14 OregonStater.org PHOTO BY INTEL N EWS BEAVER BRAGS 50% of OSU students graduate debt-free, versus 45% of public university grads nationwide, according to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. $400 MILLION has been given so far toward scholarships and other student success programs in OSU’s Believe It! campaign. The May 1 email might have seemed routine to most: “Your NSF Regional Innovation Engine proposal 2532464 is currently under review by the program office.” But for Rob Stone, it was anything but routine. He knew, after having worked at the National Science Foundation for four years, that the message meant there was a “99% chance” the proposal would be funded. Two months later, it was official. Oregon State University and nearly 100 partners had secured what could be one of the largest awards in university history: up to $160 million over 10 years from the National Science Foundation to accelerate semiconductor innovation and manufacturing in Oregon. The goal: help Oregon turn its semiconductor strengths into more discoveries, more startups and more good jobs. “This demonstrates OSU’s role as a leader and convener,” said Stone, the project’s interim CEO and principal investigator, as well as a professor of mechanical engineering. “It shows the power of our expertise “IT SHOWS THE POWER OF OUR EXPERTISE AND THE EXPERTISE OF ALL OUR PARTNERS IN DRIVING THE STATE FORWARD.” 6,341 students have graduated from OSU-Cascades since its founding in 2001. This year’s class of 377 students was the largest in campus history. THE 5TH largest engineering school by undergraduate enrollment, OSU’s College of Engineering ranks among the nation’s biggest according to the ASEE. and the expertise of all our partners in driving the state forward in a key sector like semiconductors.” The initiative, known as Frontiers of Advanced Semiconductor Technology, or FAST, brings together semiconductor companies including Intel, HP and NVIDIA; community colleges and universities; government agencies and economic development agencies; venture capital funds; and a range of nonprofits to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem statewide. It builds on the state’s semiconductor industry — often called “Silicon Forest” — which has been a major source of economic growth, FAST FORWARD A LANDMARK AWARD WILL HELP EXPAND OREGON’S SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR. By Sean Nealon
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