Broadcom Foundation Funds Graduate Fellowships
June 30, 2016 - Samueli School graduate students studying integrated circuits and embedded systems design will now have the opportunity to apply for a fellowship program sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation, a corporate nonprofit dedicated to advancing STEM education and promoting research. The Broadcom Foundation Fellowship Program, a two-year pledge to The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, is intended to provide annual support for 10 engineering graduate students working in sensors/actuators/controllers, electromagnetic components, 3-D packaging technology and related areas.
The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) – smart electronic devices, smart homes, smart cars, smart cities and smart global networks – requires constant innovation in integrated circuits and sensors/actuators. To support students studying in these areas, the Broadcom Foundation launched the fellowship program with a $1 million gift to be split between UCI and UCLA, both of whom have engineering schools named for Broadcom Co-Founder Henry Samueli.
“Dr. Samueli is a distinguished pioneer in digital signal processing and integrated circuit design and a leader in development of high-performance integrated circuits for communications signal processing applications. His contributions to research and development have changed the way we connect everything – worldwide – in the 21st century,” said Paula Golden, Broadcom Foundation president. “Through the Broadcom Foundation Fellowship Program, we look forward to promoting scholarship and fostering collaboration among graduate students at UCI and UCLA that will help drive innovation for the next generation of information technology and communications.”
The fellowships will provide $25,000 annually to 10 students at each school. Graduate students who have passed their Ph.D. preliminary exams will be invited to apply for fellowship funds by submitting research proposals that will be evaluated for innovation, creativity and technical merit. Students accepted as Broadcom Foundation Fellows will be funded for one year; they may apply for one additional year and will be considered on merit once again. As a required component of the Broadcom Foundation Fellowship, all students will participate in a joint UCI/UCLA annual spring symposium to share their research and exchange ideas.
The UCI fellowship funds will be administered by G.P. Li, electrical engineering and computer science professor and Calit2 Irvine division director. “Semiconductor integrated circuits are at the heart of all the many smart devices we increasingly rely on; sensors and actuators connect those devices to the physical world,” Li said. “It’s becoming more and more important to prepare engineering students to continue to innovate these essential technologies, and the Broadcom Foundation Fellowship Program will go a long way toward helping UCI achieve this.”
Samueli School Dean Gregory Washington concurred. “Graduate students are a source of great energy and innovation, and this support from the Broadcom Foundation will empower us to recruit the best and brightest from around the country,” Washington said.
-- Anna Lynn Spitzer
