Mini-Circuits is Proud to Sponsor the University of South Florida's WAMI Center for the 19th Consecutive Year

15 August 2016

Mini-Circuits is proud to sponsor the University of South Florida’s Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems (WAMI) for the 19th consecutive year. Founded in 1997, the WAMI Center conducts research across a broad range of technical areas that include device modeling and characterization, RF micro-electromechanical systems, advanced materials and nanoscale devices, active antennas, cognitive radio, next generation wireless architectures and RF identification (RFID). In the 2014-2015 academic year, the Center supported 47 MS and PhD students, 2 post-doctoral fellows, and 7 undergraduate students, who collectively published over 80 refereed papers and were awarded 13 patents

WAMI Center Director, Tom Weller writes, “Our faculty members strive to deliver world-class education and research advancements, and through these efforts contribute broad and substantial impacts for the betterment of society. The key to the success of the WAMI Center, however are the students and our supporters throughout the industry and various federal agencies. We are proud of the close community that our students have the opportunity to enjoy, and prouder still of their many achievements.”

The Center’s curriculum includes a series of intensive courses designed around both the theoretical and practical aspects of wireless circuit and system design. Instruction follows a progression from an introductory wireless circuits and systems design laboratory, to design courses in active and passive RF/microwave devices, MMIC design, GaN-based power amplifier design, RF and microwave measurements, and an advanced course in wireless communications including antenna theory, digital communications, and other topics.

Mini-Circuits supports the Center with an annual needs-based donation of components and hardware for students and faculty to use in the lab for experiments and research projects. This equipment facilitates hands-on learning through experimentation with microwave circuits and systems on the test bench.

Mini-Circuits Founder and CEO, Harvey Kaylie comments, “The USF WAMI Center provides many resources for new engineers to further their education about wireless communications, not only from an academic perspective, but also through actual hands-on experience. By donating Mini-Circuits components to their programs, we hope to make abstract RF concepts more concrete for students, so they can appreciate the nuances of design and assembly, and see the fruit of their effort when it actually works.”

Mini-Circuits is deeply committed to supporting academic institutions in cultivating the next generation of intellectual talent in the fields of electronics and electrical engineering. The advancement of our industry depends directly on the promise of the young engineers graduating from universities such as USF, and we feel a responsibility to contribute to the mission of the academic community.

To learn more about the USF Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems, visit: http://wami.eng.usf.edu/