“Accelerating Engineering Education and Workforce Development in Automation & Control for the Semiconductor Industry Based on Cognitive Neuroscience”

Abstract

The rapid development of the semiconductor industry represents a global challenge to meet the needs of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the 21st century. Advancements in semiconductors optimize computer technology with innovations, among others, in nanotechnology, quantum technology, cognitive computing, Cyber-Physical Human Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics. The rapid development of semiconductors demands an imperative acceleration of training and the development of a highly skilled workforce. There is a gap between the knowledge and skills of students in the current education system and the fast development of new knowledge. To accelerate comprehensive training in the semiconductor workforce we must start at an early stage, this paper proposes that STEM education must be pedagogically grounded in the advances of cognitive neuroscience and learning. By understanding how the brain functions and how it learns, the process can be enhanced, the education of an Integral Engineer needs to be addressed by forming professionals equipped with adaptability, complex problem-solving, assertive communication, emotional intelligence, interdisciplinary teamwork skills, systems, analytical and critical thinking.This paper proposes curricular transformation processes, ethical formation, pedagogical foundations of interdisciplinary research laboratories, enhanced by an international network of remote laboratories, and a TRUE system of cultural transformation.