Minneapolis, MN – SMTA is honored to announce Yi Zhou, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been selected as the winner of the 2021 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant.

The SMTA Grant Committee selected Zhou’s project entitled "Mechanical and Ka-Band Electrical Testing of 5G/mm-wave Wearable System-on-Package Designs." She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017, and a Master’s degree in 2019 from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. Her master’s research explored Mechanical and High-Frequency Electrical Study of Printed, Flexible Antenna under Deformation. She is the current president of the Georgia Tech Student Chapter of SMTA. She is also an avid clarinet player and was a part of concert band at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Charles Hutchins Educational Grant was established in memory of past SMTA president, educator, mentor, and industry colleague, Dr. Charles Hutchins. The $8000 grant has been presented annually since 1998 to a full time graduate-level student pursuing a degree and working on thesis research in electronics assembly, electronics packaging, or a related field.

The award will be presented in person at the 2021 SMTA International Conference, November 1-4, 2021 in Minneapolis, MN, USA.

The SMTA will begin accepting applications for the 2022 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant in early 2022. View details at the website: https://smta.org/page/hutchins-grant

Please contact Saniya Pilgaonkar, hutchins@smta.org or +1-952-920-7682, with questions.