Nancy Jaster Brings Manufacturing, Design Background to Designers Council

Estimated reading time: 18 minutes

A lot of that gets back to me in having to understand exactly where my active chapters are. What information do I have to give a chapter that is starting out? I've talked to the leadership team, or the executive board, and we've talked about putting a package together with a welcome kit or a startup kit that tells them how they can go ahead and start a chapter. So those are other things that I want to do, is to make sure that we have that.

The other thing is I need to make sure all web pages are updated. An idea I had today listening to the Altium users group that maybe I need to talk to all the CAD vendors, not just Altium. I know Altium supports me, but find out when all the user group meetings are, because I'm assuming Mentor has them and Cadence has them. And list those, because I don’t want to look like I'm favoring one tool over another. If I can get them all to give me that information, I want to put that on the webpage so maybe we can get some cross-pollination between the user groups and the Designers Council.

Matties: Because the tool is one part of the equation, but it's really the problem solving and creativity that is probably the largest part.

Jaster: Yes. But it can be very helpful if there are resources or meetings that are happening, like an Altium day, or Zuken or Mentor day. Then we can let people know, "Hey, there are all of these local events." Not just an IPC event, but other events that you can go to and learn from a design perspective.

Matties: Sounds like you have a big challenge in front of you.

Jaster: Yes. And I want to start student chapters of the Designers Council.

Matties: What would a student chapter, in your mind, look like? Are they connecting with local chapters, or are they forming their own groups?

Jaster: I would love them to connect with local groups. Let's pick San Diego as an example. The San Diego Designers Council knows what schools are here, and let’s reach out to those schools to get them involved.

Matties: Yes. I think Mike Creeden and all of those guys do a great job.

Jaster: So, I want that. But I also think that the student chapters could have a little bit of a different role, in that I think that the student chapters can help us with STEM activities because they're closer in age to the kids. Again, I'm thinking it’s going to be U.S.-based. I know that before I went to college, I was trying to decide what to do, and I had no idea what an engineer did. I think so many kids don't understand engineering. I’m a big supporter of the STEM programs that we have today, and I want us to do something to help them. I'd love to have the college kids do something in a STEM program. So, their focus may be slightly different to help encourage the next generation. But again, these are ideas at this point.

Matties: There are all these different associations that all have the similar need of bringing young minds in. It seems like we should be aligning all the associations and creating a program just for this on a national basis. Ultimately it would be global, but North America has the labor problem right now. They've already invented the wheel, why do we have to reinvent it?

Jaster: That's an excellent point. It would be nice if there was. I do a STEM project with the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and to me, it seems that the STEM programs are so disconnected. There seems to be a lot of information, but it doesn't seem like we've got somebody really standing up and organizing it. And for the electronics industry in particular, it would be nice if we could get all those organizations together. Because then we can also expand it to not just one location, because we're going to be in San Diego for the next five years. So unfortunately, it's only going to be the San Diego schools that are going to get the benefit of this program.

Matties: Unless they're sponsored by Google, or somebody, and we bring them in. Because the idea is it's not just this one show. If we build a network, then it's the SMTA show, it’s the IPC show, it's the RF show, etc.

Jaster: That's a whole other job. I would love to do that, but that's a whole different position. That's a full-time job for somebody.

Matties: What if this started with the chapters? You could start it with your chapters. And what's their purpose, other than educating each other? Now the chapters would be driven to, not just educate others, but to compel the young minds to a higher level and set it up like that.

Jaster: That's a great idea.

Matties: I think you probably would get more benefit out of that effort than you might get out of just having chapter meetings communicating. Because you bring purpose. And the old guys, they want to start teaching. Let's look at Happy Holden. His attitude is, "Here, take the information. We need to pass it on." There are a lot of people like that out there.

Jaster: That is why we started the Emerging Engineer program at IPC. Because we need to start getting those younger engineers involved and start learning. Not that we don't love our members and our chairs who have been with us for a long time, but we need to start bringing in the next generation.

Matties: You need a succession plan.

Jaster: Right. Because otherwise nobody's going to be there to support IPC-6010.

Matties: Well, you're in a great position, Nancy, to make real change in this world.

Jaster: I'm trying.

Matties: It's a tough weight to have on your shoulders, and I don't want to add extra weight to it.

Jaster: I'm going to be all gray (laughs).

Matties: However, there's real opportunity, and there's nothing wrong with being the one who can change the world.

Jaster: And I'm trying. I do the STEM activity on my own for the Museum of Science and Industry. I know what it was like to be in high school to have no clue what engineering was, and back then it was, "Oh you're a girl, you're going to be a teacher or a nurse." Luckily, I had teachers and counselors who said, “That's not your limit.” Many kids today just don't know what is available to them. If you would have told me 30 years ago that I would have loved the electronics industry, I would have said you were crazy.

But having been out of it for a number of years and coming back, I realized how much I missed it. It may not seem like the sexiest career or industry, but it's so interesting and rewarding. It’s always changing, always on that cutting edge, and anything you look at nowadays, electronics is everywhere. So, it's important.

Matties: You're in a great position to change the world and I really look forward to seeing the results of your efforts. Is there anything that we haven't talked about, but you feel like we should share?

Jaster: I'm excited about getting the Designers Council revitalized and giving them the support that I think that they need. And like you said, maybe expanding their charters to start doing some of these STEM activities we discussed. When we talked about the Design Forum last year, the question came up again about the next generation. And it really is all of our responsibility. We all really need to find some time and step up and try to work to get these young kids interested in things, in whatever little way we can do so.

It's relatively easy to do, but we just have to make the time to go do it. When I went to engineering school, less than 10% of the class was female. Well, I don't think it's changed much in those many years there, and I think it's mostly because young women, young people, just don't understand what engineers do, the capabilities, or how you can change the world through engineering. Whether it is doing electrical design, or even physical design, mechanical design, chemical engineering, or environmental engineering—there's so many different areas in which kids can participate. Obviously, I think electrical engineering is wonderful, but we need to encourage our young people to go in that area. And hopefully I can get the designers on board, and I think I will, because most of the designers understand. The people that show up for these things are people that are really engaged and are very interested. They have an enthusiasm that we need to spread.

Matties: And foster, too.

Jaster: Yes. That's a big part of it, just spreading that enthusiasm and keeping it going and getting people really excited about it. It's doable. In my career, I have done so many different things just because of my education, and the fact that I was willing to learn and grow. So, it's a wonderful field that we need to get more and more young people involved in.

Matties: I always say, if we made a video game about designing circuit boards, we would have no shortage of circuit board designers.

Jaster: You're probably right. We'll have to get Dave Bergman working on his peanut butter and jelly circuit board.

Matties: I think that's a good course for these kids today. Nancy, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. And congratulations, and we wish you all the success.

Jaster: Thank you.

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