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Micron Technology Foundation Donates $5 Million to Support New Engineering Ph.D. Program at Boise State University

Posted on: Thursday, 4 May 2006, 15:02 CDT

The Micron Technology Foundation will award $5 million to Boise State University to support its new Ph.D. program in electrical and computer engineering (ECE), Micron and Boise State officials announced today.

The $5 million donation from the Micron Technology Foundation, a private, non-profit charitable organization formed in 1999 by Micron Technology Inc., will fund new faculty and staff positions in the College of Engineering, stipends for ECE doctoral students, lab renovations, new instrumentation and other program costs, university officials said.

"With the increasing demand for qualified, skilled and talented engineers in our state and country, Micron is pleased to support Boise State's thriving College of Engineering and its new doctoral program," said Steve Appleton, Micron's chairman, CEO and president. "To be competitive on a global basis it is vital for business and community leaders to support educational systems that continue to raise the bar in education and promote curriculum rich in math, science, technology and engineering."

The gift includes $3 million to be awarded over the next four years. The remaining $2 million is a challenge grant that will be matched dollar for dollar for donations made to Boise State University for the ECE doctoral program.

"This is tremendous news for Boise State, and we are very grateful to the Micron Technology Foundation for its vision and generosity," said Boise State President Bob Kustra. "This gift will enhance our efforts to build a very strong program that will help meet the growing needs of high-tech industries in the state and the region, and provide new opportunities for research and collaboration."

In December, the State Board of Education unanimously approved a Ph.D. program in electrical and computer engineering at Boise State, and the program began admitting its first students this semester. Eight doctoral students have been admitted to the Ph.D. program for the fall 2006 semester, and university officials plan to grow this number to about 50 students during a six-year implementation phase.

"The College of Engineering has already enrolled some outstanding students in its new Ph.D. program, and this generous gift from the Micron Technology Foundation will support the college's efforts to hire talented faculty and attract the best and brightest students," said Boise State Provost Sona Andrews.

Research will also be enhanced because the university will have the resources to hire clusters of researchers working in a particular area instead of a single researcher, said Cheryl Schrader, dean of the College of Engineering. "Collaborations that will increase our competitiveness for federal research grants will begin immediately," Schrader said. "We'll be able to build momentum very quickly."

The new Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering is a research-intensive degree, and doctoral students will work with faculty on funded projects in areas such as sensors, advanced integrated circuitry, image processing, memory materials and robotics, said R. Jacob Baker, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The projects are funded by the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and other agencies.

The research has many practical applications and could lead to everything from smaller portable music players, such as an iPod(R), to ATMs that use fingerprint scans to identify users, to the development of new materials for storing digital information, Baker said.

"Undergraduate and master's students will have new opportunities to work with doctoral students and faculty on cutting-edge research," Baker said. "We are very excited about the possibilities."

Micron Technology has been a major supporter and benefactor of the engineering programs at Boise State. In 1996, Micron Technology offered a $6 million challenge to construct new engineering buildings if the university could obtain matching funds from other donors within three years; Boise State exceeded that match in less than two years. In January 2000, the Micron Engineering Center was dedicated as part of a $12.5 million three-building complex to house engineering programs. Micron Technology was also among seven companies that donated equipment and supplies in 2000 to develop the Idaho Microfabrication Laboratory.

In 2003, the Micron Technology Foundation donated $2 million to start a materials science and engineering undergraduate program at Boise State to complement the related interdisciplinary graduate program. Implemented in fall 2004, the undergraduate program has grown to 40 majors, and the first students will graduate this May. In addition, researchers affiliated with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have accrued $5 million in research grants -- a fivefold return on Micron's investment, since just over $1 million of the $2 million gift has been spent so far, Schrader noted.

In 2004, Micron Technology donated lab equipment used to investigate new engineering materials. In 2005, the Micron Technology Foundation donated $320,000 to initiate development of the doctoral program in electrical and computer engineering. The company and its foundation also provide scholarships for outstanding students and have made other monetary, outreach and equipment donations over the years.

The College of Engineering at Boise State will mark its 10th anniversary in July with a yearlong celebration, "Engineering 10.0." Many events are planned during the year, including a back-to-school barbecue, alumni reunions and guest lectures. The college enrolls more than 1,400 students in its graduate and undergraduate programs. Its researchers have $16.8 million in active externally funded research grants, a 50 percent increase over the past year. In 2004, 68 percent of the engineering graduates from Boise State obtained employment in Idaho industries, according to statistics gathered by the college. More about the college is at http://coen.boisestate.edu.

The Micron Technology Foundation, a private, non-profit organization established in 1999 with a gift from Micron Technology Inc., is engaged in funding educational efforts and charitable activities. To learn more about the Micron Technology Foundation, visit its web site at www.micron.com/foundation.

Micron Technology Inc. is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology Inc., visit www.micron.com.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.

For more information, visit http://news.boisestate.edu.

Source: Business Wire

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