Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
100 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE on a specific topic or activity: soldering, PCB design, an IPC APEX EXPO exhibit hall show floor tour, and a roundtable discussion. These kinds of engaging activities introduce students to the skills needed to succeed in the industry, as well as the career exploration opportunities available to them depending on their desired career entry point, whether after high school or following postsecondary education. IPCEF is grateful for the industry support and participation that made these days possible. We would like to express a big thank you to the following companies: • TTM Technologies as Premier Sponsor • MagicRay as the Breakfast for Champions Sponsor • Weller as the Soldering Track Sponsor • Altium as the Design Track Sponsor • Heller Industries as the Career Panel Discussion Sponsor • CAES as the Career Roundtable Discussion "It was our privilege at TTM to help sponsor the STEM event at this year's IPC APEX EXPO event," said Tom Edman, president and CEO of TTM Technologies. "I was able to person- ally witness the interaction between the students and the industry panels (including a few TTM-ers), and I was impressed with the quality of the questions and the interest and energy emanating from the students. I would encourage other IPC members to support this event in the future as our opportunity to attract a new generation of talent to the industry." Collaborating sponsors were Keysight, Mycronic, and Google. Thank you to our offi- cial media sponsor, I-Connect007, and to IPC, for donating $8,000 ($1,000 to each of the participating high schools) to ensure that STEM-related activities can continue beyond this event into the classroom. This donation benefitted the following participating high schools and students attending the STEM Outreach Event: Olympian High School, Mount Miguel High School, Otay Ranch High School, e3 Civic High School, San Marcos High School, North County Trade Tech High School, Morse High School, and Mission Hills High School. Harold Mumford, engineering coordina- tor at Matador Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing from Mount Miguel High School, had this to say about the STEM Out- reach Event and IPCEF's mission to get more students interested in pursuing careers in the industry: "IPC provides one of the best student experiences available. [IPC's] stu- dent activities are inspirational and have an impact. Approximately 25% of my students enter post-secondary training in computer or electrical engineering or manufacturing. I only attended one event, but that event influ- enced my students to pursue fields related to IPC's focus. 85% of my students attend a university or matriculate into junior college, and half of those are admitted into engineer- ing programs. When I last attended, Matador Engineering was emerging. Today, our num-