The Micron Technology Foundation reported today it has pledged $1.25 million to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in support of the development of a nanofabrication teaching and research laboratory.

The lab is set to be a core facility in the university’s new Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) building currently under development on the campus. Micron said its investment will help leverage nearly $130 million in state and private dollars, and launch a new era of scientific discovery and technology innovation.

“With this gift to the University of Utah’s USTAR building, the Micron Foundation helps support research and education in microelectronics. We find that relationships with universities offer unique opportunities for students and faculty to enhance research activities that support the roadmap of the semiconductor industry,” said Dee Mooney, executive director of the Micron Foundation, in a statement.

The university and Micron said the nanofab lab is one of several highly specialized facilities planned to support research teams on the leading edge of technology development and commercialization with the goal to create a best-in-class university nanofab lab that will support world-class semiconductor, nanotechnology and electronics research.

The lab will be accessible to researchers at other Utah universities and businesses and is critically important to some of the nanotechnology faculty including those who have been hired under the USTAR program, who will apply nanoscale constructs in nanomedicine, biosensors, brain probes, artificial eyes, etc.

During the past decade Micron’s total support at the University of Utah exceeds $2.2 million.

Michael K. Young, president of the University of Utah noted that Micron’s support has made a significant difference in the quality of research and education at the University of Utah and throughout the state, and that this most recent gift will help to assure that the goals of the USTAR project will be realized.

In 2006, the Utah legislature voted to invest significantly in university research at the University of Utah and Utah State University by enacting the $400 million legislative USTAR Initiative. The funding is administered by a state-appointed board, and supports faculty and buildings, with benchmarks for performance in technology commercialization. Through the recruitment of international experts, USTAR is aimed at turning research funding into patents, marketable products, services, companies and jobs, the university explained.

Since corporate partnerships can have a critical influence on a university’s research and education, Richard B. Brown, dean of engineering at the University of Utah said, “Micron’s involvement in the college of engineering has been a motivating force for more than a decade. The Micron members of our advisory board and the company’s technical leaders have helped us develop a relevant and rigorous curriculum. Micron-funded scholarships and capstone projects consistently represent the highest level of academic achievement. Micron jobs are an important and highly sought-after source of professional employment for the college’s top graduates.” 

Micron has long been active funding research activities at the university level. 

In one of its most recent investments, Micron pledged $1 million last November to build the Micron Research Center at the Utah State University College of Engineering, which will host research and instruction in the area of emerging hardware and software technologies, particularly in reconfigurable hardware technologies. 

And last March, Micron helped launch a new lab at the University of Washington, to research new combinations of materials for use in semiconductor manufacturing.

By: DocMemory
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