Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Growth Hacker Marketing’
Happy’s Tech Talk #38: Novel Metallization for UHDI
It’s Only Common Sense Mastering the Follow-Up—The Key to Closing More Deals
Hannah Nelson: The Inspiring Journey of an Emerging Engineer
March 11, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Editor’s note: This interview was originally recorded at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 as part of a series of interviews with IPC Emerging Engineers.
At last year’s IPC APEX EXPO, former IPC Emerging Engineer Hannah Nelson had the opportunity to reflect on her inspiring journey into the world of engineering, from her education at Valparaiso University to her internship and her first job at Texas Instruments. From pivotal moments and the unexpected turns that helped shape her early career and passion for electrical engineering, her story highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, taking opportunities that arise early on, finding confidence in one's voice, and the rewards of pursuing one's passions within the engineering field.
Hannah, please share an overview of your career path so far and highlight any key factors that motivated you to pursue a role in engineering.
Hannah Nelson: It started in high school when I joined FIRST Robotics. I was on the mechanical build side, building the frames for the robots, and I got involved in the safety training stuff on our team. When I was younger, I was told that I was good at math and science, and I should pursue that career path. That stuck with me.
I played French horn, so I wanted to pursue a degree in music performance. I also wanted to pursue math, so I started with a double major in music performance and math.
When I took an Intro to Engineering course, things changed. I got to play around with Arduinos and build cool things, and I just loved seeing the artistic side of engineering. I loved the problem solving and being involved in interdisciplinary teams was incredibly rewarding for me.
Soon after, I dropped both my double majors and switched to electrical engineering. I haven’t looked back. I got involved with IPC during my junior year, and that’s when I really started enjoying my electrical engineering courses. I got more involved in the RF side of PCB design, which is what I do in my career now.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the February 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Nortech Systems Unveils Reimagined Brand Identity
05/08/2025 | Nortech SystemsNortech Systems Incorporated, a leading provider of engineering and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical and electromechanical products serving the medical, industrial and defense markets, is proud to unveil its newly refreshed brand, "Connections Reimagined."
Cadence Unveils Millennium M2000 Supercomputer with NVIDIA Blackwell Systems
05/08/2025 | Cadence Design SystemsAt its annual flagship user event, CadenceLIVE Silicon Valley 2025, Cadence announced a major expansion of its Cadence® Millennium™ Enterprise Platform with the introduction of the new Millennium M2000 Supercomputer featuring NVIDIA Blackwell systems, which delivers AI-accelerated simulation at unprecedented speed and scale across engineering and drug design workloads.
SEL Announces 2025-2026 Scholarship Recipients
05/07/2025 | Schweitzer Engineering LaboratoriesSchweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the SEL Scholarship Program for the 2025-2026 academic year. This year, SEL has awarded 15 scholarships, each valued at $5,000, to exceptional students pursuing degrees in engineering and applied technology.
Green Circuits Expands Large-Format PCBA Capabilities with Installation of JUKI Primo Screen Printer
05/05/2025 | Green CircuitsGreen Circuits, a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partner to leading OEMs, proudly announces the installation of the JUKI Primo Large-Format Screen Printer, expanding its capabilities to support printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) up to 33.5" x 24".
SAIC Awarded New $55 Million Mission Integration Contract From Space Development Agency
05/05/2025 | SAICScience Applications International Corp. has been awarded the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 3 Program Integration (T3PI) contract from the Space Development Agency (SDA).