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26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2019 as a new IPC emerging engineer complete with a mentor, and we helped her find on location. I know she's glad she attended the First Timers' Welcome Reception, and I am too! How else will you find out the nitty gritty about engineering if you don't talk to those in the field? Career engineers and IPC volunteers provide invaluable knowledge by participat- ing in mentorships for our emerging engineers. And I don't know who is having more fun— the new engineers who have a front-row seat to decades of knowledge or the dedicated men- tors who enjoy sharing their skills and exper- tise with the future of our industry. Melby Thelakkaden, a process engineer at Raytheon Missile Systems and a year-one emerging engineer, said this about her Emerg- ing Engineer Program experience (Figure 2): "I became interested in the Emerging Engi- neer Program because I wanted to participate and be more closely involved in the develop- ment of IPC standards. Early in my career, I frequently found myself referencing various IPC documents. My mentor, Kathy Johnston, encouraged me to enroll in the program, and after attending a couple of conference ses- sions, it became clear that being involved will help raise industry awareness. It's such a great opportunity to represent Raytheon at this inter- national platform." It feels good to give back. It is clear to me that the electronics industry has a great fu- ture and that we are doing our best to put it into good hands. If you are interested in be- coming an IPC emerging engineer or a mentor, visit www.ipc.org/emerging-engineer or email careerdevelopment@ipc.org. PCB007 Dr. John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries. To read past columns or contact Mitchell, click here. Figure 2: Melby Thelakkaden talks with her IPC Emerging Engineer Program mentor, Vijay Kumar, at IPC APEX EXPO 2019. by Mark Thompson, CID+, Prototron Circuits Mark Thompson writes in his column, "It's a fact: Great board design is the key to a great PCB. I'm even more certain of this after spending two days in a wonder- ful class presented by Rick Hartley." In his column, "Fabrication Starts With Solid Design Practices," Thompson shares some of his takeaways from one of Rick Hartley's training courses. Mark is a subject matter expert on this topic himself, having authored The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide To: Producing the Perfect Data Pack- age. To read this entire article, which ap- peared in the June 2019 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here. The Bare (Board) Truth