In October, members and stakeholders of the UPWARDS for the Future program gathered in Boise for a commemorative conference, marking a significant milestone for the global initiative. This month, the program’s focus shifted across the globe as Boise State University representatives traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, for the third UPWARDS US-Japan meeting.
In mid-November, Dan Lamborn, Executive Director of the MER Institute at Boise State, along with College of Engineering professors Dr. Kurtis Cantley and Dr. Lan Li, attended the event in Hiroshima. The conference served as a key opportunity for participants to discuss program goals, review progress, and reinforce the core pillars of UPWARDS: student and faculty exchanges, curriculum design and implementation, advancing women in semiconductors, and experiential learning. Alongside Boise State, attendees included representatives from major industry players such as Micron, Hiroshima University, Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL), as well as officials from the U.S. Consulate General and the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Launched in May 2023 and initiated by Micron and TEL, UPWARDS for the Future is a collaboration that seeks to strengthen global partnerships in the semiconductor industry. The program places a strong emphasis on increasing opportunities for women in the field and expanding access to academic and career pathways for students in both the U.S. and Japan. As the UPWARDS website notes, “partnerships between universities and companies are critical to developing semiconductor talent, cross collaboration, and expanding cutting-edge research.”
The conference in Hiroshima marked a significant step in this ongoing collaboration, offering new avenues for Japanese and American students to study at partner universities and access internships and full-time employment opportunities with Micron and TEL. These initiatives reflect the broader goal of the UPWARDS program to develop a global talent pipeline, specifically focused on women, for the semiconductor industry, and to create innovative academic curricula that align with industry needs.
Following the Hiroshima conference, Lamborn traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, where he visited the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) and Vietnam National University. There, he met with university leaders and industry experts to discuss workforce development, university-based semiconductor programs, and Boise State’s initiatives in these areas. The discussions also focused on global industry needs, comparing semiconductor research efforts at universities around the world, and exploring opportunities for international collaboration in education and workforce development.
Both the Hiroshima conference and the meetings in Vietnam demonstrate the continual efforts of Boise State to engage in international discussions and initiatives. The work that the Institute for Microelectronics Educational and Research is doing not only across the state, but worldwide, will continue to put the university on the map as one of the top educational institutions in the world of semiconductors and microelectronics.