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Foundations of the Future: STEM Student Outreach Program at IPC APEX EXPO 2020

When we hold an event, there is nothing more rewarding than words like these from Diego, Mount Miguel High School: “I learned many valuable pieces of information related to engineering careers. My favorite topic to learn about was PCBs. I enjoyed participating in the hands-on activities, such as breadboarding and soldering. Overall, I had a wonderful time at the event!” In this column, I’ll cover the success of the IPC STEM Student Outreach Program, as well as share updates on IPC student chapter members and scholarship winners from IPC APEX EXPO 2020.

The Success of the IPC STEM Student Outreach Program

The IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF) hosted its STEM Student Outreach Program on February 6 at IPC APEX EXPO 2020 in San Diego, California. The day was packed with several hands-on technical activities, career exploration, and industry engagement. Nine local high schools attended bringing 193 students and 30 educators from Mission Hills High School, Morse High School, North County Trade Tech High School, Saint Marcos High School, E3 Civic High School, Point Loma High School, Otay Ranch High School, Mount Miguel High School, and Otay Ranch High School—Girls in STEM.

Twice as many students were able to participate in this year’s event with educational tracks that focused on soldering, PCB design, and building circuits with breadboards. We reached out to students and teachers who participated in the event, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are just a few of the comments we received from students.

• “The event gave me a better understanding of the field of digital electronics and opened my eyes to other aspects of the subject.” —Yrvin, Otay Ranch High School

• “This event heightened my interest in the engineering industry as well as opened up my eyes to options in industrial design and how it works alongside electrical engineering.” —Brandon, Mission Hills High School

• “I learned another part about the electronics engineering profession, and I am now more knowledgeable about the industry. I know that this is a possible career path that I can go down in my future.” —Aaron, Otay Ranch High School

This feedback reinforces our belief that activities like these raise awareness of career opportunities in the electronics manufacturing industry. We also know direct contact with industry professionals can have a huge impact on students’ perception of our industry. That’s why we held a career panel discussion and tour the IPC APEX EXPO show floor.

The career panel discussion was moderated by John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. Several students asked questions to a diverse group of industry professionals from TTM Technologies, Panasonic, Nordson, Weller Professional Tools, Raytheon Company, and Kimball Electronics. The panelists answered questions and even prompted colleagues in the room to share their experiences. Matthew, a student from Otay Ranch High School, said, “I enjoyed listening to the panelists. They had some interesting stories about their careers and the process they took to get there. It was an educational experience that isn’t often available to me in the classes I am taking but will be useful for my future.”

One of the panelists, Lam Tse, business development manager at Panasonic, said, “When you are in high school, it’s sometimes hard to see what a STEM education translates to in the real world, but IPC does a great job at showing what is possible with a STEM-related education by connecting the students with people in the industry.”

Harold Mumford, engineering coordinator at Mount Miguel High School, expressed his gratitude and shared, “Having professionals in the industry talk to the students was very valuable and priceless. We look forward to continuing working with IPC and professionals in the industry to provide exposure to our students so that they have a better understanding of the career path.”

We are truly grateful to our event sponsors who supported and participated in the day’s activities. The student participation, awards, and giveaways were made possible through the generous support of Foxconn Interconnect Industries, Nordson, Panasonic, TTM Technologies, Weller Apex Tools, and I-Connect007.

Jim Walsh, VP of operations at TTM Technologies, shared, “This was TTM’s first year of involvement with the IPC APEX EXPO STEM Student Outreach Event. It was a great experience, and we enjoyed engaging with these bright young students. TTM facilities across the U.S. actively work with STEM programs to drive and develop students’ interest in STEM, and we look forward to working with IPC again next year!”

Sara Vaz, community relations manager at Nordson Corporation Foundation, said, “At Nordson, we believe it’s our responsibility to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. We do that in many ways, including support for education to ensure students in our communities have access to opportunities to build a brighter future for themselves. The IPC STEM Outreach Program provides hands-on opportunities for students to learn about our exciting industry and the careers they can look forward to in the future.”

High school STEM teachers with the $1,000 grants from the IPCEF.

Each participating high school received a $1,000 grant and a soldering station to enhance STEM-related learning in the classroom. The students and teachers left feeling inspired with an expanded vision of the career possibilities in the electronics manufacturing industry.

For more information on this event, please visit ipcef.org/ipc-apex-stem-event-2020. The IPCEF is already busy planning the 2021 event, and more information will be available soon on our website. If you’re interested in learning more about the IPCEF and ways to get involved, please reach out to me.

IPC Student Chapter Members and Scholarship Winners Attend IPC APEX EXPO 2020

Four of the 23 IPC Student member scholarship winners.

It was wonderful to recognize four of the 23 IPC student member scholarship winners in person at IPC APEX EXPO 2020. Fernando Galvez from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Deepak Bondre from the University of Maryland; and Mohamed El Amine Belhadi and Mohammed Abueed from Auburn University attended the IPC STEM Student Outreach Program.

Belhadi serves the president of the IPC Student Chapter and shared, “The IPC scholarship inspired and boosted me to accomplish further advanced research in electronics reliability for future applications. I will use the funds to acquire more research materials and pay for the PCB design training."

Belhadi and Abueed, who serves as the VP of the IPC Student Chapter, presented a paper on “Reliability of New SAC-Bi Solder Alloys in Thermal Cycling” and participated in the IPC APEX EXPO poster session. Bondre serves as the VP of IPC Student Chapter at the University of Maryland and expressed, “Seeing the integrated smart factories, simulation, and machines really interested me, and I’m thankful for this opportunity because I’m gathering industry knowledge by networking with these companies.”

To learn more about the IPC Student Chapter Program, visit ipcef.org/student-chapters.

Editor's note: Click here to watch a video interview with Charlene Gunter du Plessis from IPC APEX EXPO 2020.

Charlene Gunter du Plessis is the senior director of the IPC Education Foundation.