The MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) or Micro System Technologies field is one of the most exciting technologies to be developed since the integrated circuit. Already identified as a critical technology of national importance, the MEMS area is attracting the interest of engineers and scientists in this country. Research in industry (very little at present), government laboratories (starting), and universities is starting to grow as evidenced by the ongoing work at the University of California - Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Cornell. This effort coupled with newly formed research centers such as the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) at Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, and the Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) at Louisiana Tech University will enable the United States to keep pace with the burgeoning interest in Japan and Europe (particularly Germany). The objective of this proposal is to enhance the development of the MEMS field in the university environment. This will be accomplished by contacting all U.S. colleges of engineering and providing them with an informational package on MEMS and a copy of the Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems. This joint ASME/IEEE publication has just been released (first issue March 1992) and with developmental support should become the lead publication for this technology worldwide.
