NSF: Investing $45M in future of semiconductors
UC research project is among 24 that will benefit from federal investment
The National Science Foundation announced $45 million in funding to support 24 semiconductor research and education projects, including one at the University of Cincinnati.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Assistant Professor Sarah Watzman is studying “spin gapless semiconductors” in collaboration with four other academic institutions.
UC Assistant Professor Sarah Watzman. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
The grants are designed to spur semiconductor development and manufacturing in the United States as part of the 2022 Chips and Science Act.
“Our investment will help train the next generation of talent necessary to fill key openings in the semiconductor industry and grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said.
“By supporting novel, transdisciplinary research, we will enable breakthroughs in semiconductors and microelectronics and address the national need for a reliable, secure supply of innovative semiconductor technologies, systems and professionals.”
At UC, Watzman is studying the next generation of materials used in nanoelectronic devices called spin gapless semiconductors.
“These materials focus on spintronic applications, which combine electronics with spin, which is an intrinsic property of electrons,” Watzman said.
“Focusing on the spin of an electron, rather than on the whole electron, makes it possible to make smaller devices that operate at higher speeds and consume less energy,” Watzman said.
Watzman is collaborating on the research project with two professors in UC's College of Arts and Sciences.
Evgeny Mikheev, an assistant professor of physics, will work on the device development portion of the project while Assistant Professor Melissa Jacquart in philosophy will oversee technology communications. Jacquart is the associate director of the UC Center for Public Engagement with Science, which supports researchers in achieving broader impacts of their work on students and society.
“This project will also promote development of the semiconductor workforce through technical communication coursework and credentialing,” Watzman said.
UC is among 47 institutions that will use the NSF grants to support their two-dozen projects.
Featured image at top: UC College of Engineering and Applied Science students wear protective clothing while working with semiconductors in the Mantei Center's 8,000-square-foot clean room. Photo/Corrie Mayer/CEAS Marketing
Innovation Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Senior peer career coaches graduate with resumes ready
April 17, 2021
Profiles three senior peer career coaches in the University of Cincinnati's Bearcat Promise Career Studio
UC students recognized for achievement in undergraduate research
April 12, 2021
Undergraduate student researchers in sciences and humanities recognized in 2021
UC students recognized for achievement in undergraduate research
April 29, 2020
Each spring, the University of Cincinnati’s Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education (ELCE) honors students in experience-based learning programs.
Listen: Cincy Playhouse shares CCM audio plays
May 28, 2021
Each audio play is its own story, and you can listen to these pieces for free in any order you choose. They represent a year-long collaboration that reached into many corners of Cincinnati. Students from all over UC (CCM Acting, Sound Design, Stage Management, Commercial Music Production, Digital Media, and the College of Arts & Sciences’ Fiction PhD program) and local professional writers (YA author Liz Coley and musician, comedian and raconteur Paul Strickland) came together to make something truly special. Paul Strickland's play will be available soon. The Playhouse is assisting CCM by hosting and helping to promote these free audio plays.
UC LGBTQ Center founder takes on new diversity role
June 1, 2021
When Leisan Smith, ’99, ME ’03, began work this year as the inaugural chief equity officer at the prestigious Columbus School for Girls, the school’s staff and faculty were thrilled. The job description, they said, “was written for you.”
UC Foundation Board of Trustees elects six new members
May 11, 2021
The University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees has elected six new trustees to its 52-member board: Paul D. Green, BBA ’90; Lourdes J. Harshe, BBA ’92; Anndréa M. Moore, BBA’10; Arun C. Murthy, BBA ’95; Kirk L. Perry, BBA ’90, HON ‘15; and Christopher J. Van Pelt, BA ’91, MA ’93.
UC Blue Ash student presents research at a major international conference
July 13, 2021
When Aqsa Raja began an undergraduate research project last spring as part of her Honors Program experience at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, she never imagined it would lead to a presentation just a year later at a major international conference for microbiologists.
UC Notable Alumnus: William Strunk, Jr., A&S 1890
August 6, 2021
William Strunk, Jr. graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1890 with a bachelor of arts.
New sites available now on Bearcats Landing
August 12, 2021
A new set of sites is now available on Bearcats Landing, UC’s faculty/staff intranet. The following areas launched their sites on Thurs., Aug. 12th as a part of a semester-long build process geared toward making their initial site a valuable university resource for workplace communications and resources.
Finding class: A fall guide for Arts and Sciences students
August 10, 2021
Unlike in most colleges, students in the College of Arts and Sciences are not confined to a single building. The array of courses offered to students separate themselves between the current 12 buildings.