Circuit of the Americas, Tokyo Electron beckon Texas State SPARK Scholars

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
April 10, 2014

Tokyo Electron (TEL) and Circuit of the Americas (COTA) will host students from the Texas State SPARK Scholars Program April 11 for the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP.

The Texas State students will visit the COTA racing facility outside of Austin to see demonstrations while participating in discussions relating to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

TEL partnered with Texas State as the primary industry representative to the SPARK initiative in 2013, in an effort to provide support and enrichment opportunities for students studying engineering and computer science. As the corporate leader of the SPARK program, TEL provides opportunities such as internships, job shadowing, plant tours and academic/personal mentoring throughout each semester.

"Being a part of the local community in Austin and acting as the primary industry partner for the SPARK initiative at Texas State University, it has been an incredibly rewarding opportunity for the students and our TEL US employees who have volunteered to act as life coaches, STEM career mentors and friends to these remarkable young students," said Barry Mayer, president of Tokyo Electron US Holdings. "As they progress throughout their journey in academics, we plan to provide opportunities for them to see how STEM works in everyday life. In the end, it’s about the students’ economic and social upward mobility through education, and this is something TEL gladly supports."

This collaboration between TEL and COTA creates a unique opportunity for industry leaders and academia to join together in recognizing these SPARK students for demonstrating their passion and commitment to pursuing higher education in STEM fields of study. Visiting COTA gives students an opportunity to see how their education is relevant to everyday settings outside of the classroom and inspires them to continue as STEM majors.

About SPARK

The mission of the SPARK program is to inspire, support and empower undergraduate women majoring in engineering, engineering technology, computer science and mathematics at Texas State University. This 4-year, $600K grant was awarded under the NSF S-STEM program (Grant #1153688) and is directed at Texas State by Clara Novoa, Susan Romanella, Anne Ngu and Reiko Graham. SPARK is funded by the National Science Foundation and is part of the College of Science and Engineering's goal to increase the number of women graduating with degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and entering professional STEM careers.

For more information, visit www.cose.txstate.edu/spark.

About Tokyo Electron

Tokyo Electron LTD. (TEL), established in 1963, is a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor and FPD production equipment worldwide. Product lines include coater/developers, oxidation/diffusion furnaces, dry etchers, CVD systems, surface preparation systems, gas cluster ion beam technologies and test systems. To support this diverse product base, TEL has strategically located research and development, manufacturing, sales and service locations all over the world. TEL is a publicly held company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.