Georgia Institute of Technology’s IEN Opens Its Doors for Chip Camp

Sixty-six students visited Georgia Tech on Friday, July 21, for the final day of Chip Camp, a three-day STEM camp for rising sixth through eighth graders. The camp is sponsored by the Micron Foundation and is designed to “pique students’ curiosity and challenge their minds through hands-on STEM and semiconductor activities.”

The day began at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN), where students learned about ferrofluids, thin films, magic sand, measuring their height in nanometers, and the size and scale of the universe. They also visited the Materials Characterization Facility for an introduction to characterization and demonstrations of some of its tools, including the digital optical microscope and atomic force microscope. The IEN portion of the day concluded with a window tour of the IEN cleanroom and an opportunity to gown up in “bunny suits,” the standard uniform worn by cleanroom users.

“We’re committed to developing the pipeline of the future microelectronics workforce,” said Mikkel Thomas, assistant director of workforce development at IEN. “This includes K-12 students who may not know what microelectronics are, or the career paths associated with them. We were glad to host part of Chip Camp and introduce these students to IEN.”

Following a lunch break, campers visited the Invention Studio makerspace, where they built their own rockets — and then launched them in Tech Green.

Micron Chip Camp is a global initiative offering opportunities to students in the U.S. and Asia both in person and online. Micron teamed up with STE(A)M Truck, Atlanta’s leader in hands-on STEAM education, for the Georgia session.

In addition to hosting students for camps, IEN provides a variety of outreach programs for K-12 and adult learners, which include short courses and seminars, research experiences for undergraduates, and research experiences for teachers.