Gift from AMD will boost SWT technology initiative

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — A donation of materials from Advanced Micro Devices will help Southwest Texas State University educate the next generation of the region’s high-tech work force.

Today, AMD announced an in-kind donation of more than $650,000 in building materials and equipment to SWT, which the universtiy will use in its new Art-Technology-Physics complex, scheduled for completion in 2002.

The equipment donated by AMD is specifically for use in “clean room” facilities where semiconductors and other high tech components are manufactured.

The ATP Complex at SWT will house a semiconductor microfabrication laboratory, where students will gain valuable experience manufacturing semiconductor devices before entering the work force.

The Microfabrication Laboratory will be jointly operated by the departments of Physics and Technology at SWT. It will be directed by Gene Stouder, holder of the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Chair in Semiconductor Manufacturing, Education and Research. It will be one of only a few such university facilities in the nation where undergraduate students will have hands-on participation in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

“One of our goals in the Physics Department has been to design a curriculum that will prepare our graduates for management positions in high-tech. In this region, there are many high-tech industries, and there’s a need for a well trained and prepared pool of prospective employees. The AMD donation is a big step in helping us reach our goal,” said Carlos Gutierrez, professor of physics at SWT.

The gift from AMD is an extension of an effort by the company to participate in community education initiatives.

“AMD has had a commitment to education, and that has been demonstrated by the work we’ve done with Austin Community College and area high schools. We see this partnership with Southwest Texas as a chance to expand that commitment,” said Allyson Peerman, corporate community affairs manager. The donation to SWT may pay dividends for AMD as well.

“We’re always looking for qualified people, and the new facility at Southwest Texas should certainly help provide them,” said Dennis Huddleston, facilities and section manager for AMD.

AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets. Austin is home to AMD’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, the $1.5 billion FAB 25.

The Art-Technology-Physics Complex at SWT is currently in the first phase of construction on the San Marcos campus. The completed structure will encompass