Ken Soda

Ken Soda is a Part-Time Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Southern Maine, affiliated with the Department of Engineering and the College of Science, Technology, & Health. Previously, he served for nearly 18 years as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the United States Air Force Academy, where he developed student design capabilities in VLSI Circuits and contributed to the implementation of the MOSIS IC manufacturing program. He integrated OrCAD/Cadence PSPICE tools into coursework and Senior Design projects, modernized the hardware electronics laboratory, and helped establish the Academy’s Systems Engineering Major.

Education:

• PhD Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1982)
• MS Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1974)
• BS Electrical Engineering, USAF Academy (1973)

Research Interests: Dr. Soda’s work centers on semiconductor materials and processing, compound semiconductor devices, radiation effects on electronic systems, and the design of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). He emphasizes practical applications of engineering principles, including curriculum development that incorporates ethics and systems engineering methodologies. His contributions to microelectronics manufacturing include advancing industry practices through his involvement with SEMATECH.

Advising/Grants: While no specific grants or student advisees are listed, Dr. Soda has been a key advisor in curriculum design and laboratory infrastructure at the Air Force Academy. His efforts included fostering student engagement in IC fabrication and ethics integration within engineering education.

Labs/Teams: He modernized the hardware electronics laboratory at the Air Force Academy and contributed to the Systems Engineering program’s establishment. In industry, he collaborated with DoD research facilities and SEMATECH to advance semiconductor technologies.