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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 157 All technical conference papers were evalu- ated on their technical content, originality, test procedures, and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations, and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry. The best technical conference papers of the ECWC16 Technical Conference at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 were voted on through a ballot process by members of the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Conference Program Committee (TPC). The paper authors were recognized during opening remarks on Tuesday, April 9. "All of the papers making up the ECWC16 Technical Conference at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 represent the highest quality technical content from authors around the world," said Stan Rak, co-chair of the TPC. "The global diversity of the presenting authors increased this year because of the large Asian group affiliated with the World Electronic Circuits Council (WECC). A conference-high 28 abstracts were received in total from next-generation authors as well as seven student contribu- tions, thus demonstrating the Conference's ability to reach early career professionals. S&T Steve Pittari, General Manager, GreenSource Fabrication Steve, it looks like you brought some young engineers with you this year. We have quite a few young engineers, most between the ages of 24 and 30. We brought two young engineers this year, Maria Varga and Crystal LeClair. It's nice to have some young faces around; it keeps us young. Tell me about your efforts with the University of New Hampshire's advanced manufacturing center. Maria has been a big part of that. She put one of our Indubond presses at UNH. It not only provides an oppor- tunity to do development work, but it also helps us recruit interns. She'll have two interns this session. We've developed a nice pipeline of engineering talent. What have you noticed about working with the newer generations? If the older generation doesn't pay attention to the younger generation, they tend to leave. You just have to pay attention. Talk to them every day and make sure they have what they need. I think they're smarter than we were and much better educated. If you just give a little tender loving care, you get a lot more out of them. GreenSource recently announced a large award from the DoD. What is the significance of that? The market is in desperate need of people who can sup- ply the DoD. Obviously, the footprint of manufacturers in the U.S. is a lot less than it was in the 1980s and '90s. Now, there's a shortage of capability in the U.S. You have the big players, like TTM, and then there's a bunch of us trying to fill the gap. Interview by Marcy LaRont Steve Pittari FROM THE