Project Profile
A NEW ERA IN ELECTRONICS EDUCATION
University of Arkansas
Abstract
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research in high performance miniaturized electronic devices. Advances in materials, processing, and packaging technologies must continue in the U.S. for the industry to be competitive in next generation… more »
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research in high performance miniaturized electronic devices. Advances in materials, processing, and packaging technologies must continue in the U.S. for the industry to be competitive in next generation devices. The U.S. needs to train a new generation of engineers and scientists skilled in the balancing act among the material, electrical, thermal, optical, mechanical, cost and manufacturing considerations that underlie high performance miniaturized electronic system design.
The University of Arkansas provides this critical training through the integration of its high density electronic (HiDEC) fabrication facility with a unique multidisciplinary inter-college degree program. Students from diverse backgrounds are placed in an industry-like engineering group to integrate their academic education with project management training, while HiDEC state-of-the-art-equipment provides the students with interdisciplinary leading edge research opportunities. All students will receive, as part of their training, a multidisciplinary course curriculum, training in state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization facilities, thesis research designed to advance the state-of-the-art, experience working in interdisciplinary teams, writing and entrepreneurial skills, significant interaction with industry, and an international view of the high density electronics community.
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to facilitate the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of scientists and engineers to be well-prepared to take advantage of a broad spectrum of career options. IGERT provides doctoral institutions with an opportunity to develop new, well-focussed multidisciplinary graduate programs that transcend organizational boundaries and unite faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly interactive, collaborative environment for both training and research. In this second year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span all areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. This specific award is supported by funds from the EPSCoR program and from the Directorates for Engineering, for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Office of Multidisciplinary Activities), for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, and for Education and Human Resources. « less
