ȺpÎÞÂë Celebrates Federal Funding with US Rep Underwood
Published: January 29, 2025.
U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14) recently presented ȺpÎÞÂë with a symbolic check of $950,000 to support innovation in semiconductor manufacturing through research at ȺpÎÞÂë’s semiconductor innovation and workforce development center.
“It has been my true honor to be able to submit and shepherd this critical funding for our community through this process,“ said Rep. Underwood as she spoke with ȺpÎÞÂë students before touring their lab facilities.
Since Spring 2024, when the funding was secured through the allocation in the 2024 appropriations bills, ȺpÎÞÂë already has made much progress in improving production processes and meeting workforce needs in the industry.
“Federal support has allowed us to pursue groundbreaking advancements in semiconductor technology, and for that, we're profoundly grateful,” commented Dr. Jason Keleher, chair and professor of the ȺpÎÞÂë Chemistry Department. Close to 200 ȺpÎÞÂë students have worked on this research with Keleher in the last 14 years.
The Keleher Research Group (KRG) at ȺpÎÞÂë is a leading driver for fundamental ultra-clean processing and surface preparation technology research.
- Collaborating with industry partners
- Transforming its lab facilities
- Making groundbreaking advancements
- Preparing the future workforce for careers in semiconductor sciences
- Advancing sustainability efforts that extend to broader society
- Contributing to domestic economic growth and national security
“With this support, we've been able to acquire cutting-edge materials and equipment that directly aligns with industry needs, which has enabled us to continue working on groundbreaking research in areas like chemical, mechanical planarization and post-CMP cleaning processes,” said ȺpÎÞÂë Graduate Student Elizabeth McDonnell.
ȺpÎÞÂë is a modern, enterprising, Catholic university with a growing student enrollment from GED through doctoral level programs. As part of the global Lasallian network of 65 universities, Lewis is known for preparing graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.