2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

NSF INCLUDES: Collaborative Research: Advancing Semiconductor Education through Expansion and Diversification (ASEED)

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

The Chips & Science Act, primarily aimed at strengthening semiconductor production, also presents significant opportunities for workforce development. However, chip design is a highly complex process that requires not only advanced hardware and software facilities but also expertise spanning multiple STEM disciplines. Consequently, small institutions often face common challenges, including limited access to proper training, difficulties in maintaining costly facilities, and constraints in evaluating their community impact. If these challenges are not addressed, smaller institutions risk being left behind in future opportunities associated with the Chips & Science Act.

Importantly, these challenges cannot be effectively addressed by individual units or isolated local efforts; instead, they require coordinated, nationwide collaboration among institutions with similar needs. To collectively respond, three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) jointly launched the project entitled “Advancing Semiconductor Education through Expansion and Diversification (ASEED),” which aims to develop scalable solutions and raise national awareness of these barriers. The project is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES program through the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM with award number 2436203. This paper presents preliminary findings from the ongoing ASEED project.

Authors

Dr. Suxia Cui http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1152-3272 Prairie View A&M University [biography]

Dr. Suxia Cui is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China. She received her Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS.
Her research focuses on machine learning, computer vision, cybersecurity, and computing education. She applied AI algorithms for image super-resolution. The project covers a wide range of applications, and the datasets include historical films, remote sensing data, bio-medical data, and underwater image. Her recent sabbatical experience and summer research at Airforce Research Lab extended her research on how to apply AI into cybersecurity. Specifically, her research is focused on how to apply reinforcement learning and other algorithms to mitigate co-resident risks in data cloud. Dr. Cui’s work is supported by various prestigious agencies, including the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of Education. Additionally, Dr. Cui serves as an ACCESS campus champion, actively advocating for high-performance computing research and education at PVAMU. She also leads semiconductor workforce development initiatives at PVAMU through external grants, promoting computer hardware and VLSI research and education. Dr. Cui is a senior member of IEEE and a member of HKN, ACM, and SPIE.
Prof. Mohammadreza Hadizadeh http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8419-3206 Central State University [biography]

Dr. Mohammadreza Hadizadeh is a Professor of Physics at Central State University (CSU). His work spans theoretical and computational physics, with research interests in quantum few-body systems and two-dimensional semiconductor materials, using advanced numerical methods and high-performance computing. At CSU, he leads the Semiconductor Education & Research Program (SERP) and directs Intel- and NSF-supported initiatives that strengthen semiconductor education and workforce preparation through hands-on laboratory training, micro-credentials, and industry-aligned curricula and programs.
Zhigang Xiao Alabama A&M University
LUJUN ZHAI http://orcid.org/0009-0003-6187-027X Prairie View A&M University
Dr. Xiang Zhao Alabama A&M University [biography]

Dr. Xiang (Susie) Zhao, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Alabama A&M University, has over 20 years of teaching experience in traditional on-campus settings or online format at several universities in US an
Dr. Shujun Yang [biography]

Shujun Yang received PhD in electrical engineering from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, in 2006. From 2006 to 2008, he was an engineer at Applied Materials Inc., Sunnyvale, California. From 2008 to 2009, he was an engineer at Continental AG (former Siemens VDO), Huntsville, Alabama. Since 2009, he has been teaching at Department of Electrical Engineering, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama. He is a member of IEEE, and a member of Microwave Theory and Techniques Society.
Mubbashar Altaf Khan Central State University

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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