Judy Hoyt, a pioneer in semiconductor research and retired MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science, passed away on Aug. 6. She was 65. Hoyt is known well for her groundbreaking research on strained silicon semiconductor materials, work which helped greatly decrease the size of integrated circuits. Her most recognized contribution was the first demonstration of the incorporation of lattice strain as a means to enhance performance in scaled silicon devices, a key concept behind the continuation of Moore’s Law roadmap for the last 20 years. This contribution has…