Rao Tummala, professor in the schools of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Materials Science Engineering, was presented with the Field Award at the 2011 Electronic Component Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida. Attendees at the conference represent international engineers and scientists in the area of packaging, components, and microelectronics systems technology. The Field Award recognizes Tummala's "pioneering and innovative contributions to package integration research, cross-disciplinary education and globalization of electronic packaging" and is the major IEEE packaging award. 

Tummala received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1968.  He spent 25 years with IBM, working his was up to Director & IBM Fellow in Thin Film MCM before joining Georgia Tech in  1993.  Tummala, currently director of Georgia Tech's 3D Systems Packaging Research Center, has provided national leadership in making packaging an acceptable "academic subject " by developing courses, curricula, textbooks, and degrees. His 1989 "Microelectronics Packaging Handbook" introduced packaging to the academic community and his 1997 three volume update still serves as the "packaging bible" to practitioners. While at Georgia Tech he introduced and developed the concept of system-on-package (SOP).