July 22, 2003

RIT's Fuller Receives Microelectronics Award from IEEE

Earlier this month, Dr. Lynn F. Fuller of Rochester Institute of Technology was awarded the inaugural “Microelectronics Leadership Award” for distinguished leadership in developing partnerships for the advancement of research and education in microelectronics. This award was presented by the organizing committee of the15th biennial Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers University/Government/Industry Microelectronics Symposium, held June 29-July 2 on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho.   Receiving the award while on campus at Boise State was particularly fitting as Fuller has taken an advisory role for the creation of new microelectronics programs in Utah, Singapore and Virginia, and at Boise State. “He has been an inspiration and friend to Boise State’s now rapidly growing microelectronics program,” said Boise State electrical engineering professor Stephen Parke, who served as general chair of this year’s UGIM.  “Dr. Fuller has been a builder, a doer and a true leader!” Fuller is an IEEE fellow and is the Motorola Professor of Microelectronic Engineering at RIT. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from RIT and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from State University of New York-Buffalo. He joined the faculty at RIT in 1970.   In 1981 he led the initiation of the first microelectronics engineering degree program in the United States at RIT.  For 22 years he has guided this program to international recognition as the top program for undergraduate microelectronic education in the country. The program now has more than 200 students and 1,000 alumni working in the semiconductor industry throughout the world. Fuller is also the founder of the master of science program in microelectronic engineering at RIT and has been instrumental in the creation of a new Ph.D. program in microsystems engineering at RIT. Fuller has been active in the organization of many IEEE conferences, including being the founder of the Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), the University/Government/Industry Microelectronics Symposium (UGIM) and the Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC). Fuller is the recipient of RIT’s outstanding alumni award and an IEEE award for “Prolific Contributions in Education and Research in Microelectronic Engineering.” He has participated in two start-up companies, has authored 50 technical publications and holds two patents. Approximately 170 people from 40 universities, 24 corporate and government labs, and five countries participated in the IEEE UGIM symposium at Boise State. Researchers presented about 100 papers and posters on advances in the semiconductor industry and education approaches. Dozens of new application ideas for micro/nanoelectronics were presented including micro-spacecraft for deep space missions, chip-sized “electronic noses” for detecting dangerous gases and explosives, and micro-sensors that identify DNA of harmful viruses or bacteria. Many symposium participants took advantage of the region’s amenities and sampled Idaho’s outdoor sporting opportunities, attended the Boise River Festival preceding the conference and enjoyed a Basque cultural evening, as Boise is home to a large population of Basque descendents. The College of Engineering at Boise State was founded in 1997, largely as a result of the region’s booming semiconductor industry. The young college has quickly earned recognition as one of the top undergraduate engineering colleges rated by U.S. News and World Report, and the number of faculty has increased to 50. Funded research projects exceed $9.1 million, and students and faculty have earned national honors in numerous areas. -30- Media contact Pat Pyke Boise State communications and marketing 208 426-1987 Mike Saffran Rochester Institute of Technology (585) 475-5697 Return to News home

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