In the wetlands of King’s Bay, Georgia, the sail of a nuclear-powered Trident II Submarine laden with sophisticated computer equipment juts out of the marshy waters. In a medical center, a cardiac surgeon prepares to implant a state-of-the-art wireless pacemaker in a waiting patient. In a suburban supermarket, a busy mom waves a credit card over a payment processing terminal to buy her family’s groceries.
These scenarios all have one thing in common. They illustrate the world’s dependence on technology powered by microelectronics. From fighter jets to flat-panel televisions, from cars to credit cards, microchips, or chips, are everywhere.
And they are vulnerable to attack.
Michel Kinsy, an associate professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, is a leading expert on microelectronics and is on a mission to find ways to effectively protect them.
In 2020, he founded the Secure, Trusted, and Assured Microelectronics Center, or STAM Center, a consortium of six laboratories, each with a different research theme, but with a common purpose: to prepare the best students for challenging careers in securing the nation’s microchips.
Kinsy has created an experiential learning system that begins with recruiting capable, interested students and connecting them with opportunities to solve microelectronics security problems, working on both hardware and software, studying about all necessary phases of difficult projects.
“The most dynamic and rewarding opportunities available in the microelectronics industry require a solid technical foundation,” Kinsy says. “Therefore, early access to advanced training is essential for developing the necessary skills and competencies to contribute effectively to ongoing revitalization initiatives. The STAM Center is playing a significant role in this training pathway.”
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