Grand opening held for new lab

November 4, 2015 / By Lori Brandt

Irvine, November 4, 2015 — 

Microsemi Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, and the University of California, Irvine today announced the upcoming grand opening of the Microsemi Innovation Lab within Calit2 on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Microsemi executives, UCI leaders, students and community members gathered for the Microsemi Innovation Lab’s unveiling event, which began with a short symposium, “Internet of Things Applications: From Research to Innovation for Market Opportunities,” followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and guided tours of the new lab demonstrating the latest advances in semiconductor hardware and software capabilities.

“Microsemi is honored to play such an important role in supporting UCI to ensure the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) is a nationally recognized leader for innovation in engineering, and we hope the Microsemi Innovation Lab will help inspire the next generation of its students,” said James J. Peterson, chairman and CEO of Microsemi. “Investing in such industry-leading higher education institutions allows our company to give back to the community while helping shape the future workforce for innovative technology companies like Microsemi.”

After a generous donation from Microsemi to UCI towards the development of the Innovation Lab, the two entities collaborated on the project for more than two years to ensure the highest quality resources are available to engineering students, as well as researchers involved in multidisciplinary projects. Located on the second floor of the Calit2 Building, the Microsemi Innovation Lab is the newest addition to the institute’s innovation pipeline for academic and industry partners. Offering state-of-the-art technology with strategic guidance from Microsemi’s chief technology officer, Jim Aralis, the lab will provide the tools and expertise for the conceptual design, prototyping, integration and validation of student and faculty innovations, as well as provide the ability to advance research and explore commercial possibilities.

“We are grateful to Microsemi for its generosity and look forward to advancing this partnership,” said G.P. Li, Calit2 UCI director. “Thanks to the vision of Microsemi’s leadership, this collaboration will enable students without a dozen advanced degrees to come into the lab and easily build research prototypes.”

Calit2 develops information technology-based Internet of Things (IoT) innovations in a multidisciplinary research environment. The Microsemi Innovation Lab will provide an important venue for state-of-the-art fabrication and proof-of-concept efforts, adding to the institute’s portfolio of shared-user facilities.

In addition to their support of Calit2, Microsemi’s executives sit on the UCI Board of Trustees, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the School of Physical Sciences Leadership Councils, and Paul Merage School of Business Advisory Council. Microsemi has also been a proud corporate partner of UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business for more than five years, providing a collaborative forum to tackle business challenges using the insights from well-respected peers.

Media Contacts

Doug Ramsey, (858) 822-5825, dramsey@ucsd.edu
Tiffany Fox, (858) 246-0353, tfox@ucsd.edu