Marti McCurdy, CEO of Spirit Electronics, welcomes Dr. Marcia Ballinger, President of Lorain County Community College (LCCC), for a conversation about workforce development, advanced manufacturing, and the future of the semiconductor industry.

Dr. Ballinger shares insights into how LCCC built its nationally recognized programs in MEMS and advanced manufacturing to meet industry needs, which led to the creation of its state-of-the-art facilities and SMART Microsystems.

Marti and Dr. Ballinger explore how partnerships between industry and education are helping to inspire and prepare the next generation of talent. Together, Spirit Electronics and LCCC are laying the foundation for a resilient, innovation-driven semiconductor future.

#SpiritElectronics #BehindTheScreen #Semiconductors #MEMS #AdvancedManufacturing #SmartMicrosystems #WorkforceDevelopment #LorainCountyCommunityCollege #STEMCareers #CHIPSAct #Innovation #Technology

In this episode, Marti speaks with Fred Wolff, Business Development Manager at Q-Tech, to discuss their industry heritage and advanced product roadmap as a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-reliability crystal oscillators for military and space applications.

Q-Tech was the first company to commercially manufacture hybrid crystal oscillators for the MIL-PRF-55310 QPL in 1972. Since then, Q-Tech has created a wide range of high-reliability oscillators used in multiple space and satellite missions, as well as defense avionics.

Hybrid crystal oscillators combine a quartz crystal with semiconductor devices for superior frequency control and timing. Q-Tech’s product manufacturing and testing support reliability with radiation testing, temperature testing, shock and vibe, and more.

With its impressive anti-obsolescence policy and supply chain security, Q-Tech offers long-term programs the support and stability they need for continued access to mission-critical parts, averting typical EOL concerns in the industry.

You can learn more about Spirit’s partnership with Q-Tech and their high-rel crystal oscillators at spiritelectronics.com/linecard/q-tech/.

In this episode, Marti is joined by Rajan Rajgopal, CEO of Zero-Error Systems (ZES) to discuss their cutting-edge power reliability and data integrity products, including the Latchup Detection and Protection (LDAP) IC for unmatched micro-SEL protection, and how these solutions are revolutionizing the New Space industry.

From its origins at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore and subsequent founding in 2019, to flight heritage with a series of launches 2021–2023 and three upcoming missions in 2025 with NASA, Kyutech, and COSPAR, ZES’ meteoric rise in the world of New Space can be characterized by two words: market disruptor.

At the heart of Zero-Error Systems lies an innovative portfolio of patents, each one presenting groundbreaking advancements in the fields of power management, error rate reduction in computing, and radiation protection for Commercial Off the Shelves (COTS) semiconductor devices for Space, Automotive and Power Management industries.

You can learn more about Spirit’s partnership with ZES and their innovative solutions at spiritelectronics.com/linecard/zero-errorsystems/.