Invited Letter: National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME)

From Chip Blindness to Career Awareness in Microelectronics Growing up, I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who nurtured my curiosity. My parents encouraged me to ask questions, and teachers continually opened doors I didn’t know existed. My Uncle Jimmy (James Freeman), an electrical engineer, introduced me to the fascinating world of technology long before I understood how deeply engineering shapes our everyday lives. Years later, as a doctoral student, I was introduced to the concept of Plant Blindness by botanist Dr. James Wandersee. He described how people often fail to notice the plants that surround them, despite their essential role in sustaining life on Earth. This idea has stayed with me because I see a similar challenge today, one I often call Chip Blindness. Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life, from our phones and vehicles to healthcare, agriculture, energy systems, communications, and national security. Yet most people rarely think about the tiny chips that make these technologies possible or the thousands of people who design, manufacture, maintain, and advance them. We depend on semiconductors every day without recognizing the remarkable workforce behind them.