U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves addressed the DOC's responsibility to national parks and the U.S. semiconductor industry during a recent visit to Santa Barbara, Calif.
Graves visited the area Nov. 16, the DOC reported Nov. 22, to meet with community leaders, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) staff and officials at two semiconductor facilities. During the meetings, Graves reiterated the DOC's commitment to "protecting our nation’s sanctuaries and strengthening the U.S. semiconductor industry through improved workforce development opportunities and creating an equitable and diverse workforce," according to the announcement.
Graves met first with NOAA personnel and local officials on the R/V Shearwater, a NOAA research vessel in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (NMS), the statement reports, to discuss "the important role of Federal, state, local, and non-profit partners in protecting our nation’s oceans and coasts."
NOAA designated the Channel Islands, 1,470 square miles of ocean on the southern California coast, as a NMS in 1980 to safeguard the area as a "special place for endangered species, sensitive habitats, historic shipwrecks, and cultural resources," the DOC states, "the sanctuary provides protection through research, education, conservation, and stewardship."
The deputy secretary followed the visit to the Channel Islands with a speech to the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and a "fireside chat" with more than 200 business leaders, according to the DOC.
Graves then traveled to two small semiconductor manufacturers in nearby Goleta, the DOC reports, Teledyne/FLIR and Transphorm. The companies are closely associated with nearby University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB), known for semiconductor research in cutting-edge facilities. After touring the facilities, Graves spoke on DOC's initiatives to support the U.S. semiconductor industry by promoting diversity and equality in workforce development programs, boosting R&D, and improving supply-chain flexibility.
“At the Commerce Department, we’re especially focused on building workforce development opportunities to ensure jobs are created in communities around the country, and that women, people of color, and rural Americans all have the opportunity to participate,” Graves said, according to the DOC. “Based on what I’ve seen here at UCSB, the future of American innovation is in capable hands.”
