Students Gain Insight into Global Tech at Eindhoven Semicon Summer School
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 5, 2024) — While the first week of classes were underway at UAlbany, students Kevin Reyes, William Grice and Jadyn Lee were on assignment attending the prestigious Eindhoven Semicon Summer School in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
The three students from the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE) joined with 60 students from around the world to learn directly from leading specialists about the evolution of the semiconductor and photonics industries.
“There were students from a variety of different cultures, company employees and executives from different backgrounds and spoke different languages, yet when it came down to the academic content, the teamwork and our individual goals, I felt like we all spoke the same language,” said Reyes, who started a master’s degree in nanoscale engineering this fall after earning his bachelor’s degree in the spring. “There were students who were electrical engineering, computer science, material sciences and other fields. But it truly felt like we all came from the same place when it came down to sharing our project ideas and academic experiences between one another.”
The summer school also included team activities with professors from the Eindhoven University of Technology as well as discussions led by industry executives from two of the top semiconductor manufacturing and design companies in the world, the Dutch firms ASML and NXP.
“I was highly impressed with the raw breadth of exposure to companies within the Dutch ecosystem of the semiconductor industry,” said Grice who, like Reyes is working on his master's in nanoscale engineering after earning his bachelor’s degree in May.
“Speaking with researchers and professionals across the several companies, from circuit and system level designers to novel computing companies, provided a rare perspective of how each segment contributes to advancements in technology and innovation. It also highlighted the diverse challenges and opportunities in the field across several technical roles within a single business.”
As part of the summer school, students were also able to visit the semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Eindhoven.
“Touring the Dutch semiconductor Industries like ASML, NXP and Smart Photonics was one of my highlights during the summer school,” said Lee, who also is pursuing a master’s in nanoscale engineering. “I enjoyed talking face-to-face with a variety of engineers at each company. I was able to ask them questions and gain information about whether this field is right for me.”
Arranged through a partnership between New York State and the government of the Netherlands to advance shared goals for the future of semiconductor manufacturing, the program provides sponsorship for up to five SUNY students to attend the four-day summer school.
“The Eindhoven Semicon Summer School encapsulates two of the key opportunities that we hope to provide to students in CNSE – interaction with international partners to understand engineering in a global context and connection of their work to the real world, and often cutting-edge, activities encountered within industry,” said CNSE Dean Michele J. Grimm. “We greatly appreciate the support of the State of New York and the government of the Netherlands that allowed our students to travel to Eindhoven and participate in this unique opportunity. Not only did they expand their own knowledge of semiconductor engineering, the three CNSE students served as ambassadors of our programs in Nanoscale Engineering — demonstrating to the other students from around the world the strength of our educational and research programs.”
The Eindhoven Semicon Summer School is designed to offer students a comprehensive program in the semiconductor industry, covering everything from equipment and devices to circuits, systems, and applications, delivered by top specialists from a wide range of leading semicon companies and knowledge institutions.
This year’s session was organized by the Eindhoven University of Technology and founding partners such as ASML, ASM, NXP, SMART Photonics, TSMC, imec, AXELERA AI, and Neways Electronics International NV.