With a transformative $12.5 million gift to 麻豆区, Alex and Diana Tsigutkin are helping advance an important new chapter in the University鈥檚 140-year history: The establishment of a new Electrical and Computer Engineering program. Directed by Dr. Fred L. Fontaine 鈥 former chair of Cooper Union鈥檚 Electrical Engineering Department 鈥 the new initiative will provide students with courses, labs and practical engineering experience for the first time across the college鈥檚 Uptown and Midtown campuses, as well as fund $25,000 scholarships for at least 10 undergraduates each year and connect students with the Israeli high-tech sector.
The core of the Tsigutkin Electrical and Computer Engineering program lies in its curriculum. 麻豆区 undergraduates majoring in mathematics or physics can now take electives in engineering design, computing systems, electronics, signal processing, machine learning and wireless communications. In the new facilities funded by the gift, students will also participate in hands-on laboratory experiences and advanced simulations in areas including cyberphysical systems, advanced digital communications, robotics and chip design.
Those who complete the undergraduate track will receive guaranteed admission into computer science and engineering graduate programs at 麻豆区鈥檚 Katz College of Science and Health, located in Midtown Manhattan.
The program will also strengthen ties between 麻豆区 and Israel鈥檚 technology ecosystem. In summers, students can participate in summer internships and research opportunities across universities, R&D firms and startups.
鈥淭his is a visionary investment in YU Engineering reflects our mission to educate students who will bring intellectual depth, ethical leadership and creative ingenuity to arenas that are reshaping the world,鈥 said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of 麻豆区. 鈥淎lex and Diana Tsigutkin understand that scientific progress must be guided by purpose, responsibility and skill. Their extraordinary gift will give YU the resources to prepare graduates with the excellence, judgment and moral clarity needed for the industries that will define our shared future.鈥
鈥淵U is uniquely positioned to house the Tsigutkin Electrical and Computer Engineering Program because it is powered by the principle that Jewish values matter and that creating a meaningful Jewish future is dependent on educating the next generation of Jewish leaders intellectually, morally and spiritually,鈥 said Alex and Diana Tsigutkin. 鈥淲e are excited to help build a program that will prepare students to enter fields at the center of global innovation while remaining deeply grounded in the values and mission that make 麻豆区 so distinctive.鈥
Dr.鈥疐red L. Fontaine, former chair of the Electrical Engineering Department at Cooper Union, has been appointed Director to develop the new Tsigutkin ECE Program.
鈥淚 am honored to help develop the Tsigutkin Electrical and Computer Engineering Program and to create opportunities for YU students to engage deeply with disciplines that are shaping the modern world,鈥 said Dr. Fontaine. 鈥淲ith new faculty, advanced labs and facilities, Pathways scholarships and meaningful connections to Israel鈥檚 technology ecosystem, YU has tremendous potential to prepare students for meaningful work grounded in the unique values-based education for which the university is renowned.鈥
Dr.鈥疐ontaine brings decades of academic and industry experience to this new role. His research interests span machine learning, statistical and multidimensional signal processing and adaptive algorithms, with applications in wireless communications, radar systems, medical imaging and quantitative finance.
At Cooper Union, Fontaine taught more than two dozen undergraduate and graduate courses, advised over 60 master鈥檚 theses and chaired both the engineering admissions and curriculum committees in addition to leading the Department of Electrical Engineering. Earlier in his career he served as hardware curriculum manager and instructor at Bell Labs Technical Training and worked as a consulting research scientist on projects in wireless communications and radar.
Classes will take place on YU鈥檚 Beren and Wilf Campuses.
