June 5, 2023 — The CSU-Led Intel Summer Internship program for Women and Underrepresented Minorities is officially underway at Wright State University Campus. This 8-week intensive internship, running from June 5 to July 28, aims to prepare the interns to equip them with skills and understanding of electronic hardware design, fabrication, and security.

The program, sponsored by Intel, is designed to train students for future jobs in Intel's upcoming Ohio chip factory, projected to be operational in 2025. The curriculum includes five courses that involve daily lectures and extensive hands-on lab practice. After a rigorous application process, 20 promising students were selected from CSU, Wright State University, Stark State College, Sinclair Community College, and local high schools from a very competitive pool of applicants.

Dr. Hadizadeh, the CSU-Intel project director, expressed tremendous excitement for the internship launch and the exceptional opportunity it offers the selected interns. "We are incredibly excited to kick off this internship program," said Dr. Hadizadeh. "It's an opportunity to contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the semiconductor field, which we're highly proud of. This is our initial yet another significant step towards training our practical skills in the semiconductor industry." Dr. Hadizadeh also expressed gratitude to Intel for their generous support and sponsorship of the Intel Semiconductor Education Program at CSU and to the Wright State University team for hosting and providing the ideal setting for this transformative educational experience, and CSU-Intel team for their diligent efforts in coordinating this summer internship.

Dr. Morakinyo Kuti, Associate Provost for Research at CSU, mentioned, "This effort represents how a public-private partnership can address societal concerns. The partnership between public institutions of higher education and Intel addresses the national security and economic security concerns for the USA to produce semiconductors domestically through an inclusive and diversified workforce."

Dr. Ajayi-Majebi, Professor of MFE, noted the considerable interest received from female and underrepresented student communities across various Ohio institutes. "This encouraging response is a strong indicator of the potential for future expansion in Semiconductor Education and Research at CSU for skilled-workforce development in the great State of Ohio. I believe that the interning students are on track to secure high upward mobility careers in the cutting-edge semiconductor technology field, with great salaries, benefits and working conditions," stated Dr. Ajayi-Majebi.

Dr. Abdallah, who chairs the MFE department, elaborated on the state of semiconductor education at Central State University, stated: "Under the active leadership of Dr. Hadizadeh within our semiconductor program, we're making considerable progress in establishing a semiconductor simulation lab and a microfabrication lab right here at CSU." Looking toward the future, Dr. Abdallah shared his optimistic projection about the internship program. "By next summer, with Intel's sustained support, we anticipate being well-equipped to host the internship program right here on our campus. This development would also potentially enable us to expand the number of interns in the program."

Dr. Mubbashar Khan, a Research Assistant Professor at CSU, stated that "The internship program is the demonstration of the commitment of CSU and Intel towards achieving diversity in skilled workforce development in the semiconductor domain. The internship program and continued support from Intel will help in developing student interest in STEM fields, especially in the semiconductor domain."

As we embark on the Intel-Sponsored Summer Internship, we look forward to the innovative and impactful contributions some of these interns who choose to pursue a career with Intel will bring to the semiconductor industry.