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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2020 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 91 well as cross-pollinate across different aspects of the industry. It's all about getting linked with somebody who has walked the path before you, can show you the ropes, and get you involved with IPC. As you get more involved in the committees, then you have readability into the standards, can give more input, and are able to see how the standards are developed, approved, and sent out to industry to apply to products. Matties: Do you already have your engineering degree? Vaughan: Yes, I graduated and have been in the field now for three years as a manufactur- ing engineer. The requirement to be elected are five years or below in an engineering role and/or still in university on the track to be in engineering. Matties: Why did you sign up to be in this pro- gram? Vaughan: Being the third generation in the business—including my grandfather, my father, and me—I've always had an interest because I've been around it my whole life. I know that IPC, being the governing body for electronics, is a great way to become involved in the industry. I wanted to understand the establishment of standards and what holds it all together. I saw that you could submit an application for the program, and then they go through a selection process. I was really excited when I received the email that said I would be a partic- ipant in the program because you get ground- level access, while somebody else in the same tenure of time in their career may not have that opportunity. It's cool that IPC created this pro- gram to provide an avenue for folks so that they can grow along with the standardization of the industry. Matties: This is the first year that you're in the program. Did the program start at the show or before? Vaughan: It started beforehand. I chose to come out early and did my first session Satur- day. I attended some of the J-Standard Com- mittee meetings, and on Sunday, I did the pro- fessional development courses. The program and passport don't require you to max out your calendar; they leave it up to you, but I took advantage of having the all-access pass. I wanted to do more than the few things that they require for program acceptance. I filled my calendar with as many items as possible to take full advantage of what was available. The meetings started on Saturday, and my first requirement wasn't until Sunday, so I had an extra day to gain more information. Matties: Is there something that carries beyond the show in this program, or is it just for this window of IPC APEX EXPO? Vaughan: That depends on how much effort you put into the networking aspect of it. In terms of structure, it ends with the STEM Stu- dent Outreach Program on the floor at 2:00 p.m. All of the emerging engineers have a role of one of four stages that they provided, where they split a group of 200 high school students into groups of 50 and then rotate through dif- ferent tracks. Then, we have to write a detailed report, covering all the activities that we did. We were required to take selfies all along the way to show that we were really there and didn't just come to San Diego and hang out for seven days. As far as I know, for the next year, you continue with your normal business, continue network- ing based on who you met at IPC APEX EXPO 2020, and then come back again next year. As the years evolve, your program requirements change, and they gear you toward becoming a mentor so that with the next group, you can have somebody under your wing and pass on what you learned in prior years. Matties: What has struck you the most in the program? Vaughan: The visibility into the committees and being able to sign up. I had to provide a list of