Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517668
MARCH 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 115 An attorney at DesignCon? I wasn't sure I heard that right either, but it's true. I sat down for an interview with international trade lawyer James Kim of ArentFox Schiff LLP. James was at the show to present a session entitled "Chips, Batteries & Charg- ing Stations," which highlights the Biden administration's steps to secure the supply chain for the EV industry. The keynote session for the EIPC 2024 Winter Conference addressed several topics, ranging from applications for superconduc- tivity to the fluctuating European financial market and the impor- tance of IC substrates. The confer- ence took place in late January at the IHK Academie in the city of Vil- lingen-Schwenningen, on the east- ern edge of the Black Forest in southwest Germany. Women comprise about 47% of the workforce and are statistically underrepre- sented in STEM fields, yet the number of women in STEM positions has steadily increased. In 1970, women comprised 8% of STEM roles. Today, they represent 27%. This jump is an encouraging sign for aspir- ing women in tech, but it shows there's still a long way to go in ensuring the tech and STEM industries reflect the general workforce. As William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) once said, "If you cannot measure it, you can- not improve it." This is truer today than ever before. With the advances in micro- electronics and nanoelec- tronics, HDI, and buried active/passive components, the signature of the printed circuit is critical. High- speed substrates rely on signal transmission to be as pristine as possible. Minor changes can cause imped- ance changes in standing wave ratio (SWR) elevation, which leads to degraded performance. It's easy to get distracted in an election year. A constant stream of polls, primaries, and political prognostications will surely dominate the media cycle. Elections are important, but they should not distract the 118th Congress from the important work of securing our fragile supply chains and rebuilding microelectronics manufacturing capacity on our own shores. IPC achieved a land- mark in 2023 by creat- ing an apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. With such a registered framework in place, industry can work through IPC to secure local, state, and fed- eral dollars for workforce development in a way they've never been able to do before. For the latest news and information, visit PCB007.com Ups and Downs in the World Market American Made Advocacy: Congress Must Handle Supply Chain Challenges in 2024 Testing Todd: Why 4-wire Kelvin? Real Progress Toward Solving U.S. Workforce Problems Build Tariff Planning into Product Development Strategy Early Women in Electronics Reception