2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Integrating and Aligning Semiconductor Across K-12 STEM Education

Semiconductors, both as a material and an industry, are pivotal to modern electronics, enabling the creation of microchips or integrated circuits that power today’s technology. Following the passage of the CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act of 2022, investments in United States semiconductor production have surged, highlighting the need for workforce development to support this expanding industry. In response, efforts have emerged to introduce semiconductor content into K-12 education, aiming to inspire and prepare students for engineering and technology careers in this critical field. This work-in-progress paper explores how one K-12 initiative seeks to vertically align semiconductor education across entire school districts, ensuring that learning progressively builds in complexity from kindergarten through high school. Vertical alignment (VA) is crucial for advancing students' understanding and preparing them for potential career pathways in semiconductors. This paper presents preliminary results from an analysis of VA plans developed by seven school districts within a prominent semiconductor industry network. Through document analysis, we identify and critique how these schools plan to integrate semiconductor content across grade levels and subjects. The preliminary findings aim to provide valuable lessons for other workforce-driven STEM initiatives and offer potential models for integrating semiconductor education in K-12 classrooms. The research question guiding this investigation is: How does the VA of semiconductor contexts/content emerge in K-12 classrooms within and across school districts, grades, and disciplines?

Authors

Yubin Lee Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Yubin Lee is a PhD student in STEM Education Leadership at Purdue University. Lee has served as a middle school technology teacher in South Korea and has a Master's Degree in Technology Education from Kongju National University.
Dr. Greg J Strimel http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4847-4526 Purdue University at West Lafayette (PPI) [biography]

Greg J. Strimel, Ph.D., is the assistant department head and a associate professor of Technology Leadership & Innovation as well as the program lead for the Design and Innovation Minor at Purdue University. Dr. Strimel conducts research on design pedagogy, cognition, and assessment as well as the pre-service engineering teacher education.
Tori Constantine Purdue University at West Lafayette [biography]

Tori Constantine is a graduate research assistant pursing her Master's degree in Technology Leadership & Innovation at Purdue University. She currently works with the SCALE K12 research group in exploring microelectronics curriculum.
Deana M. Lucas Purdue University at West Lafayette [biography]

Deana M. Lucas is a PhD student in the Technology Leadership and Innovation Department at Purdue University. Deana's background in Technology and Engineering Education drives her passion for working in spaces where disciplinary content converges. Her research spans both K-12 and higher education environments.
Emily M. Haluschak Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Emily M. Haluschak is a PhD student in the school of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Emily is interested in leveraging integrated curriculum development in K-12 settings to positively impact underserved populations in the field of engineering. She utilizes past experiences in STEM program evaluation, education policy, and chemical engineering research.
Prof. Tamara J Moore http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7956-4479 Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) [biography]

Tamara J. Moore, Ph.D., is a Professor of Engineering Education and University Faculty Scholar at Purdue University, as well as the Executive Co-Director of the INSPIRE Research Institute for Precollege Engineering. Dr. Moore's research is focused on the integration of STEM concepts in K-12 and postsecondary classrooms in order to help students make connections among the STEM disciplines and achieve deep understanding. Her work investigates engineering design-based STEM integration, computational thinking, and integration of high-level content in K-14 spaces. She is creating and testing innovative, interdisciplinary curricular approaches that engage students in developing models of real-world problems and their solutions.
Dr. Morgan M Hynes Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) [biography]

Dr. Morgan Hynes is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University and Director of the FACE Lab research group at Purdue. In his research, Hynes explores the use of engineering to integrate academic subjects in K-12 cla
Siddika Selcen Guzey Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) [biography]

Dr. Guzey is a professor of science education at Purdue University. Her research and teaching focus on integrated STEM Education.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025