Ashley McGraw Joins OCC for "Wire Cutting" of Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab
Ashley McGraw Architects joined Onondaga Community College (OCC) on October 1, 2025 to celebrate the “wire cutting” of the new Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab, a cutting-edge facility designed to prepare students for the rapidly growing semiconductor industry in Central New York.
The lab was made possible through a partnership with Micron Technology, which donated equipment to allow students to gain direct, hands-on experience with the same tools used in advanced manufacturing environments. The Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab was constructed in the Whitney Applied Technology Center, along with new training centers for Welding, CNC Machining, and Diesel/Heavy Equipment Repair as part of the larger renovation project.
Key Highlights:
The 3,000 square foot space will be used to train students for careers in the semiconductor and microelectronic industries.
All of the machines, or "tools" students will learn on, came from Micron chip fabrication plants in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Idaho, and Virginia.
The tools, which weigh several thousand pounds, were brought up to the second floor on a new freight elevator, which has a capacity of 12,000 pounds.
Because this is a simulation lab, community members and young learners under the age of 18 can experience hands-on learning opportunities, as they did at the Micron-sponsored Chip Camp in the summer of 2025.
The Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab was funded by a $5 million gift from Micron Technology, which was matched by Onondaga County and New York State.
The cleanroom and related renovations to the Whitney Applied Technology Center were designed by Ashley McGraw Architects. The general contractor was PAC Associates of Oswego.
Sarah Berg, Project Manager at Ashley McGraw Architects, reflected on the impact of the project, “I am pleased to have been part of such a transformative project for Onondaga Community College and our community. The Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab provides students with essential, workforce-ready skills through direct, hands-on engagement with the tools donated by Micron. The lab is also situated near student collaborations zones and other high-tech instructional spaces including a robotics lab, CNC, manufacturing, welding classrooms and a new additional for auto tech heavy equipment that creates a robust experiential learning hub to maximize student opportunities in Central New York.”
