Fourteen ������ý students��represented��the School of Engineering at the inaugural��, held February 2-3 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The national gathering brought together students, faculty, federal��employees��and representatives from more than 30 universities to highlight research and workforce development efforts in microelectronics and national security.��

The Washington location provided ������ý students with a unique opportunity to engage directly with leaders from academia,��industry��and government in the nation’s capital, underscoring the real-world relevance of their research and training.��More than 20 industry partners were in attendance,��including Honeywell, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, ARM, Nucleon, and Reliable��MicroSystems.������

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• Students worked across five technical verticals that included:��
• Radiation hardening��
• Compound semiconductors��
• System-on-chip��
• Heterogeneous integration/advanced packaging��
• Trusted artificial intelligence (AI)��

Each vertical showcased research advancements and outcomes made possible through SCALE support, giving students a national platform to��demonstrate��the impact of their work.��

“This first-of-its-kind conference gave students a fantastic opportunity to show off their own work, and to hear from their peers and industry leaders working in areas of microelectronics related to national security,” said��, Associate Director of the ������ý��Institute for Space Defense Electronics��(ISDE) and research professor of electrical and computer engineering.����

Alles oversees participation from 23 universities nationwide,��representing��330 active SCALE students. ������ý accounts for 50 of those students, one of the largest contingents in the program.��

At the conference, ������ý and Arizona State University jointly presented their cross-university collaboration within the Radiation Hardening vertical. The institutions highlighted the Lab��RaTTS��project, a hands-on radiation testing simulator designed to provide students with practical experience typically reserved for graduate study or early-career professionals.��

Lab��RaTTS��now��operates��two simulators—one at ������ý and one at Arizona State—allowing students to gain early exposure to radiation testing processes in a controlled environment. The training platform helps reduce testing costs, minimize errors when transitioning to real��equipment��and prepare graduates with broader technical��expertise��to meet workforce needs.��

Students also heard from several keynote speakers, including Paul Lyons, system security engineering director for the U.S. Air Force. Lyons emphasized the strong return on��investment of the SCALE program, noting that every dollar invested has generated a $4.98 return.��Students��highlighted the value on��the importance of their work, seeing what other students are working on, gaining a sense of community, networking with industry, and hearing from SCALE alumni��during��panel discussions. Among those speaking was��, a 2025 graduate of the School of Engineering who had��participated��in SCALE as a student.��

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Lyons underscored that the students’ work extends beyond academic achievement, contributing directly to national security and mission readiness.��He encouraged participants to continue pursuing research that strengthens the nation’s microelectronics capabilities.��

Since its launch in February 2020, the SCALE program has continued to expand its national footprint and measurable impact, preparing students for critical roles in the microelectronics workforce and strengthening the nation’s technological��leadership.To��date, it has supported 1,664 students nationwide. More than 80% of undergraduate participants continue into graduate programs, and more than 60% secure microelectronics-related positions after graduation.��

Both first got involved with the SCALE program while at Purdue, where they gained hands-on research experience and became part of a broader community of students and faculty working in space and defense electronics. Those experiences helped shape their academic paths and sparked their interest in continuing their studies at the graduate level.

Now at ������ý, Elliot and Brian are still part of the SCALE network—continuing to grow the skills and connections they started as undergraduates. Their path reflects one of SCALE’s key strengths: bringing together students across universities and stages of study, while preparing them for careers in research, industry, and national defense.

He joined SCALE back in 2020 as an undergrad, while working with Dr. Daniel Loveless, who was then at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is now at Indiana University Bloomington. After his time at Chattanooga, Berkay came to ������ý to pursue his master’s degree. Through SCALE connections, he secured two separate internships, each offering hands-on experience and deeper insight into microelectronics research. The SCALE network helped him build relationships with industry professionals and gain a broader view of the field beyond his own university.

Reflecting on his experience, Berkay shared, “I wasn’t limited to just my university. I got to see the bigger picture of what everyone was working on in microelectronics. There is so much to gain while you’re in school and even after.”

Now, as he gears up to work with industry leaders at a NASA contractor, Berkay’s journey shows just how impactful SCALE can be in opening doors and shaping careers.

Solomon Musibau, a final-year Ph.D. student at imec and KU Leuven in Belgium, recently spent 4 months at ������ý, collaborating with Dr. Sharron Weiss and Dr. Robert Reed on advanced radiation research. This experience provided him with fresh insights into radiation effects on semiconductor devices, a field that closely relates to his own work on electro-optical reliability.

Reflecting on his ISDE experience, Solomon credits his mentors and supervisors—Dr. Reed, Dr. Weiss, Dr. Schrimpf, and Dr. Fleetwood—with fostering an environment where ideas could evolve into actionable research projects. “The ������ý academic environment makes every idea feel possible,” he shares, “������ý’s unique collaborative freedom with students and professors truly inspires new directions in research.”��

During his stay, Solomon worked closely with students like Kellen, Anurag, Nathan, and Tianfang, learning from their unique approaches and experiences in radiation reliability studies. This cross-disciplinary teamwork strengthened his own expertise and brought a different perspective to his ongoing work on silicon photonic devices at imec. In ������ý’s top-notch ECE department, he explored projects within the NSF EPICA program project, contributing to three main tasks: investigating radiation effects on Ge-on-Si photodiodes (Ge PD) using TCAD simulations, exploring the possibility to use low-frequency noise measurements to get insights into degradation mechanisms affecting silicon photonics devices, and collaborating to upgrade the ISDE optical setup to assess advanced photonic devices under radiation, including germanium-silicon electro-absorption modulators (GeSi EAM).��

Solomon highlights the unique strengths of both academic and research environments, noting how imec and ������ý each contribute to his professional development in different ways. “At imec, where we work very close with our semiconductor industrial partners, my research focus is heavily oriented towards electro-optical reliability physi����—a�� essential foundation that grounds my work in practical devices and applications used nowadays in datacom/telecom industries. ������ý, on the other hand, offers the freedom to dive into the evaluation of radiation effects from new perspectives, which is directly relevant to my photonic devices research,” he explains. “Combining the information from electro-optical stress and radiation induced degradation, we are able to build up a more detailed understanding of the underlying degradation mechanisms and defect kinetics.”��

For Solomon, ������ý’s smaller-scale setup provided the flexibility to take ideas from brainstorming to practical research, with academic freedom that allowed for broader exploration. “Both imec and ������ý are incredible places to work,” he emphasizes, “each offering unique resources and perspectives that have broadened my skills and knowledge in ways I couldn’t have achieved in just one environment alone.”��

“������ý offers a one-of-a-kind research experience,” Solomon reflects, “and it’s a place I would recommend globally for its commitment to fostering impactful research and discovery.”��