This past year, SRC, through the SRC Education Alliance and with strong support from the Intel Foundation, has managed the first year of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities program.  Two hundred very bright and promising undergrads have participated in the URO program on 14 university campuses across the country.  And there are success stories!  many of the students completing their undergraduate degrees will continue to graduate school , Patrick Kwong as an IBM/SRC Fellow at UC/Berkeley, Eric Padilla as an Intel Foundation/SRCEA Master’s Scholar at Arizona State, and Anthony Erlinger as a GRC/SRC Master’s Scholar at Columbia.  Among the other graduates, Alex Guo will join FCRP research at MIT; Maxwell Zheng will join FCRP research at UC/Berkeley,  Beayna Grigorian will join GRC research at UCLA and there will likely be others joining SRC-funded research programs.

SRC has invited students from each of the URO programs to present their research at TECHCON 2010. Thirty URO posters will be featured in a special section of TechFair; half the students will be at their posters during each TechFair Session.  We urge industry attendees to take time to explore the URO poster section and see for yourselves that the URO program is making a difference.  We asked the participating students to give us a one-sentence statement about their URO experience and TECHCON participation.  Some of their responses follow.

"I am excited for this research opportunity as it will give me the necessary skills and connections to be successful in graduate school and pursue a career in the microelectronics industry."
Allen Tippmann, Purdue

"This research I am conducting … is a significant factor in my decision to pursue a higher educational degree in Computer Science."
Howard Sueing, Howard University

"This research opportunity is important to me because it has shown me a new side of my field that re-sparked my interest in computer science as well as my desire to attend graduate school. "
Shilpa Ramamurthy, Carnegie Mellon University

"This opportunity has been instrumental in my decision to attend graduate school to continue research in the field of nanotechnology. "
Stacy Kanaan, Oregon State University

"The SRC URO program has helped me determine that I enjoy research and has also allowed me to hone my presentation abilities, both of which will be useful skills as I plan to attend graduate school next fall. "
Cooper Levy, UC/Berkeley

"Researching for and presenting at TECHCON will provide me with invaluable experience, both in researching and presenting, for graduate school, giving me an edge over other applicants in gaining access to a prestigious graduate institution, and helping me along my way to my eventual goal of earning a doctorate in Physics."
John Doyle, Purdue

"Representing my school at TECHCON 2010 as an undergrad not only gives me the opportunity to share my research, but inspires me to continue my hard work …"
Sam Elia, GA Tech

"The opportunity to present my research will better prepare me for my upcoming graduate studies and allow me to show industry representatives some of my abilities. "
Brett Ireland, GA Tech

"This is an important event for me to be able to present my research and learn more about how my research can be expanded and applied."
Florenia Paredes, Cornell

"While through coursework I learn to solve problems that have already been answered, this research opportunity has allowed me to apply what I have learned to pursue the answers to my own, unanswered questions, which will not only further my learning and satisfy my scientific curiosity, but also benefit the technological world as well."
Liane Moreau, Cornell University

Find out more about TECHCON 2010.