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Foundations of the Future: Awarding Scholarships and Awards in 2023

Providing scholarships and awards to hard-working students who excel academically, demonstrate a commitment to electronics manufacturing, and are active members of the IPC Student network, supports the overall mission of the IPC Education Foundation, which is to develop a talent pipeline for the industry.

In 2023, IPC and the IPC Education Foundation awarded more than $66,000 in scholarships and awards. These funds are not only financial injections to support the recipients, they assist with career pathway identification, and prepare students to start a meaningful career in electronics manufacturing.

• $48,000 in scholarships and awards were awarded to student members belonging to IPC Student Chapters.
• $37,000 was awarded to IPC Student Members for their accomplishments at the following IPC Student Chapters: Auburn University, Michigan Tech, Texas Tech University, UC Irvine, University of Utah, Valparaiso University, and Western Piedmont Community College. These scholarships are designed not only to reduce the financial burden, but to encourage students to enhance their knowledge and skills of real-word industry-related experiences.

Adeniji Babalola, who belongs to his student chapter at Texas Tech University, said, “I am truly honored to receive recognition and support from a prestigious institution like IPCEF. This scholarship significantly bolsters my commitment to achieving my academic and professional aspirations in the manufacturing sector. I am deeply grateful to IPCEF for their generous contribution, which alleviates my financial constraints and empowers me to focus on acquiring the essential knowledge and skills for my future career. My sincere thanks to the entire IPCEF team for their invaluable support in my educational journey."

Emily Daley, a student at Michigan Tech, said of her award, "I am very grateful to be receiving one of the IPC member scholarships. As I work toward my electrical engineering degree these next couple years, I will look back and remember the support of such a wonderful organization that has helped me to continue furthering my education, not only economically but also by giving me other tools to use as well as experiences.

To me, this scholarship resembles an organization focused on investing in students so that we can all continue to move forward together in a world of uncertainty."

Azeez Adebayo of Auburn University shared, “Receiving the IPC Student Member Scholarship is a crucial milestone in my pursuit of sustainable engineering solutions. The funds will directly support my research in high-performance cellulose nano paper, enhancing its potential in eco-friendly electronic packaging.

This scholarship is not just financial aid; it's a catalyst for innovation and a tangible step toward a sustainable future in technology.”

• 10 IPC Student Members received $1,000 and are awarded to recognize students’ leadership capabilities, the impact they had while serving, and ability to plan and/or host successful engagement initiatives for its chapter members. 

The $1,000 Michael Carano Teacher Excellence Award was given to Dan White, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Valparaiso University, Irvine IPC Student Chapter.

He shared, “It is an honor to be nominated for and awarded the Michael Carano Teacher Excellence Award. Student learning development by any means possible is at the core of my teaching strategy. IPC helps provide extra opportunities for learning about and engaging with the electronics industry and I'm happy to help bring that experience to my students as the chapter advisor.

If you would like to learn more about the various scholarship and award opportunities, please click here.

Additionally, IPC supported various students and teachers involved in other programs offered, and $8,000 was awarded to the participating high school in the IPC APEX EXPO STEM Outreach Event. Recipients of these awards include Olympian High School, Mount Miguel High School, Otay Ranch High School, E3 Civic High School, San Marcos High School, North County Trade Tech High School, Morse High School, and Mission Hills High School, which each received $1,000 to assist with continued STEM education with a focus on electronics within the classroom.

Read more about the award in the 2023 issue of Show & Tell Magazine.

Encouraging students to take the next step in their pursuits to enter the industry resulted in IPC sponsoring the students participating in the IPC Emerging Engineer Program attendance at IPC APEX EXPO. The following students benefitted from this program in 2023: Henry Crandall, Palash Vyas, Hannah Nelson, and Dylan Grace. Each was paired with an industry representative who then also served as a mentor for the upcoming year.  We look forward to welcoming the 2024 IPC Emerging Engineer Student cohort.

We look forward to continuing investing in the future talent pipeline.

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