Outreach
Education, workforce development, and community engagement activities led by ANNLab, listed from newest to oldest.
2026
October 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu is helping prepare the next generation of semiconductor engineers through the Intel Scholarship & Fellowship Program. As lead of the University of Arizona’s part of the program, a collaboration with Northern Arizona University administered by the Semiconductor Research Corporation, he supports six master’s scholars in semiconductor-related fields with two-year scholarships and mentoring.
September 2026
Prof. Weigang Wang and Prof. Zafer Mutlu are bringing semiconductor fabrication into Arizona high school classrooms. Through Intel’s Semiconductor Education Pathways Program (SEPP), they will host 20 high school teachers at FASTLab in two one-week cohorts. The teachers will gain hands-on fabrication experience and return to their classrooms with fabricated samples and teaching materials, reaching an estimated 500 students.
September 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu is working with Rio Salado College on Semiconductor Pathways in Arizona’s Technical Education (SP-ATE), an NSF Advanced Technological Education project. In partnership with Arizona’s three public universities and the Chandler Unified School District, the project builds pathways from high school through community college to university and semiconductor careers.
August 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu gave an invited lecture on nanoelectronics and the future of semiconductors at the 2026 Arizona Quantum Bootcamp, hosted by the University of Arizona. Sponsored by Intel and jointly organized by Arizona’s three public universities, the week-long program introduces undergraduate students to quantum science and technology.
July 2026
Jack Hall (Colorado School of Mines) and Howard Yawit (ANNLab) installed an augmented reality spin-coating training module in FASTLab, developed with Prof. Mehmet Belviranli’s team at Mines. Over the summer, NSF NewFoS REM undergraduates used the module for hands-on training in the spin-coating process.
June 2026
Our lab welcomed undergraduates John Keleman and Luke Thoresen for a two-month summer internship through the NSF NewFoS Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) Program. Mentored by Ph.D. student Howard Yawit, they designed, fabricated, and characterized surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for advanced RF applications and received full cleanroom training.
May 2026
As a Co-PI on the University of Arizona’s NNME Southwest project, Prof. Zafer Mutlu is helping build training pathways into microelectronics careers. NNME Southwest, selected by the SEMI Foundation as one of the first four Regional Nodes of the National Network for Microelectronics Education, unites 46 members across five states.
March 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu gave a talk on RF devices at the NewFoS Center’s virtual Community College Workshop Series, part of the center’s educational initiatives. The workshop reached more than 40 community college students from multiple states, introducing them to research and career pathways in emerging technologies.
February 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu was featured in a University of Arizona news story on the newly renovated NanoFabrication Core Facility, an ISO 5 cleanroom with about 6,800 square feet of clean space. The story highlighted his Semiconductor Processing Laboratory course, where students help set up and qualify the facility’s new equipment.
January 2026
Prof. Zafer Mutlu taught the Spring 2026 Semiconductor Processing Laboratory course in the newly renovated NanoFabrication Core Facility. Students gained hands-on experience ranging from setting up and qualifying new equipment to fabricating and characterizing electronic devices, skills directly aligned with today’s semiconductor workforce.
2025
December 2025
ANNLab SEMILITHO capstone team won the Craig M. Berge Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Project, the top prize at Winter Design Day on December 5, 2025. Based on Prof. Zafer Mutlu’s idea and technical direction, the team built a compact lithography tool for semiconductor education and outreach. Watch the video.
October 2025
FASTLab was featured in BizTucson’s Fall 2025 issue on the University of Arizona’s role in the region’s technology economy. Co-led by Prof. Zafer Mutlu and Prof. Weigang Wang in the Department of Physics, FASTLab provides hands-on training in fabricating logic, memory, quantum, and communication devices.
October 2025
Prof. Zafer Mutlu contributed to the Workforce Development chapter of the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap 2.0, released on October 14, 2025. The chapter sets out a framework for strengthening the semiconductor talent pipeline, and the roadmap drew on more than 370 experts across 132 organizations.
October 2025
Prof. Zafer Mutlu presented ARCA (Augmented Reality Cleanroom Assistant) at SEMICON West 2025, held October 7–9 at the Phoenix Convention Center, the event’s first year in Arizona. Supported by the SWAP Hub, ARCA makes cleanroom training more immersive and widely accessible for the semiconductor workforce.
August 2025
Our lab hosted three undergraduate interns, one from Wayne State University and two from the University of Arizona, through the NSF NewFoS REM Program. Mentored by Ph.D. student Howard Yawit with support from Dr. Kentaro Yumigeta, they designed, fabricated, and characterized surface acoustic wave devices and received full cleanroom training.
April 2025
ANNLab SEMILITHO capstone team placed third at the 22nd UA/ASU Materials Bowl, the annual capstone project competition between the two universities. Congratulations to presenters Maryah Almajnouni (Materials Science and Engineering) and Nataly Islas (Systems and Industrial Engineering) for their work on a semiconductor lithography tool prototype.
