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102 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Many high school teachers might take their students on a field trip to visit a museum, planetarium, or an art gallery. But last year, Mount Miguel High School science teacher Harold Mumford brought his students to the STEM event at IPC APEX EXPO 2020. Mount Miguel, located in Spring Valley just outside San Diego, features a thriving engineering and design program. I recently asked Mumford to explain how the STEM event affected his students, and how IPC's robot-building activities dovetailed with his students' efforts in robotics in the Mata- dor Engineering and Advanced Manufactur- ing Program (the school's athletic teams are the Matadors). He also offered updates about the kids who continued to study engineering in college, some on full scholarships. Nolan Johnson: Your students attended the STEM event at IPC APEX EXPO 2020. How is this program relevant to your students? Harold Mumford: e Matador Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Program is a new engineering program focused on introducing students to the complex integration of humans and machines that drive modern manufactur- ing. Being invited to the IPC's STEM event in San Diego offered students an incredible opportunity to see cutting-edge integration. Professional presentations and demonstrations helped cement the aspirations of the Matador students who participated in this inspirational event. Two students (Figure 1), Emily Ramirez and Angelana De Tate, came back from the experi- ence committed to their aspirations to become engineers, Emily is applying to college to become an electrical engineer, and Angelana is applying to become a soware engineer. Johnson: Did the event inspire students to con- sider electronics manufacturing? Mumford: I have no evidence to argue that the IPC student event made all the difference in Matador students' career focus, but I can defi- IPC STEM Event a Real Motivator for High School Students Figure 1: Emily Ramirez and Angelana De Tate.