IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 51 SPRING 2023 ernment relations at IPC, and Christopher Peters, executive director of USPAE, but she has been involved in more than 18 standards committees with IPC during the past 30 years. "They had me at 'Hello,'" she says, referring to her long-term interest in volunteering with IPC committees (and the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire"). "When I was at NIST, I started work- ing on IPC standards committees. Even in the transition to lead-free, I helped Dave Bergman develop the roadmap for the lead-free tran- sition within IPC. I also worked on the DoD Lead-Free Manhattan Project." Her admiration for IPC's advocacy efforts regarding lead-free solder, and now with advanced packaging (particularly concern- ing the development of new substrates), runs deep. "I think that the leadership at IPC is doing a great job at engaging with some of the representatives of Congress to make sure they understand what the membership needs are," she says. "They are encouraging IPC members to also reach out to their own members of Congress, to have public, substantive discus- sions about what some of the issues, barriers, and challenges are to strengthening micro- electronics in the U.S., and how to overcome them." First Funding Opportunity Launched As part of the bipartisan CHIPS and Sci- ence Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce is overseeing $50 billion to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry, including $39 bil- lion in semiconductor incentives. The first funding opportunity seeks applications for projects to construct, expand, or modern- ize commercial facilities for the production of leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors. This includes both front-end wafer fabrication and back- end packaging. The Department will also be releasing a funding opportunity for semicon- ductor materials and equipment facilities in the late spring, and one for research and development facilities in the fall. The CHIPS and Science Act is part of an economic plan to invest in America, stim- ulating private sector investment, creating good-paying jobs, making more in the United States, and revitalizing communities left behind. To read more, visit commerce.gov. They had me at 'Hello.' —Carol Handwerker