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Tom Clifford: Science Fairs Offer View of Future Technologists
January 5, 2011 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
I recently judged a couple of junior high school science fairs: A rare privilege, a sobering responsibility and an unforgettable experience!One young lady hesitantly started describing silt measurement in a municipal water supply. Soon she was nose-to-nose with one of the judges, a process engineering manager at National Semi, discussing sampling statistics, stratification and sedimentation, filter-plugging, organic sludge and detection thresholds. It was clear to us, and, suddenly, clear to her, that she was being treated like a real honest-to-goodness professional engineer. A rookie, perhaps, but good enough to engage one of the best process engineers in Silicon Valley. Was that good for her self-esteem? You bet!We asked another young lady about follow-on research for her project. What would she do if she had us working for her? She was taken aback. How could she have four grown-up, male engineers working for her? She had never visualized herself, or any girl, as a manager of several male engineers. One judge said, "Sure, my boss is a lady." Another judge said his manager and a couple of his EE colleagues are ladies. This youngster was clearly struck with the empowering realization: She could become that manager!One youngster required a very sensitive ammeter for measurements of very low currents in his fuel cell study. He couldn't find any Hewlett Packard gages that were "good enough," so he wrapped a few coils around a hiker's compass, calibrated faint needle deflections, captured the necessary data, now in micro-amps, accomplishing his purpose with elegant simplicity. One of the judges admitted to working at HP and announced to the gathered throng that the kid's improvised solution was ingenious. The kid was impressed and, doubtless, inspired by this comment.One team compared detergents' cleaning power. The team leader hesitantly observed that duplicate samples, controlled stain "set," better documentation of water temperature and a measure of "sloshing" would have yielded better conclusions. We, with our arrogant decades of process development experience, seconded this absolutely accurate insight. One student reported a problem in his corrosion study: Photo-documentation of subtle color differences in copper corrosion products. He solved it by including known red/brown/orange paint coupons in each photo, and by controlling light intensity and angle. Sophisticated innovation from a 14-year-old! Another youngster explained AC Wheatstone bridge principles to a rapt audience of judges with a clarity we couldn't match. Again: Our admiration connected with the students.Some kids had obviously come from privilege. Others were more naïve, with cruder gear, but no less enthusiasm. These kids are bright, but not exceptional. The world is full of these youngsters at the crossroads. Judges represent society and the technical profession. We mentor, encourage and we teach, if we can. Our interaction can be pivotal in these kids' life decisions. The ones we encourage will create our products and civilization tomorrow. I can think of nothing more fulfilling than working with these youngsters: An afternoon at a science fair or a career as a teacher.And what does this have to do with circuit board assembly? Well, here's a clue: Who would you hire as a process or packaging engineer in your start-up, developing a flex-silicon harsh-environment 3-D MEMS sensors/actuators/transceivers? Suggestion? See above.Tom Clifford, Consultant