Weekendschool Nijmegen visits CITC
March 31, 2022 – Special visitors for CITC on an ordinary Sunday morning in March: more than 30 students from Weekendschool Nijmegen came by for a lesson in chip packaging. The guest lecture is part of the Weekendschool’s ‘New technology’ theme for its first-year students. The CITC team was happy to oblige.
Many questions
The lecture started with a presentation about chip packaging. CITC’s business development manager Marco Koelink incorporated several short video clips in his story. The students (aged 10-11 years) were given the opportunity to ask questions and made full use of it. Like their fellow students in Arnhem, they were intrigued by the fact that the equipment that makes chips also contains chips. The materials used in chip packaging also raised eyebrows: “Is all that real gold on those chips?”
Marco noticed that most of the questions came from the girls. He is pleased with that. “It’s very important for girls to consider a choice for technology because there are simply too few women working in this industry”.
Lab tour
The next part of the program was a lab tour. Before entering the CITC labs, all students were required to dress up in lab coats and gloves. This resulted in a lot of giggles and selfies. Once in the labs, they were able to take a detailed look at equipment such as a die bonder and various microscopes. The students enthusiastically participated: “In the laboratory we were allowed to touch everything. And we could see through a really good microscope. That was cool!”
Practical assignment
The last part of the visit consisted of a practical assignment. The students were to build so-called ‘vibrating robot animals’ (in Dutch: bibberbeestjes). Using tools as screw drivers and cutting pliers, this turned out to be not an easy, but also a very fun task. Again, this lead to a lot of giggles once the batteries were in place and the robot animals vibrated on the tables.
Weekendschool Nijmegen location manager Chris van Wieren noticed how eager his students were. “Looking through a microscope, a machine that does what you say on command, a huge elevator in which machines are transported… you could see the wonder in the students’ eyes during our visit. They are already curious about the world of technology. To further enthuse them, all you need are professionals who can talk passionately about their daily work. Now, thanks to CITC, our students have become a bit more knowledgeable.”
Access to education
Providing access to education is one of CITC’s core activities. By enthusing children at an early age for technology in general, and perhaps a technical education and profession more specifically, we want to contribute to the future of the semiconductor industry in Europe.
Please feel free to contact us if your school is also interested in a CITC guest lecture or company visit.