News
Microelectronic Engineering BS

There are 740 new RIT students enrolled in the Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree program, designed to offer highly focused, goal-oriented incoming students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work toward a bachelor’s and master’s degree, starting from the first day of classes.

WROC-TV talks to Robert Pearson, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering, about a bill to boost the semiconductor industry.

Research at RIT into new energy-efficient materials for computing could improve the bottleneck that often occurs when retrieving large amounts of data, hindering processing throughput and energy efficiency.

Supply chain disruptions and a strong demand for consumer electronics during the pandemic led to a global chip shortage. The shortage has highlighted the need to strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry and has put a new emphasis on microelectronic engineering education.

Research findings and signs of computer chip industry demands were the top subjects at the 40th Annual Microelectronic Engineering Conference April 8 at RIT. With indications of growth and novel functions being developed, there were also discussions of the pressing need for even more skilled workers in the field to sustain that expected growth.

WROC-TV talks to Sean Rommel, professor and director of the microelectronic engineering program, and Michael Jackson, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering, about semiconductors.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 51: Complex manufacturing processes of semiconductors and growing demands along the global supply chain for computer chips is impacting numerous industries. Robert Pearson, professor of microelectronic engineering, and Steven Carnovale, assistant professor of supply chain management, discuss how the semiconductor supply chain has been disrupted.

President Joe Biden recently called for more resources to bolster the computer chip industry to meet consumer and commercial demands. Lynn Fuller has done more than his share to provide assets for this important industry. Fuller established the first microelectronic engineering program in the country in 1982 at RIT, and today many program graduates lead efforts at the top microchip firms advising the president.

More than 50 students are expected to earn their Ph.D. degrees by the end of June. The hooding ceremony, which will also include Ph.D. recipients in the class of 2020, is May 15.

WROC-TV features Zac Bittner ’11 (microelectronic engineering), ’11 MS (materials science), ’19 Ph.D. (microsystems engineering); Nicholos Mackos ’08 (mechanical engineering); Chelsea Mackosm ’09 (microelectronic engineering), ’11 MS (materials science); and Joseph Hunt ’19 (chemical engineering).

Analytical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, resiliency, and flexibility are among the top skills needed for emerging careers by 2025. Anticipating these rapid changes in the workplace—further accelerated by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic—RIT is seizing on the opportunity to guide students to “new economy majors” that are multi­disciplinary, transformative, and future-focused.

The Saratogian features Robert Pearson, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering.