As the limits of device scaling approach, new ways to advance electronic technology must be pursued.  21st century electronics will be more diverse, less predictable, and driven by new problems.  The impact of electronics on society is likely to be even greater than it was in the 20th Century, and the changes for companies, working engineers, and for students will be profound.  Engineers, and students preparing to be engineers in this new era of electronics will need:

 * Depth in their technical specialty
 * An understanding related disciplines and new technologies
 * Ability to learn, adapt, and contribute  (quickly).

Fifty years ago, electronics was on the verge of a similarly significant transition – from vacuum tube to semiconductor electronics.  A group of leaders from industry and academia realized that to spark a semiconductor revolution, engineering education needed to change.  The change could not be accomplished with new editions of vacuum tube textbooks; electronics needed to be re-thought.  They created the Semiconductor Electronics Education Committee (SEEC) and published seven low cost, paperback volumes (the famous [http://web.mit.edu/klund/www/books/seec.html “SEEC notes”]).  The SEEC notes defined the conceptual foundations of what we now call semiconductor electronics.  They brought solid-state physics in the EE curriculum, and made it possible for universities to begin teaching semiconductor electronics courses.  The impact was [http://www-mtl.mit.edu/~penfield/pubs/eb-03.html profound].  Fifty years later, microelectronics is in transition, new technologies are emerging, minds and machines are merging, and electronics now plays a central role in the grand challenges society faces.  There is a need for fresh ideas and new approaches to education.

The [/groups/ncn Network for Computational Nanotechnology] and [/groups/needs NEEDS] seek to bring a new perspective to engineering education to meet the challenges and opportunities of modern nanotechnology.  NCN-NEEDS Summer Schools are designed to be a resource for educators and self-learners and a model for a new way of teaching electronic devices that we hope will inspire students and prepare them to contribute to the development of nanoelectronic technology in the 21st Century. 

The 2014 Summer School topic is '''Spintronics: Science, Circuits, and Systems''' and will run from July 23-25, 2014 at Purdue University.  For more information, visit: [/groups/needs/summer_school 2014 Summer School Information].

The 2013 Summer School was conducted in Dalian and Cheng-du China.

[/resources/14775 2012 Summer School]

[/resources/11699 2011 Summer School]

[/resources/8878 2010 Summer School]

[/resources/7113 2009 Summer School]

[/resources/xxxx 2008 Summer School]

Those with comments or questions or who are interested in participating in this initiative should contact [/contributors/2862 Mark Lundstrom].

'''''Supported by the NSF-funded [/groups/ncn Network for Computational Nanotechnology] and [/groups/needs NEEDS]'''''