We live in a world powered by electricity. But few people stop to think about where that power comes from, let alone how it is transformed to run the devices they use every day. Electrical energy can be generated from fossil fuels or renewable sources, such as the sun, wind, and flowing water. But we cannot plug this raw power directly into electronics. It must first be processed and optimized for specific systems and devices. This is the role of power electronics, a branch of electrical engineering focused on transforming electrical energy from one form to another. A good example of power electronics in everyday life are the power adapters used to charge smartphones and laptops. Each power adapter contains a small power converter that changes alternating electrical current from a wall outlet into a form the device can use.
News and Events
Event: UPWARDS U.S.-Japan STEM Networking
Wednesday, July 23, 8 p.m. EST, 5 p.m. PST over Zoom. Register here to join the conversation.
Guest speakers Dr. Cindy Yi from Virginia Tech and Dr. Jungwon Choi from UW will speak on their graduate school experience and careers. Attendees will then be given the opportunity to network with students in other universities both in the U.S. and Japan.
Participating universities include Boise State University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Washington and Virginia Tech in the U.S. In Japan, universities include Hiroshima University, Institute of Science Tokyo, Kyushu University, Nagoya University and Tohoku University.
Send inquiries to Sanae Akaba at sanae.adaba@ila.isct.ac.jp
UPWARDS hosts Career Chat: Women in Engineering
On May 8, 2025, the UPWARDS for the Future Network, in collaboration with Micron and Tokyo Electron (TEL), hosted a “Career Chat: Women in Engineering” event at the University of Washington’s Nanoengineering & Sciences Building. The event featured three distinguished speakers from TEL: Lynda Jarrett (VP of IT), Raney Terrizzi (Sr. Manager of Technology), and Melissa Chan (Manager of Process Engineering). Each speaker shared their personal journey as a woman in engineering, focusing particularly on experiences within the semiconductor industry. They discussed challenges they faced, lessons learned, and the paths that led them to their current leadership roles. The event concluded with a networking session, providing students and attendees the opportunity to connect with the speakers and other professionals passionate about semiconductor engineering.
UW leads international group in semiconductor research and workforce development
The University of Washington is at the forefront of an international effort to innovate the semiconductor industry while building a skilled U.S.-based workforce to design and manufacture chip technology.
How UW ECE is ready for the CHIPS and Science Act
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 makes historic investments in semiconductor research, workforce development, and manufacturing to bolster supply chains and reassert the U.S. as a global leader. Over the next couple of years, billions of dollars will be pouring into this effort, and faculty from universities and colleges around the country will be competing for research and development funding, including many from UW.
UW Gets $10M Award to Train Semiconductor Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, announced that the University of Washington will receive $10 million to help train more semiconductor industry workers as part of the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future.
Micron Launches U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future
Eleven-university strong network to grow the next-generation workforce and advance semiconductor-based research in both countries
HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Micron Technology, Inc., the largest foreign investor in Japan over the last five years, today announced the launch of the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future.