Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1433652
82 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 Johnson: What advice would you have for get- ting involved in committee work? Rowe: Visit our website where we have a desig- nated page for standards development, or send an email to answers@ipc.org and ask to join a committee. We have our platform, IPC Works, where once you join a committee, you can access the files we're currently working on. Task group members can look ahead and see what we're working on, then participate as their time al- lows. Anyone can submit comments, but the task group members get to see the comments and the development of perhaps new content based on those comments. If you're interested, I encourage you to request to join a task group, and we'll get you started. Johnson: For somebody just out of college or coming up in this industry, working on stan- dards and committee work might seem a little intimidating. When these folks get involved, what can they expect? Rowe: First, everybody is new the first time they come to a meeting, and this is not about putting someone on the spot in any commit- tee meeting. Some people say very little during a committee meeting; they are there to listen, absorb, and learn, and that's okay, but I would encourage anyone even remotely interested to at least see how the process works to partici- pate. We admit this is not for everyone. Stan- dards development is a unique technical activi- ty, but if you're feeling a little intimidated, I say just dive in and see what it's like. You mentioned coming out of college and just getting in the industry. IPC offers the Emerging Engineer Program, a three-year pro- gram we started a few years ago. Someone is paired up with a mentor, and when they come to APEX EXPO, we get them involved, start introducing them to people, and their men- tor takes them around. ey have activities to do; we send them to the show floor, and have fun things to do there as well. We introduce them to other emerging engineers so they can begin to build their own network. In the first year, they're just getting started; by second and third years, we're getting them engaged in standards development actions and activities as well. We've been finding that some of our second- and third-year emerging engineers are running A-teams, projects, and action items to learn the process and get involved on a much larger scale. Johnson: Is that a planned part of the Emerging Engineers Program or is that something that happens organically? Rowe: It's both. It happens because they're in- terested. Of course, we ask if they want to par- ticipate, and if they don't want to, we don't re- quire it. ey are all volunteers. But IPC staff talks to our chairs, our leaders of our commit- tees, and we try to get our emerging engineers engaged and involved in these activities for several reasons. is is our upcoming genera- tion joining standards development. We want them to embrace and learn the process and provide feedback on where the processes can be improved. is is a great opportunity for ev- eryone. Johnson: Excellent. Teresa, any closing thoughts? Rowe: I'm excited to see everyone at APEX EXPO. I'm looking forward to it and keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have a ma- jor snowstorm in January that prevents people from getting to San Diego safe and sound. We haven't seen one of those weather issues for a long time. I don't want people stuck some- where trying to get to San Diego. I want them to be able to be at APEX EXPO in person to experience all it has to offer. Johnson: I couldn't agree more. Teresa, thank you very much. SMT007