COTC to partner with Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority and Neurxstem to offer students unique cleanroom lab experience

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Advanced manufacturing environments to produce products such as semiconductor integrated circuits (‘chips’), ultrathin wafer films, microsensors, etc., require extremely clean environments to avoid contamination.

As part of its semiconductor manufacturing technology certificate and associate degree programs, Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) offers courses in semiconductor manufacturing. Students will be introduced to how semiconductor wafers are manufactured and processed to become integrated circuits used in a variety of industries. Essential to this learning is hands-on experience working in a cleanroom environment using personal protective equipment (PPE).

COTC is pleased to announce a partnership with Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority and Neurxstem to make use of their state-of-the-art cleanroom spaces so the students in these programs can experience real-world cleanroom laboratories. They will learn safety protocols, practice cleanroom standard operating procedures (SOPs), and conduct lab activity in bunny suits and other PPE.

“We are proud to be able to offer our students such a unique real-world experience as part of our curriculum so they are better prepared as they enter these high-tech manufacturing jobs,” said COTC President John Berry, PhD.

“As home to Ohio’s largest concentration of cleanroom space, it makes sense that we host this experience for COTC’s students,” said Rick Platt, president and CEO of Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority. “The cleanroom laboratories on our campus have an over 60-year track record for the students to lean into while gaining coveted real-world experience.”

More information on COTC’s semiconductor programs can be found at go.cotc.edu/semiconductor.

Students are currently being enrolled in the one-year semiconductor manufacturing technology certificate and two-year semiconductor manufacturing engineering technology associate degree programs for the spring semester starting Jan. 8, 2024. Interested parties may contact the COTC Gateway Enrollment Center by calling: 740.366.9222 or email: cotcadmissions@mail.cotc.edu.

COTC is a fully accredited, public college dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible programs of technical education in response to current and emerging employment needs. COTC has four campus locations: Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala.