USU College of Engineering Receives $1 Million from Micron Foundation

The Utah State University College of Engineering will receive a total of $1 million over four years from the Micron Technology Foundation to create the USU Micron Research Center. The center will host research and instruction in the area of emerging hardware and software technologies, primarily in reconfigurable hardware technologies.

The center will also train USU undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and science, exposing them to innovative research and a professional work environment.

 

“Micron looks forward to collaborating with Utah State for the development of next-generation technologies that drive global innovation,” said Brian Shirley, Micron vice president of memory. “The Micron Research Center will provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to be involved in research, further strengthening the university’s engineering and science platform and creating a pool of qualified and talented innovators for the microelectronics industry.”

 

Research applications for today’s electronic devices include digital and video cameras, personal digital assistants, consumer electronics, defense and homeland security applications and aerospace applications.

 

Students associated with the Micron Research Center will take a variety of courses involving inter-chip communications, reconfigurable computing, digital image processing, digital signal processing, pattern recognition, mixed signal design and parallel processing. The Micron Imaging Center expects to graduate 10 undergraduates, six master’s and two doctoral students each year. As part of the donation for the center, undergraduate and graduate students will have an opportunity to apply for research scholarships and funding.

 

The center is a result of extended efforts by former electrical and computer engineering department head Tamal Bose and will draw on expertise from other university departments, including physics, computer science, mathematics, biology and civil and environmental engineering.

 

USU has received strong support from the Micron Foundation in the past with a $100,000 donation in 2002 for the creation of the Micron Digital Systems Lab and another $100,000 donation in 2004 to create the Micron Imaging Laboratory. The Micron Foundation also annually donates scholarship money that is given to the best electrical and computer engineering students.

“Micron has been a great partner in helping the College of Engineering teach and train students with the knowledge and skills they will need to create tomorrow’s technologies and services,” said Scott Hinton, dean of USU’s College of Engineering.

 

The Micron Technology Foundation, Inc., is a private, non-profit organization established in 1999 by Micron Technology, Inc., to fund education efforts and charitable activities. To learn more about the Micron Technology Foundation, visit its Web site.

 

Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconducter solutions and is at the forefront of digital innovation. To learn more, visit its Web site.

 

To learn more about USU’s electrical and computer engineering department, visit its Web site.