IRVINE : $162,500 Pledged for UCI Fellowship

Silicon Systems Inc. of Tustin has pledged $162,500 to establish a five-year fellowship program at UC Irvine in electrical and computer engineering, university officials announced.

One fellowship of $32,500 will be awarded in each of the next five years to the winner of a senior design competition held annually by UCI’s School of Engineering. These competitive fellowships will provide money to cover student fees, housing and other costs.

The first fellowship will be awarded this spring, UC Irvine spokesman Scott Nelson said.

With the latest pledge, the county’s business community has donated $800,000 to support UCI’s engineering fellowships since the university began its private support campaign in 1988.

“Enhancing the capacity of UCI to provide talented graduates for the burgeoning Orange County high-technology environment is a key responsibility for local companies,” said Carm Santoro, Silicon Systems president and chief executive officer.

“Silicon Systems believes that fellowships of this type can strengthen the talent pool and aid in the further development of a cooperative long-term partnership between our company and the university,” he added.

The company also gave $50,000 to support construction of the university’s Rockwell Engineering Center and McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium, which were completed in February.

The new fellowships are aimed at encouraging students to learn about computer-aided engineering and design, designing integrated circuits, modeling of devices and related specialties.

Students who wish to apply may call Cliff Ochser, UCI’s director of engineering and development, at (714) 856-6418.