38th Design Automation Conference and sponsoring societies to award over $489,000 in professional development funds

BOULDER, Colo. - April 2, 2001 - Continuing its tradition of providing opportunity and support to scholars of the electronic design automation (EDA) industry, the Design Automation Conference (DAC) today announced it is awarding over $489,000, in conjunction with its sponsors, in professional development funds for graduate and undergraduate students seeking further academic studies and careers in the EDA field. These funds will be awarded at the 38th annual DAC June 18-22 in Las Vegas, bringing the total amount donated over the past eight years to over $2 million.

DAC is the premier event in the electronic design industry uniting EDA, silicon strategists, and embedded systems developers for collaboration on tools and methodologies for effective system and IC design. The DAC Professional Fund supports five different programs, including the P. O. Pistilli ACSEE Scholarship Program, the University Booth Program, the Young Student Support Program, the DAC Graduate Scholarships, and the Student Design Contest. These programs serve a broad range of students in the computer science and electronic engineering professions.

"DAC continues to lead the technology industry in its commitment to the professional development of those seeking to advance in the field of electronic design engineering," said Giovanni DeMicheli, chair of the DAC Professional Fund. "This is the most valuable investment we can make for the growth and future of the EDA industry."

The P. O. Pistilli ACSEE Scholarship Program is for graduating high school seniors and undergraduate students from under-represented groups intending to study computer science and engineering, including women, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the physically challenged. The scholarships are awarded annually in $4,000 increments with a maximum of $20,000 per student. The award is named for Pat Pistilli, one of the founders of DAC and the scholarship program, who dedicated more than three decades of service to the design automation industry. This year, DAC and the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society will award a total of seven scholarships. Additional information is available at http://doc.union.edu/acsee.html.

The University Booth Program provides booth space on the exhibit floor, computer equipment, and a high-speed Internet connection at DAC for undergraduate and graduate students to demonstrate research and instructional-related designs, tools, and materials. This program also provides travel grants for DAC attendance to participating students who require financial aid. This year?s program, sponsored by DAC, the ACM Special Interest Group on Design Automation and the EDA Consortium, expects to award $80,000 to assist with travel expenses. Additional information can be found online at http://www.sigda.acm.org/programs/Ubooth.

The Young Student Support Program encourages advanced undergraduate students and first-year graduate students to pursue graduate studies in the EDA field or to join the profession upon graduation. Students are introduced to the design automation profession through meetings, tours, and associations with a mentor who is an advanced graduate student already working in the area. This award includes student registration fees, a banquet ticket, and $300-$500 to help cover travel expenses. This year?s sponsors include, DAC, ACM Special Interest Group on Design Automation and the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. More information on this scholarship can be found at http://atrak.usc.edu/studprog.html.

The DAC Graduate Scholarships support graduate students engaged in EDA and circuit design research. Three $24,000 scholarships are awarded annually based on the academic credentials of the student and research advisor, as well as on the quality of the research proposed. New this year, the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society has agreed to provide funds for an additional two scholarships. Preference is given to students with financial need and to academic institutions that are in the process of establishing new programs. Additional information can be found at http://www.dac.com/38th/scholar.html.

 The Student Design Contest, sponsored by more than a dozen electronics companies, promotes excellence in the design of electronic systems. The contest allows entries of both integrated circuits and electronic systems and will award more than $20,000 in recognition of undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate excellence in the development of operational and conceptual designs. Additional information can be found at http://www.dac.com/38th/studcon.html.
 
 

About DAC

DAC is the premier forum for the electronic design industry to exchange information on products, methodologies and processes. Attended by more than 2017,000 developers, designers, researchers, managers and engineers from leading electronics companies and universities around the world, DAC includes more than 250 exhibitors and offers a robust technical program covering the electronics industry?s hottest trends. DAC is sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery/Special Interest Group on Design Automation (ACM/SIGDA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/Circuits and Systems Society (IEEE/CAS) and the Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDA Consortium). For more information, including registration, visit the DAC Web site at www.dac.com or contact DAC management at 1-800-321-4573.

For more information, contact:
 

Sonia Harrison
KVO Public Relations
(503) 221-2369
sonia_harrison@kvo.com

Ken Ray
KVO Public Relations
(503) 221-7415
ken_ray@kvo.com