Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1509873
54 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 riculum, how will they build that strong foun- dation? Many universities are already making head- way toward integrating PCB design and assem- bly within their programs, including Carne- gie Mellon, Rochester Institute of Technol- ogy, and Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy. Even at Valparaiso University—my alma mater—they integrated a one-credit introduc- tory course this year. Students can choose and design PCBs, select and solder available parts for their boards, and work with manufactur- ers to ensure the design is up to industry stan- dards. George Mason University, for example, introduced students to a PCB design course that enabled them "to design at least a two- layer PCB from start to finish." 3 Students went through the entire PCB design process, from "getting acquainted with the general features" to "generating a bill of materials" and "order- ing parts for the project." Training on soldering and a tour of a PCB manufacturing lab helped students learn and understand the different steps within the PCB fabrication process, such as using a hot reflow oven and the proper uti- cols, and keep production costs low. What bet- ter way to gain those skills than learning them in the early stages of college and your career. If I had not taken my PCB layout course, I would have needed to learn these things on my own. During the senior design process, proj- ects oen need PCB design or soldering—skills typically not offered in an electrical engineer's curriculum. is leaves many students to learn soldering and PCB design either before or dur- ing the senior design process. Why is it that something so undeniably necessary for senior engineering students to know is le to learn on their own? In these situations, students miss out on the opportunity to learn important practices and industry standards. Sadly, they miss out on tips and tricks used in the indus- try for complex projects. ink how much further ahead they would be, and how much more they could contribute to sophisticated projects, if they came into a job already having some of these design and soldering skills. Many graduating students entering a hard- ware-based workforce really need to possess a basic PCB skill set, but with PCB design and manufacturing so frequently le out of the cur-