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32 The PCB Design Magazine • March 2015 2015 IPC aPeX eXPo show review San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, USA by Joe Fjelstad sPeCiAl To i-ConneCT007 Based on personal impressions and conversa- tions with folks met on the show floor and tech- nical meetings, this year's IPC APEX EXPO trade show and conference was an unqualified suc- cess. The various trade show, conference and standards committees, in concert with the IPC staff, continue to raise the bar, improving the event to the benefit of members and industry participants from around the globe. However, this year also marked, with sor- row, the first IPC APEX EXPO at which much beloved IPC staff member and industry icon, Dieter Bergman, was absent. It was tough not seeing him at the event—a feeling that was shared by everyone I met. Yet somehow, I sensed that many might have felt, as I did, that Dieter's spirit was still with us, urging us on. In that regard, one of the highlights of APEX for me this year was an event held on Wednes- day evening. It was a special tribute honoring Dieter with shared remembrances of a man, the likes of which we are unlikely to see again in our lifetimes. The well attended event was also the inauguration of the Dieter Bergman IPC Fellow- ship award. This new award in Dieter's mem- ory was bestowed upon on a group of highly respected veteran IPC volunteers, each with de- cades of service to IPC and the industry. The in- augural award recipients included: Doug Sober, Shengyi Technology; Bernie Kessler, Bernard Kessler Associates; Denny Fritz, SAIC; Dave Hillman, Rockwell Collins; Don Du Priest, Lock- heed Martin; Bob Neves, Mi- crotech; Ray Prasad, Ray Prasad Associates; and Randy Reed, Via Systems. Each recipient was allowed to bestow a Dieter Bergman memorial scholarship upon the college or university of their choice. It IPC APEX EXPO 2015: Tough Act to Follow show review