Sina Poorkasmaei, a UC Irvine graduate student in electrical engineering & computer science, was among 12 student finalists from universities around the globe competing recently in a poster session before Broadcom’s annual Technical Conference. His project studied the challenges posed by improving the quality of information exchange between portable devices. More than 400 Broadcom engineers were on hand to judge the University Research Competition entries and award prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000; Poorkasmaei received $1,000. “This competition, spearheaded by Broadcom’s co-founder, Dr. Henry Samueli, celebrates academic excellence and social awareness among students who perform extraordinary research,” said Paula Golden, executive director of the Broadcom Foundation. “The intellectual power of the finalists, who come from universities throughout the world, is profound, and we are honored to have them compete on the eve of Broadcom’s Technical Conference.” The Broadcom Foundation advances education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity.