With microchips powering many of today’s essential technologies, the semiconductor manufacturing plants where the chips are made are spreading across the landscape — especially in places such as Arizona, where urban areas and populations are growing. That means more engineers are needed to meet the exploding demand for workers in semiconductor facilities. Michael Kozicki, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical engineering, says the microchip boom will result in many graduates of ASU — which has the largest engineering school in the U.S. — finding work in the microelectronics industry. He foresees even more students becoming interested in related fields such as electrical and chemical engineering, computer science and manufacturing technologies.