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Microsystems Engineering Ph.D.

Supply chain disruptions and a strong demand for consumer electronics during the pandemic led to a global chip shortage. The shortage has highlighted the need to strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry and has put a new emphasis on microelectronic engineering education.

Ryan Bowen BS ’08, MS ’13, Ph.D. ’16 is chief technology officer at NRGXP and is being honored by the Graduate School.

Research findings and signs of computer chip industry demands were the top subjects at the 40th Annual Microelectronic Engineering Conference April 8 at RIT. With indications of growth and novel functions being developed, there were also discussions of the pressing need for even more skilled workers in the field to sustain that expected growth.

RIT’s team will develop the technology needed for a point-of-care diagnostics system built on integrated photonics. Capable of accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, the new system could reduce the need for expensive equipment and specialized expertise to better inform care decisions in underserved, resource-limited communities.

Two member companies at RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator are continuing their upward trajectory with the help of two multimillion-dollar investments: Casana, a healthcare technology firm that is reinventing in-home health monitoring, and Owl Autonomous Imaging (Owl AI), which is developing monocular 3D thermal imaging and ranging solutions for automotive active safety systems.

WROC-TV talks to Sean Rommel, professor and director of the microelectronic engineering program, and Michael Jackson, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering, about semiconductors.

RIT’s strategic plan calls for adding six to 12 new Ph.D. programs and conferring 50 doctoral degrees every year by 2025. The university already reached the latter goal with 51 Ph.D. degrees conferred in the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Kate Gleason College of Engineering was awarded a $1 million Higher Education Capital Matching Grant (HECAP) from New York state. The award will be used to upgrade and expand the college’s cleanroom facility to accommodate the growth of research in biomedical technologies such as drug delivery and lab-on-chip devices.

Researchers from RIT and national photonic device company, AdvR Inc., built a quantum chip prototype that is bridging today’s traditional fiber optic networks with the future—quantum computing networks.

As one of the leading causes of death in hospitals, sepsis becomes more complicated with the rise in bacteria most resistant to some of today’s antibiotics. If physicians can detect onset earlier, treatments could begin sooner. Ke Du, a mechanical engineering faculty-researcher, will be developing a microfluidic device to improve detection of drug resistant bacteria in blood.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and RIT will present the 2021 Photonics for Quantum Digital Forum July 16-20. Previously an RIT initiative, this year marks a new iteration of this event in the form of a partnership between RIT and SPIE.

President Joe Biden recently called for more resources to bolster the computer chip industry to meet consumer and commercial demands. Lynn Fuller has done more than his share to provide assets for this important industry. Fuller established the first microelectronic engineering program in the country in 1982 at RIT, and today many program graduates lead efforts at the top microchip firms advising the president.