Responding to education and workforce demands for supporting the growth of the chip industry in the country, the team from Northern Virginia Community College's SySTEMic program and the team from University of Colorado Boulder's PhET Interactive Simulations project intends to develop an essential linchpin between education and industry. The aim of the project is to establish a regional professional learning community of well-qualified 8th through 10th grade teachers, who are intended to be at the forefront of integrating chip industry content and evidence-based practices into secondary education classroom instruction. The project is built upon partnerships among teachers, industry representatives, discipline-based educators, and instructional designers that place content expertise and experience in the physical sciences and advanced technologies at the center of project activities. Partners include the Arlington Public Schools, regionally based industry partners (STACK Infrastructure and Micron Technology), nanotechnology industry networks (such as the Micro Nano Technology Education Center funded by the Advanced Technological Education program, the STEM Education Innovation Center, and the Associated Universities Incorporated), the Maryland STEM Ecosystem, the Women's Aerospace Network, and other local educational agencies. The regional focus on secondary education teachers allows and supports a comprehensive professional development effort for teachers. This includes f