Micro-e celebrates silver anniversary (May 14-16)

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A. Sue Weisler

RIT\'s Kate Gleason College of Engineering

RIT’s Department of Microelectronic Engineering, in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, kicks off its 25th anniversary May 14 with a dinner and the start of its 25th annual conference.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Semiconductor Technology Towards 2020.” Gary Patton, vice president for the IBM Corp. Systems and Technology Group, is the keynote speaker at the anniversary dinner at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Rochester, 125 East Main St.

The conference continues 8 a.m.- 7:30 p.m. May 15 with speakers including Rajinder Khosla, a program director with the National Science Foundation; Sandip Tiwari of Cornell University; Mark Lundstrom of Purdue University and others.

The conference concludes 8 a.m.-1 p.m. May 16 with presentations by RIT alumni and students. Talks both days are in Xerox Auditorium in the James E. Gleason Building. “Virtually every aspect of our lives is touched by microelectronic engineering in some fashion,” says Santosh Kurinec, RIT professor and department head of microelectronic engineering. “Students and alumni from the microelectronic engineering department build chips that make the hearts of computers, cell phones, displays, digital cameras, thumb drives, televisions, Sony PlayStation and Xbox among other things.” Kurinec notes that RIT’s microelectronic engineering program, the first of its kind in the nation, launched 25 years ago—spearheaded by Lynn Fuller, Motorola Professor of Microelectronic Engineering and founding department head—as the personal-computer revolution began. “Undergraduates who have B.S. degrees in microelectronic engineering receive practical training that prepares them to immediately make an impact at semiconductor companies such as Intel, IBM, Fairchild Semiconductor, Micron, National Semiconductor Corp. and Qimonda,” Kurinec says.

Cost of $100 includes the dinner, conference, continental breakfasts and luncheon. For more information, contact Sean Rommel, RIT assistant professor of microelectronic engineering and conference technical program chair, at 475-4723 or lremc@rit.edu. Co-sponsors include the National Science Foundation and Micron Technology Inc.