Even before Shamir Maldonado-Rivera graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in 2019 with an applied physics degree, she had already picked out her dream job working with semiconductors.

The only problem was that she lacked the hands-on experience.

Her university studies hadn’t given Maldonado-Rivera the chance to work in a “clean room”—the dust-free environment necessary to fabricate and examine tiny electronic components on silicon chips and other semiconductor materials. Nor had she ever operated precision tools to etch microscopic circuits, or used specialized software to identify and analyze fabrication errors made by the tools. 

Maldonado-Rivera acquired those skills and more during a monthslong internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) NanoFab facility, which provides researchers with rapid access to state-of-the-art nanoscale measurement and fabrication tools and methods, along with technical expertise.

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