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Foundations of the Future: Scholarships, Awards and Student Opportunities

There was no better way to end 2020 than by making a positive impact in deserving students and educators’ lives. We can help students to invest in their future and reward the accomplishments of those who are hardworking and dedicated. Scholarships are hugely important, especially when helping students avoid and alleviate college debt as well as professional growth opportunities.

2020 IPC Student Member Scholarship Winners
The IPC Education Foundation awarded 25 IPC Student Members each with a $1,000 scholarship. The scholarship recipients are members at the following IPC Student Chapters: Auburn University; Binghamton University; Colorado School of Mines; Gwinnett Technical College; Michigan Technological University; Oregon Institute of Technology; Purdue University; Triton College; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Maryland; University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; University of New Orleans; University of Utah; and Valparaiso University.

Here are a few testimonials from our winners:

Brenda Sanchez from the IPC Student Chapter at Triton College had the following to say: "The IPC Scholarship means an opportunity to continue shaping the world of engineering for women of future generations.

This scholarship will award me the opportunity to further my education in Mechatronics Engineering and make an impact on the industry."

Sandro Figueroa, IPC Student Chapter President at Gwinnett Technical College, said, “I cannot be more grateful for every opportunity that IPC has provided me since I joined. This scholarship means more opportunities for me in that I am able to invest in my career via online learning, tools for work, or even electronic equipment to create and test electronic circuits at home.

I will very likely utilize my funds to pay for textbooks for the coming semester and the rest for electronics equipment and experiments so I may exercise my electronic curiosity as often as I'd like. Since I pay incredibly high tuition, this scholarship is extremely useful, and it will most certainly aid my career in the field of electronics. Thank you, IPC!"

Aishwarya Gaonkar from the IPC Student Chapter at the University of Maryland, said, "I am truly honored and thankful to be one of the recipients of the 2020 IPC student scholarship.

This scholarship goes a long way in encouraging me to build my career in the electronics industry. It also helps by reducing the financial burden of graduate school and allows me to concentrate on more important aspects such as learning."

Michael Ceraso, IPC Student Chapter President at the University of New Orleans, shared, "Thank you so much to IPCEF for this scholarship! With it, I will be able to purchase equipment for my home lab that will enable me to further develop my skills and understanding of electronics design and development. It's an exciting time to join the electronics industry, and I can't wait to see what more is in store for me."

To learn more about what this scholarship means to each winner, click here. IPC Student Chapter members may apply for an IPC Student Member scholarship. Each applicant must showcase their contributions to the industry and academic accomplishments to compete for these scholarships. This scholarship has been designed not only to reduce the financial burden but also to encourage students to enhance their knowledge and skills with real-word industry-related experiences.

2020 IPC Michael Carano Teacher Excellence Award Winner
The IPC Education Foundation also recognizes educators and instructors who enrich the lives of students interested in a career path in the electronics industry. The 2020 IPC Michael Carano Teacher Excellence Award of $1,000 goes to Christopher T. Middlebrook, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and affiliate associate professor, Department of Physics at Michigan Technological University.

I reached out to Middlebrook and he said, “I am really appreciative to have been nominated by my student(s) as well as being selected by the committee. My passion and drive have been strengthened by the recognition with an award of this magnitude. Receiving the award helps to promote the exciting educational and research programs to recruit and retain students at my university. My hope is that being selected for the award will inspire my colleagues and students to aspire for scholarships as well as other career enriching opportunities.”

IPC Student Members Selected into Emerging Engineer Program

In conjunction with IPC, the Foundation supports the Emerging Engineer Program. It is with great excitement that we announce that the following young professionals will be incorporated into the existing three-year Emerging Engineer program as a selected group of IPC Student Members, with the main components being mentorship, standards committee involvement, SummerCom, and a special track at IPC APEX 2021. Congratulations to:

• Paige Fiet, fourth-year electrical engineering major at Michigan Technological University
• Michael Ceraso, fourth-year electrical engineering major at the University of New Orleans
• Raviteja Boyana, master’s student in mechanical engineering–electronic packaging and reliability at the University of Maryland, College Park
• Rishi Garg, third-year electrical engineering major at North Carolina State University
• Adam Popper, fourth-year electrical engineering major at Purdue University

We believe that these opportunities and experiences will allow students to gain awareness and access to the electronics manufacturing industry that can help them reach their career goals. With an ever-changing job market and endless opportunities is it important for students to keep up to date with industry needs as it may afford them a better chance of distinguishing themselves among others for years to come.

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