Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito announced a new million dollar award for WPI that will fund a cutting edge microscope and help create a collaborative research and development center in the university’s new academic building. The new state-of-the-art device is the first of its kind in in the Northeast, and will help to detect flaws in semiconductor microchips which are critical to the automotive, power, and healthcare industries. Such flaws are a growing global problem facing the semiconductor industry, and they pose serious cybersecurity issues. In this new center WPI faculty and students will work with industry partners to advance secure manufacturing of semiconductor chips. The facility will also provide workforce development programs to promote better access and opportunities for jobs in the STEM field.