What is the ambitious goal of this project?
In 2022 alone, humanity manufactured nearly 2 billion trillion transistors—about 10²¹ tiny switches in a single year. Since the transistor’s invention, the cumulative total is on the order of 10²², or roughly 2–3 trillion transistors per person. These building blocks of computation are engineered at mind-bending scales and reshape how we live, learn, create, and govern. Boise State researchers are at the forefront of this research—redesigning the building blocks themselves, the processes that make them, and the systems that use them.
Our ambitious goal is to reinvent how we teach and support student researchers in this digital world so we inspire the next generation to shape it—making Boise State students better prepared to contribute to and benefit from advances in semiconductor technologies. And not just engineers and scientists: politicians, philosophers, writers, managers, artists, designers, educators, managers, entrepreneurs and psychologists. Every major has a role to play.
Experience Gained
Depending on your focus, you may develop skills in:
Science and engineering
- Photonics
- Atomic Layer deposition:
- Neuromorphic computing
- Materials science and materials modeling
Ethnography, sociology, psychology education
- Inside-lab immersion: Shadow workflows, tools, tacit skills, and safety culture in engineering and science labs.
- Interviewing & rapport: Design protocols; recruit, consent, conduct reflective interviews.
- Field observation: Ethnographic notes; map roles, decisions, and handoffs.
- Transcription & data hygiene: Record, de-identify, store securely; manage retention.
- Qualitative analysis: Build codebook; open/axial/thematic coding; perform regular reliability checks.
- Survey + light quant: Draft Qualtrics surveys; clean data; compute descriptive stats.
- Motivation frameworks: Apply expectancy-value, identity/interest, self-efficacy, and awe.
- Tools: Qualtrics, NVivo/ATLAS.ti/Dedoose
- Ethics: Inclusive practices, accessibility, respectful research with participants.
Education and outreach
- Translate the tech: Explain complex scientific concepts for/as a non-scientist.
- Course design: Backward design modules, activities, aligned assessments.
- Writing & communication: Briefs, explainers, posters, lightning talks for stakeholders.
Methodologies and/or Technologies used to achieve project goals
- Adult education strategies
- Arduino & Rasberry Pi Computing
- Coding and coding software
- Design thinking
- Engineering lab
- Instructional design
- Qualitative research methods
- Quantitative research methods
Preferred Preparation
200: No prerequisites.
400: 200-level participation, or significant experience with some computational tools or research.
Majors or Interests Needed
- Any/All
- May be a great fit for: sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, graphic design, GIMM, computer science, materials science, engineering, physics, chemistry
VIP Coach Information
Eric Jankowski: Director, Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering. Debugging enthusiast.
Leslie Atkins: Professor, College of Education, science education geek.
Course Information
VIP 200, VIP 400 or VIP 500
Full semester course. Choose to enroll in 1 or 2 credits.
Team meetings: Hybrid. Meeting times TBD after students register
Interested in joining this team?
For more information and to request a permission number to register, contact Dr. Eric Jankowski at ericjankowski@boisestate.edu.
You can also complete this interest form and someone will contact you. Check out this page for tips on contacting a professor.
To register
To register search by Subject: Vertically Integrated Projects, read the project description to find the right section of VIP 200, 400, or 500. Use permission number, here are instructions Add with a permission number