PENANG, November 2014 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) through the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (SEEE) produced the first batch of graduates in the Master of Microelectronic Engineering with the collaboration of the industry particularly those in Penang.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman congratulated all graduates, not only because they have succeeded in completing their postgraduate study within a year, but also been able to engage in the highly competitive industry within the same period.

“The students had learned much about the field of Electronic Engineering, especially those involving the digital domain and the analog integrated circuit design (ICD), advanced signal integrity, and solid state technology,” said the Vice-Chancellor at the press conference held today to celebrate the graduates’ achievements.

The Vice-Chancellor added that many of them have worked very hard, juggling between being full-time students and fulfilling sponsorship responsibilities.

“The programme was designed to meet the demands of the industry which needs engineers who are well trained and skilled in the field of ICD,” said Dean of SEEE, Professor Dr. Mohd Zaid Abdullah.

“I would like to thank TalentCorp Malaysia for providing financial sponsorships to a total of 19 students in the 2013/2014 Academic Session under the Master FasTrack programme. Of the total, 12 of the graduates are from Intel Microelectronic (M) Sdn. Bhd.; three from Motorola Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.; and four from Altera Corporation Sdn. Bhd.

“In terms of fields of specialization, a total of 11 students took mixed-mode in the Master of Science (Microelectronic Engineering); four did mixed-mode in Master of Science (Electronic Systems Design Engineering); and four more did research mode in Master of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics,” Zaid added.

According to one of the graduates, Sureindra Kumar Oothayer Kumar from Altera Corp. Sdn. Bhd., he chose the course because he wanted to gain in-depth knowledge in the field of microelectronics to enable him to contribute to the development of technology.

“With all the help that will be provided to me, I hope to continue to pursue my doctorate and continue to contribute to the development of technology,” added Sureindra.

“Programmes like these help me to build a career in the field of microelectronics because I am very interested in this field and this can provide me the opportunity to advance myself,” said one of the graduates of Intel Microelectronics. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon/Text: Nor Rafizah Md Zain/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md Isa