Twenty Cornell engineering undergraduates have received research support through a $134,000 grant by the Intel Foundation, directed by the Semiconductor Research Corp. Education Alliance's Undergraduate Research Opportunities program.

The program, which awarded a total of $1.4 million in grants to institutions this year, seeks to provide undergraduates with valuable research experience and mentoring; attract a diverse student population, including women and other underrepresented groups; and empower "bright, well-educated and experienced scientists and engineers" that U.S. high-tech companies seek.

"We want our students to recognize the connections between the material they are learning in the classroom and the technological innovations that transform our society and our world; and we want them to be prepared to drive and to lead these transformations," said Lance R. Collins, Cornell's Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. "None of these activities could happen without the dedication our faculty shows toward undergraduate education. However resources are a second requirement, and our partnership with SRC Education Alliance and Intel Foundation has proved to be an essential catalyst, bridging corporate and academic interests to support our college and our students in achieving these important goals."

Cornell's award recipients are:

Intel Foundation is a philanthropic organization focused on programs that advance education and improve communities worldwide. The Education Alliance is SRC's private foundation that develops funding sources and offers hands-on research experiences and meaningful interaction with scientists and engineers working in technology industries. The organization funds 230 scholarships for undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and math majors at 14 universities across the United States.