SRC TECHCON 2010

This last week (Monday and Tuesday), I attended SRC TECHCON 2010 in Austin, TX. Every year, the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) funds a conference to give students working on research funded by SRC a chance to share their work. Last year, I attended the conference, but did not present a paper. After continuing my research with Dr. Chris Myers at the University of Utah, this year I was able to submit a paper, which I was fortunate enough to have accepted. I won't bore anyone with the details of what I presented, which few people would care about and fewer would understand, but the conference was a good chance to see what is going on in the semiconductor industry. From the ongoing search for the successor to CMOS to using Wall Street financial models to develop more sophisticated simulation test cases, semiconductors is a constantly changing field.

One of the primary goals of TECHCON is to give researchers in industry a chance to see what research is being done in their fields and get in touch with the students who are doing the research. At the conference, there is a career fair which gives those industry representatives the perfect chance to meet students and talk about potential career opportunities. After a disappointing experience last year where virtually no companies were hiring, this year was a much more encouraging experience. A few companies were interested in looking over my resume and talking with me, most notably IBM and Freescale, both primarily working out of Austin. After graduating at the University of Utah this year, I will be looking for opportunities to continue my education and establish my career. After making some connections at TECHCON, going to Austin seems like a very real possibility.