Student team moves to next level in national contest

A student design team from Tufts was one of five from around the country selected to continue in the second phase of an engineering design competition organized by the Semiconductor Research Corp. and the Semiconductor Industry Association.

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The contest focuses on integrated circuit System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design, a process by which one integrated circuit becomes a complete hardware and software system. This exercise “challenges engineering students across the country to create innovative designs while working on all aspects of the extremely complex chip and design and manufacturing process,” said Larry Sumney, president and chief executive officer of Semiconductor Research Corp. of North Carolina. “The winning teams, selected by industry judges, have demonstrated the capability to meet and overcome the most difficult aspects of today’s SoC design environment.”

The Tufts team is led by Sameer Sonkusale, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Other teams selected to continue in the competition include students from the University of Virginia, Harvard, Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Designs from the second phase of the competition, for which cash awards total $50,000, will be presented in September 2006. The winning team will have an opportunity to see its design fabricated in silicon.