For the past few months I have been spending my days at the microsystems technology laboratories in Atlanta, Georgia. I find that in the mornings I can take my computer and a notebook with me to the lab and work at my own pace. In the afternoons, I can work in my office with a projector and computer, even if I have to be somewhere else.
A “micro” system is a piece of technology that is relatively small, but is usually designed to solve a specific problem. For example, computer chips are microchips, and microprocessors are “microsystems” in that they are relatively small machines. This is generally a good thing because it reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and thus decreases costs.
Microsystems are typically used in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, electrical engineering, and biochemistry. In those areas, microsystems are used to help scientists solve problems. In these areas, microsystems are used to solve problems by allowing scientists to work on a problem without having to do any of the actual research.
Microsystems are often used in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, electrical engineering, and biochemistry. The goal of these labs is to find answers to the question, “What is life?” Microsystems are actually more than just computers and microelectronics. They can be used for everything from the design of robots to the building of robots. They can be used in all areas of engineering, from aircraft to the military.
The idea is that you can learn a lot from working with just a few people to learn how to build robots and machines. It’s really hard to get a broad enough group to work on larger projects because you can’t just throw people out into the world and expect them to work together. You have to be willing to let people in on the details of an idea and let them talk it over with each other.
And just like any group, if you don’t have that same willingness to share, you won’t get far. Microsystems is a group of about 20 top engineers from UC Berkeley. Like the other companies in this group were willing to let others in, so it’s not hard to imagine that if you had the same “guild” where you could talk about the specifics of your project, you could be successful.
But that’s not what happened in this case. Because UC Berkeley is not only a university, it is also an institute of higher learning. Why would they let anyone in? Because they think they can learn more just by letting people in. But they didn’t. They didn’t even let them talk. Their answer to that was, “We will not discuss our projects in public. We’ll only discuss them in private.
UC Berkeley does not allow anyone in its labs to talk about their research. They are not averse to it though. They are not only allowing people to talk, but they are giving them special privileges. They are also giving them a “university” where they can speak freely about whatever they want. In fact, most of their students have already been given special privileges. They are allowed to speak before the entire faculty, and about any topic they like.
UC Berkeley is the first university in the US to allow people to talk about their microsystems technology projects. UC Berkeley is also the first university to allow the public to see the complete lab they are using, the actual equipment they are using (so anyone can actually touch it), and the research they are doing. This is an excellent sign of the growth in public interest in the field.
