Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/710139
80 SMT Magazine • August 2016 Matties: How long have you been part of the edu- cational program? Lardizabal: I've been part of the educational program within my company for almost a de- cade, and with IMS and the IEEE for the last three years. Matties: We have what looks like maybe 75–100 kids here today, right in that area. I'm curious. Out of the past kids who attended, how many have you followed that have gone on into the programs? Do you have any of that data? Lardizabal: We have a lot of data on the gradu- ate students and how they follow through. Last year, we had over 150 middle school and high school students, because there's a very active IEEE-supported STEM education group there in the Phoenix area. Matties: Yeah, I was quite impressed with that. It was a large group. Of the graduates, what sort of people come out? Of the 75–100, would you expect five to ten percent to go on into the technology field from this? Lardizabal: I would like to get one. It's becoming rich by making a penny. We know we'll touch more, but if I can get one of these kids really in- spired to say, "You know what? I want to invent the next iPhone. I want to save the environment, and technology is the way I'm going to do it." It's that gem of knowledge that gets them going. In truth, that one is every one of them is how I like to say it. One at a time, but all of them. Matties: One can be a lofty goal. Lardizabal: Exactly. Matties: It sounds counterintuitive with 100 kids here, but you keyed in on it earlier. There's a lot of distractions in a child's life. Lardizabal: Yes. There are a lot of other things to do. Matties: To get them inspired in something like this so early, you're going to have to find a spe- cial student. How do these kids get here? Is this a choice for them to be here, or is this just a class that does this as a field trip? Lardizabal: Recruiting for the event is one of the most difficult, because typically IMS hap- pens when school lets out. Getting the local school to understand what IMS is all about is part of our challenge, and it's part of our out- reach. It is a fairly select group. Not that we're selective, but there may be only a certain pool available. We have to work with that, but we also want it to be outreach to the broader com- munity. In Phoenix, we had a groups of Native IMS AND STEM: BUILDING A STRONGER FUTURE