Salt River Project, Honeywell and ASU SkySong Host High-Tech U Program for Scottsdale's Arcadia and Coronado High School Students
SEMI High Tech U Introduces Students to Technology Industry

SCOTTSDALE - September 25, 2009 - Students from Scottsdale's Arcadia and Coronado High Schools who participated in this month's SEMI High Tech U program may now be feeling renewed optimism about the future - no matter what the headlines read about the current slow economy.

Professionals in the high-tech and aerospace industries have opted to take a long-term view of the future. People and companies in both industries have partnered with the non-profit SEMI Foundation to ensure ample supplies of young people are prepared to enter the high-tech workforce when the economy eventually turns around. For the past eight years, the San Jose, Calif.-based SEMI Foundation has teamed with the semiconductor, solar and aerospace industries along with local educators to introduce high school students to math and science-based curricula. The goal - prepare them for high-tech careers.

SEMI High Tech U recruits a diverse student population focusing on minorities, female students and promising students that haven't necessarily earned A's and B's. The Arcadia and Coronado students participating in the Sept. 22-24 program explored career opportunities in microelectronics, solar and aerospace. They also conducted hands-on experiments, toured Honeywell's state-of-the-art facility and learned from industry experts and young entrepreneurs.

Arcadia junior Hannah Brubaker said listening to the entrepreneurs share their experiences was her favorite part.

"I learned a lot from all of them, "Brubaker said. "One of the things they all had in common was they all had degrees in science. I didn't know a lot about the technical science fields that are out there and feel I learned so much about them this week" Brubaker said.

The program, administered in partnership with the Maricopa Community Colleges, sponsored by Salt River Project (SRP) and hosted by ASU SkySong and Honeywell, focused on potential careers in the aerospace and energy industries. High Tech U included training on educational opportunities and career planning, and allowed students to talk with industry experts about the state of the industry in the current economy as well as fellow students and educators on their views regarding the future.

High Tech U was created by the SEMI Foundation as a way of getting more students interested in science, math and high-tech careers. Since High Tech U began in 2001, 92 programs have been delivered to 2,443 students and more than 571 teachers in the U.S., France, Austria, Japan and Singapore. An additional 41,000 students have been reached through the 571 teachers who have participated in High Tech U Teacher Edition programs.

Alison Waterkotte, one of the facilitators working at SRP's Community Outreach, said the students were engaged on a different level than they would have been in the classroom.

"This gives them the opportunity to extend their learning from the foundations of math and science to the application of it in the real world," Waterkotte explained.