Intel Education and Research program directors visit campus

Central State University (CSU) and Wright State University (WSU) welcomed Melinda Murdock and Dr. Sowmya Venkataramani, Intel's top figures in education and research, for campus visits on Sept. 28 as part of a collaboration between the organizations.

The day commenced at Central State with a warm reception, leading to a comprehensive meeting with the CSU Intel team. Attendees from the session, led by Mubbashar Altaf Khan, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Electronic Engineering Technology, included the following:

• Arunasalam Rahunanthan, Ph.D., interim dean of the John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture (JWGCESTA);
• Mohammadreza Hadizadeh, Ph.D., Intel project director and associate professor of Physics; 
• Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi, Ph.D., professor of Manufacturing Engineering;
• Deng Cao, Ph.D., professor of Computer Science; and
• Emdad Ahmed, Ph.D., assistant professor of Computer Science.

Khan provided insights on the progression of the Intel Semiconductor Education and Research Program at CSU (ISEP-CSU). He detailed the latest updates on the development of a certificate program in Semiconductor Processing and a minor in Computer Hardware Technology. Furthermore,  Khan shed light on the recent advancements in the development of the planned semiconductor simulation lab, the microfabrication lab, and the FPGA lab at CSU.

After the session, Murdock and Venkataramani were accompanied on a tour across CSU's campus and were introduced to the Mathematics and Computer Science and Manufacturing Engineering departments. This presented a great opportunity for these Intel delegates to directly engage with CSU's students and summer interns, who are at the forefront of innovations under CSU's semiconductor program.

The day concluded with a collaborative group discussion, bringing together representatives from Intel, CSU, WSU, and others. The group brainstormed and discussed joint initiatives to promote workforce development within the semiconductor domain.

All in all, the visit by Intel's delegation to both CSU and WSU campuses marks an important day in the continued partnership between academia and industry.

Watch a video about the 2023 Intel Summer Internship Program.