Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1083315
114 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2019 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE est to attendees. Read all about it elsewhere in this magazine, but you really had to be there. Tuesday began with the keynote speaker, JB Straubel, CTO and co-founder of Tesla (again, read all about it in this magazine), which was definitely a good follow-up to Monday's forum. Immediately following was the ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened the show floor. Meanwhile, subcommittee meetings were already in full swing, and the technical confer- ence was set to begin in the afternoon. And so began the round of conference papers, sub- committee meetings, and show floor visits. So many choices and interests that no single one could hold my attention for long. Fast forward to Thursday and the IPC STEM Student Outreach event with six participat- ing San Diego area high schools and over 100 students attending. A day off from school, a bus ride, and the opportunity to see some fun things at the convention center. You would think the kids would be goofing around and having fun, but these kids were serious. Colette Buscemi, IPC's senior director of edu- cation programs, oversaw a day-long agenda for the students that included a panel discus- sion with executives of sponsoring companies, instruction in soldering with hands-on learn- ing, and a visit to the show floor. There was also an impromptu lunchtime panel compris- ing IPC Emerging Engineers (an IPC-organized mentoring program) and yours truly. This panel came about because Colette noticed that the first panel was comprised entirely of men— and mostly older ones at that—which was per- haps not fully conducive to attracting young potential engineers to our industry. However, both panels drew plenty of thoughtful ques- tions from the students. And then it was all over. The conference rooms were empty, booths were torn apart, and plenty of goodbyes were said. As always, it was all good, interesting, and enjoyable. Renewed and new friendships were made, I caught up on moves and new companies, and innovative ideas were put forth. Here's hoping it will all carry forward through this year and into next. See you in 2020! S&T