plancarte, Universidad de Sonora president and ASU alumna.  

"This is the fourth deliverable of the memorandum of understanding signed last year by ASU, the Embassy of Mexico and the Government of Sonora,” O’Brien said. “The previous deliverables were the first ever North America Semiconductor Conference ASU co-hosted with the Semiconductor Industry Association, the first Semiconductor Train-the-Trainer course, and the English for the Semiconductor Industry course."