Student Design Competitions
At this year's International Microwave Symposium, a total of five design competitions will be held. Although each competition has its' own rules, these competitions are generally involve students solving microwave related design problems. The potential benefits to the students are clear; winners receive monetary prizes and the chance to write up their design in an IEEE Microwave Magazine article. The competitions bring long-term tangible benefits to our society by getting young engineers involved with the IMS, where they will hopefully become career-long society members.
The Student Design Competitions are still a relatively new addition to the IMS. The first competition was conceived of and held by the MTT-5 technical committee (Microwave High Power Techniques) at the 2005 IMS held in Long Beach, CA. Now in its fifth year, the popularity of student competitions is continuing to grow, with a total of five competitions are being held this year.
Included below are brief overviews of each competition. For the complete rules for each competition, interested parties are referred to the "Student Events" tab on the front page of the IMS2010 website (http://www.ims2010.org/student_events.html ). Rules can be downloaded, and any updates will be posted there if necessary. Each competition is sponsored by one or more MTT technical committees. Members from the sponsoring committee dedicate their time to arrange each competition.
- Optical-to-microwave convertor
IEEE MTT-S Technical Committee MTT-3 (Microwave photonics) is sponsoring "An Optical to Microwave Converter" Student Competition. This contest is open to all IEEE MTT-S members who are enrolled as students at a university. The objective of the contest is to demonstrate new and effective photodiode power combining and power extraction techniques for stringent microwave photonics applications. Proposals are due by March 15, 2010. Following submission of a proposal describing the potential solution, up to five contestants will be selected and provided pre-defined photodiodes that are provided by Discovery semiconductor. Teams of up to four (4) student members are allowed, provided each team member has a direct contribution to the solution. Contestants are required to demonstrate their design and the optical-to-microwave converter at the IMS2010. The designs will be judged by members of MTT-3 using pre-defined criteria that include converter efficiency, maximum power output, and linearity. Two winners (or teams) will be selected with a first prize of USD700 and a second prize of USD300. The prizes shall be equally divided between all members of a winning team. Additional questions are directed to Prof. Yifei Li at yli2@umassd.edu.
- High Efficiency Power Amplifier Competition
MT-5 (High Power Amplifier Components) will hold the "High Efficiency Power Amplifier Competition". The competition is open to all students and graduate students registered at an educational establishment. The competitors are required to design, construct, and measure a high efficiency power amplifier, at a frequency of their choice above 1 GHz but less than 20 GHz, and having an output power level of at least 5 watts, but less than 100 watts. The power amplifier (PA) design may use any type of technology, but must be the result of student effort both in the amplifier design and fabrication. The power amplifiers must be brought to IMS2010 where they will be tested to verify their performance. A representative of the design group must be present at the testing to assist with the evaluation. The winner will be judged on the design, which demonstrates the highest power added efficiency (PAE), measured during official testing at IMS, multiplied by a frequency weighting factor having the form (GHz)¼. PAE will be defined as (RFout - RFin)/dc. Measurements will be under CW operation at room ambient conditions into a 50 ohm load. Only the power at the fundamental CW frequency will be included in the measurement of output power. All amplifiers should require less than 25 dBm of input power to reach the output level required for maximum efficiency. The PA mechanical design should allow for internal inspection of all relevant components and circuit elements. The RF ports should be standard coaxial connectors, type N or SMA. The winner will receive a prize of $1,000. Additional questions are directed to Dr. Kiki Ikossi (ikossi@ieee.org)
- Creativity and Originality in Microwave Measurements
This contest is organized by IEEE MTT-11 to highlight creative and original microwave measurement setups or procedures and to recognize one that is truly remarkable. There is no need to use the latest or most expensive equipment, only to have a good idea that presents a creative solution to an existing measurement problem. Ideas may include software, hardware, calibrations, and/or theory that focus on making the job of the bench-level engineer easier or more satisfying. Prize amounts totaling $1000 will be provided by the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC), part of the MTT Society Administrative Committee (ADCOM). This contest is open to all individuals or groups including students as well as non-students. The contest idea should not have been previously published or submitted for publication in accordance with IEEE publications. Additional questions should be addressed to Professor Rashaunda Henderson (rmhen@ieee.org).
- Packaged Diplexer
IEEE MTT-S Technical Committees MTT-12 (Interconnects, Packaging, and Manufacturing) and MTT-8 (Microwave Filters, Multiplexers, and Passive Components) are co-sponsoring a "Packaged Diplexer" Student Competition. The contest will be similar to the successful contests at IMS2008 and IMS2009. This contest is open to all IEEE MTT-S members who are enrolled as students at a university. The objective of the contest is to demonstrate new and effective packaging and interconnect techniques for a stringent microwave diplexer application. Proposals are due by March 15, 2010. Following submission of a proposal describing the potential solution, the contestants will be provided a pre-defined package that is provided by Stratedge. Teams of up to four (4) student members are allowed, provided each team member has a direct contribution to the solution. Contestants are required to demonstrate their design and package at the IMS2010. Characterization of the filters will be performed by an Agilent team. The designs will be judged by members of MTT-12 and MTT-8 using pre-defined criteria that include filter performance and robustness. Three winners (or teams) will be selected with a first prize of USD600, second prize of USD300, and a third prize of USD100. The prizes shall be equally divided between all members of a winning team. Additional questions should be addressed to Professor Robert Jackson at jackson@ecs.umass.edu.
- ASH Receiver
IEEE MTT-S Technical Committees MTT-16 (Microwave Systems) and MTT-2 (Microwave Acoustics) are are co-sponsoring the first "Student ASH Receiver Design Competition". The competition is open to all students and graduate students registered at an educational establishment. The competitors are required to design, construct, and measure an Amplifier-Sequenced Hybrid Receiver (ASH receiver) at a frequency of 433.92 MHz. The winner will be judged on the design which demonstrates the lowest power consumption while providing the highest sensitivity. The ASH receivers must be brought to IMS2010 where they will be tested to verify their performance. A representative of the design group must be present at the testing to assist with the evaluation. The winner will receive a prize of US$1,000. Support for the testing is provided by Rohde & Schwarz GmbH. More information on the contest can be found on the homepage of the IMS2010 (http://ims2010.org/pdf/MTT16_Receiver.pdf). Additional questions should be addressed to Mr. Stefan Zorn at zorn@lfte.de or to Mr. Benjamin Laemmle at laemmle@lfte.de
