Kurinec Named Head of Microelectronic Engineering at RIT

Santosh Kurinec of Henrietta has been named head of Rochester Institute of Technology\'s microelectronic engineering department, which has the only undergraduate program in microelectronic engineering in the nation accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Currently professor of microelectronic engineering at RIT, Kurinec is an expert on specialty materials for microelectronic devices and microsystems. She has conducted extensive research for semiconductor industries and is currently researching integration of novel devices with CMOS, funded by the National Science Foundation.

\"I\'m excited to lead RIT\'s microelectronic engineering program, with an already highly acclaimed international reputation, into the new millennium,\" Kurinec says, listing as goals increased enrollment, outstanding undergraduate and graduate teaching and state-of-the-art doctoral-level research.

A native of New Delhi, India, Kurinec has been on the RIT faculty since 1988. She received undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees in physics from the University of Delhi. Prior to joining RIT, she was a scientist at the National Physical Laboratory in Delhi and taught at Florida A&M University/Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.

Kurinec holds a patent for a method of fabricating ultra-high resolution three-color screens and has published five encyclopedia chapters on electronic devices and over 50 research papers. She is president of the western New York section of the Materials Research Society and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Kurinec succeeds Lynn Fuller, microelectronic engineering department head since 1985, who continues as Motorola Professor of microelectronic engineering at RIT.

\"Lynn\'s vision and determination to develop the discipline of microelectronic engineering at RIT has had a major, positive and lasting impact on the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and RIT,\" says Harvey Palmer, dean. \"The program is strong and the facilities exceptional thanks to his leadership, dedication and perceptiveness.

\"Santosh brings invaluable skills to the job,\" he continues. \"She\'s a first-rate scholar and a fine teacher committed to excellence in undergraduate instruction. She will work tirelessly to foster team spirit and consensus building among the faculty and staff. She\'s the best possible choice to succeed Lynn Fuller.\"

Kurinec\'s appointment is effective March 1.

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Note: According to a national survey by U.S. News & World Report, RIT\'s Kate Gleason College of Engineering ranks fourth in the nation among undergraduate engineering programs, offering degrees in computer, electrical, industrial and manufacturing, mechanical, microelectronic, and software engineering, applied statistics and engineering science. RIT was the first university to offer undergraduate degrees in microelectronic and software engineering.

Founded in 1829, RIT has one of the nation\'s oldest and largest cooperative education programs. The engineering college is named for Kate Gleason, the first female bank president in the United States and daughter of William Gleason, founder of what became Rochester-based Gleason Corp. Kate Gleason was America\'s first woman engineering student and the first woman elected a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Note: Digital photograph available. Send request to mjsuns@rit.edu.