Oneida Resident Wins BAE Systems Fellowship to Study at RIT

Kimberly (Manser) Kolb, a resident of Oneida, N.Y., won a fellowship from BAE Systems to pursue a master’s degree in imaging science this fall at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Kolb, the daughter of Patricia Manser of Oneida and the late James Manser, graduated from RIT in 2008 with a B.S. in microelectronic engineering. She will begin work on her M.S. degree at RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science in September.

BAE Systems is the world’s second-largest defense company. This new, two-year fellowship program at RIT includes tuition, travel support and a stipend.

“The BAE Systems Fellowship will allow me to broaden my scope,” Kolb says. “Getting a degree in imaging science will allow me to enter into things like solar cells and satellites, with job opportunities geared for the future.”

Kolb will focus her graduate work in the application and design of imaging detectors. Her background in semiconductor fabrication will enhance her research in this area.

“With a masters in imaging science, I can pursue what interests me—semiconductor physics and imaging/detector science—and I will have an edge on others in the field because of my five-year semiconductor physics background,” Kolb says.

About RIT: Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for students with hearing loss. Nearly 16,450 full- and part-time students are enrolled in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs at RIT, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

For two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities. RIT is featured in The Princeton Review’s 2009 edition of The Best 368 Colleges and in Barron’s Best Buys in Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education recognizes RIT as a “Great College to Work For.”