April 2025
Prof. Zafer Mutlu presented on U.S. microchip-focused telecommunications at the NewFoS Center’s online Community College Workshop Series. More than 40 students from across the U.S. learned about research and career pathways in topological acoustics, telecommunications, semiconductors, and microelectronics.
March 2025
Prof. Zafer Mutlu served as a speaker and panelist at Shape the Future with SWAP Hub Workforce Development Day, held March 25 on ASU’s Tempe campus. The event brought together partners of the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub to advance semiconductor and microelectronics workforce development.
2024
December 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu redesigned the Semiconductor Processing Laboratory as a hybrid course with an integrated Semiconductor-sector Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (S-CURE), supported by an S-CURE grant. Launched in Spring 2025, the course lets students carry out authentic semiconductor research as part of their coursework.
October 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu attended the Microelectronics Commons Annual Meeting and National Semiconductor Technology Center Symposium, held October 28–30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. He presented the University of Arizona’s semiconductor workforce development activities and an interactive training platform for semiconductor manufacturing developed through the SWAP Hub.
August 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu presented on undergraduate research and education at the S-CURE Development Workshop for Faculty, which helps faculty design semiconductor-sector course-based research experiences. Thanks to Prof. Kevin Bonine, Executive Director of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development in the Office of the Provost, for the invitation.
August 2024
Our undergraduate researcher Alexandra Winkelman, a chemical engineering student, completed a summer internship at TSMC and was featured in the TSMC 2024 Summer Intern Experiences video. Her passion for semiconductors makes her an excellent role model for future engineers and scientists.
July 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu contributed to “Semiconductor U.S.A.,” a short film sponsored by the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and directed by School of Theatre, Film and Television instructors. The film follows 8th graders from Booth-Fickett Math-Science Magnet School as they learn what semiconductors are and how they shape everyday life. Watch the video.
July 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu launched the ANNLab Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) team, which brings undergraduate and graduate students together in long-term, hands-on semiconductor research, with opportunities for leadership development and peer mentoring. The team started with support from a VIP Catalyst Seed Fund Award.
June 2024
Lab members Richard Holloway, Howard Yawit, and Muhammed Yusufoglu led hands-on activities at the inaugural Chips and Wafers summer camp in Chandler, Arizona, held June 10–14, 2024. The camp, a collaboration between the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Chandler Unified School District, introduced 40 high school students to semiconductor careers.
May 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu led a mini workshop on semiconductors for middle-school students and teachers from Booth-Fickett Math-Science Magnet School at the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing. The students explored how semiconductors work and why they matter in the technology they use every day.
May 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu and students from the Semiconductor Processing Laboratory (MSE 447L/547L) created educational videos on semiconductor manufacturing in the NanoFabrication Core Facility, as part of the DREAMS Lab project supported by the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing. The videos helped launch the hybrid course in Spring 2025 and support community college instructors.
April 2024
Lab members contributed to an MRS TV film showcasing research, education, and workforce development in microelectronics at the University of Arizona’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing. The film premiered at the 2024 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting. Watch the film.
April 2024
Recordings of the FUSENANO 2024 Workshop, “Molecules to Systems: The Future of Semiconductors with 1D & 2D Nanomaterials,” are now on YouTube. The playlist includes keynote talks by Todd Younkin (SRC) and Raj Jammy (IMEC USA), an invited talk by Ali Javey (UC Berkeley), and four panel discussions. See also our Videos page.
March 2024
Christina Dinh was featured in a KGUN-TV report on how University of Arizona engineering students are preparing for semiconductor careers. Describing hands-on cleanroom training, she said, “Once you’re in the cleanroom, you could be like oh, this is what this machine does.”
February 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu organized the FUSENANO 2024 Workshop, held February 19–20 at the University of Arizona and sponsored by the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing. About 150 leaders from academia, industry, and government discussed the future of semiconductors, and students presented their research at a poster session.
January 2024
Prof. Zafer Mutlu reintroduced and modernized the Semiconductor Processing Laboratory (MSE 447L/547L) in Spring 2024, offering it for the first time in nearly 10 years. Twenty-one students received hands-on training in semiconductor processing at the NanoFabrication Core Facility, preparing them for careers in research and the microelectronics industry.
2023
February 2023
Prof. Zafer Mutlu launched the Research Initiative for Semiconductors at the University of Arizona (RISE Arizona) to attract, train, and prepare students and researchers for careers in semiconductor research and industry. The initiative was supported by a University of Arizona Foundation grant through the Small Grants Committee’s University Strategic Priority Awards.
January 2023
Prof. Zafer Mutlu was an invited panelist on the Academic Panel on Microelectronics Training Needs at the 2023 Microelectronics Education and Workforce Development (MEWD) Workshop, held January 24–25 at ASU. The invitation-only workshop brought together experts from academia, industry, and government to address microelectronics education and workforce needs.
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