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Intel-funded program provides electrical engineering students hands-on research opportunities

October 9, 2023-- Students from Florida A&M University and the University of Texas at El Paso spent seven weeks this summer conducting research in electrical engineering labs at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The six undergraduate electrical engineering students were participating in a program funded by a gift from Intel Corporation meant to increase diversity in electrical engineering graduate programs. 

The students – three from Florida A&M University and three from the University of Texas at El Paso – conducted research into supercapacitors, resistive random-access memory, and semiconducting materials with low processing temperatures, alongside graduate student mentors and faculty from Â鶹´«Ã½. Both Florida A&M and UTEP are minority serving institutions and core members of the Inclusive Engineering Consortium (IEC), a non-profit organization that brings together academia, industry, and government to advance education, research, and electrical and computer engineering careers. 

Joshua James and Nicholas Haynes conducted research in Professor Kenji Nomura's lab.

“The summer research program was a great learning experience,” said Joshua James, a student at Florida A&M, who conducted research in electrical engineering professor Kenji Nomura’s lab at Â鶹´«Ã½. “This program was my first time conducting research, and I am glad that I got to be part of such an interesting project.”

James and his research partner and fellow Florida A&M student Nicholas Haynes were studying the use of metal-oxide thin-flim transistors with low processing temperatures – materials that could be used to develop low-cost electronic devices on plastic substrates. They researched two types of semiconducting materials, working to optimize the performance of both at room temperature. 

Aireyona Mercer, another Florida A&M electrical engineering student, spent the seven weeks in professor Tina Ng’s lab, building and analyzing battery coin cells for use in supercapacitors that could ultimately provide better energy storage. 

“I’d never done research before we joined the program,” said Mercer. Student participants got a semester of research experience under the belts at their home institution before coming to Â鶹´«Ã½ this summer. They’ll continue that research when they return in the fall, with the goal of an internship at Intel next summer. Mercer, who will graduate in 2024, said this experience helped her solidify her post-graduation plans. 

Aireyona Mercer, front, and her graduate student mentor Nandu Koripally.

“It was a cool experience to see what it’s like doing research, and see if this is something I want to do or not – it was very informative,” Mercer said. “Right now I’m more interested in a career in industry, and then maybe going back to grad school after getting a few years of work experience. That would help me determine if I do go to grad school, what I would want to learn more about, based on where industry is going.”

Ramiro Florez Acosta and Ever Dominguez, both electrical engineering students at UTEP, worked in Â鶹´«Ã½ electrical engineering professor Duygu Kuzum’s lab, researching memristors and resistive random-access memory (RRAM) to apply to the rapid circuit builder they’re developing at UTEP. Both students will stay at UTEP for a fifth year to earn a master’s in electrical engineering, and then hope to parlay their skills into an industry job, potentially at Intel. 

“This program has helped us get a lot of connections so the job application process is hopefully smoother,” said Florez Acosta. “When you’re a student you don’t know where to go or who to give a resume to, so having some connections will help us a lot to get a job. The program has also helped build up our resumes, which will be helpful.”

Melanie Walsmith, a student at UTEP working on the same rapid circuit builder project with Dominguez and Florez Acosta, was paired with electrical engineering professor Yu-Hwa Lo at Â鶹´«Ã½ for the summer. She studied digital microfluidic devices.

Deepening ties between universities, industry

Ramiro Florez Acosta and Ever Dominguez worked in Professor Duygu Kuzum's lab.

“With this program, we are serious about building long-lasting multifaceted relationships that give electrical engineering faculty at minority-serving institutions both recognition and support for their critical efforts to inspire, train and educate – year after year – diverse cohorts of electrical engineering undergraduates who are prepared to go on to electrical engineering graduate programs, if they choose,” said Truong Nguyen, the electrical and computer engineering professor at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Jacobs School of Engineering who runs the program. 

The program builds on the well-known strategy of exposing undergraduates to hands-on research experiences early on in their college career. Electrical engineering undergraduate students who are pursuing their degrees at the two different minority-serving institutions participated in electrical engineering research experiences at their undergraduate institutions during the academic year, before continuing their research at Â鶹´«Ã½ this summer. They’ll continue to conduct research at their respective institutions during the school year, and will do a research-focused internship at Intel in the summer of 2024. Students receive active guidance from all involved faculty throughout their participation in the program. Training for internships is also included.

University of Texas at El Paso student Melanie Walsmith.

“Addressing the lack of diversity in the semiconductor industry requires proactive efforts and collaborative partnerships from companies, educational institutions, and policymakers,” said Gabriella Cruz Thompson, Director of University Research and Collaboration at Intel. “In partnership with Â鶹´«Ã½, Intel is committed to bridging the gap and creating a more inclusive and representative workforce, which will help drive innovation and fuel progress for generations to come.”

 

Media Contacts

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Katherine Connor
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-8374
khconnor@ucsd.edu