Northern Essex Community College’s Allison Dolan-Wilson was among those participating in Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s roundtable last week on the CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at boosting American semiconductor research, development and production.
Dolan-Wilson, vice president of institutional advancement at the college, joined UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, Middlesex Community College President Phil Sisson and other educational and industry leaders meeting with Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, a senior member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office. The roundtable discussion, hosted at Middlesex Community College, centered on how Massachusetts will benefit from the law, including how local companies can tap the federal money and ways that local higher education institutions can prepare students to enter the workforce.
“Thanks to the Commonwealth’s world-class research universities, renowned community colleges and cutting-edge work being done by companies, we’re uniquely positioned to reap the benefits of the CHIPS and Science Act,” said Trahan.
In July 2022, Trahan voted to pass the CHIPS and Science Act, which includes an historic $280 billion investment to bolster U.S. semiconductor capacity as well as additional money to strengthen American manufacturing, catalyze research and development and create regional high-tech hubs and a bigger, more inclusive STEM workforce. Trahan’s office said the law is “critical in reasserting America’s economic independence and scientific dominance, lowering costs for American consumers by making products here at home and creating new, good-paying jobs across the nation.”
“The CHIPS and Science Act presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to make transformational investments in Massachusetts’ advanced manufacturing and technology sectors while spurring new jobs, groundbreaking research, workforce development programs and resources for companies in our state,” said Hao.