Flexible Thinking: The Key to a Successful Flex Circuit Design Transfer
Happy’s Tech Talk #29: Bend-to-Install Semi-flex FR-4
Altium, IPC Education Foundation, and Arduino Announce Student Electronics Design Competition
August 17, 2021 | Altium LimitedEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Altium LLC, the leading printed circuit board (PCB) software company, is partnering with the IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF) and Arduino to launch the first student electronics design challenge to engage, educate, and enhance printed circuit board (PCB) design capabilities while developing STEM solutions to environmental challenges.
The Innovation for Environmental Change 2021 International Student Design Competition (#PCBeTheChange) engages student teams to help address common environmental concerns using Altium’s educational tools with Arduino hardware.
Teams from high schools and colleges will be using Altium’s Upverter Modular PCB design software and the Arduino Portenta H7 to create a prototype design that will improve the environment in each team’s respective local area. The teams will be challenged to tackle one or more environmental concerns, such as air pollution, water quality and solar energy capture.
As Lotte Nørregaard Andersen, Head of Arduino Education, elaborates, "At Arduino, we believe that it is very crucial to empower scientists of the future to address common challenges of our time using technology. We’re delighted to partner with Altium LLC and the IPC Education Foundation in the Innovation for Environmental Change 2021 International Student Design Competition; this competition really aligns with our goal of creating the next generation of STEM solutions."
Participating teams can enter the design challenge while harnessing Altium’s Upverter Education training modules plus the Upverter Modular tool. Altium features multiple educational initiatives designed to support high school STEM teachers and students, along with programs to support college students and industry professionals.
“Students learning electronics design can get a comprehensive overview of how to design their own hardware with guided training in easy-to-understand modules. We’re honored to support the next generation of electronics designers by providing the curriculum and tools students need for the contest,” adds Rea Callender, Vice President of Upverter Education.
Winning teams will be eligible to win cash prizes for each category: high school and college: $1500 (1st prize), $750 (2nd prize) and $500 (3rd prize), free access to IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego, CA from January 25-27, 2022 as well as virtual access to AltiumLive 2022 CONNECT, co-located alongside the IPC APEX EXPO at the San Diego Convention Center. Designs will be featured on display at the IPC Design Booth; awards will be presented at the IPC APEX EXPO STEM Outreach Event.
Charlene Gunter, Senior Director of IPCEF shares, “We believe that opportunities and experiences like this will allow students to gain awareness and access to the electronics manufacturing industry and in turn help them reach their career goals. This collaborative partnership with Altium, Upverter Education, and Arduino showcases our mutual goals of engaging and educating students in PCB design, and we look forward to seeing the creativity and solutions the teams will create.”
Open registration is available via Upverter Education for the design challenge beginning on Monday, August 16th and runs through Friday, October 1st; team designs must be received online by Friday, November 19th. Competition winners will be announced on Friday, December 17th, followed by virtual presentations for the first place, and runner-up entrants.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Hunting for Clues: Feng Xue Solving Circuit Board 'Crimes' With AOI Standard
05/08/2025 | Linda Stepanich, IPCWhen residents in sleepy English villages needed a top-tier detective to solve a murder, they called on Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, author Agatha Christie’s fictional detective famous for using his “little grey cells” to solve crimes. In the same way, IPC standards development committees, when creating a standard to detect defects in circuit boards using Automated Optical Inspection (AOI), call on IPC A-Team, Hercule.
IPC Strengthens Global Focus with Promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to Chief Global Officer
05/08/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association, announces the promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to chief global officer. This newly created position reflects the association’s forward-looking strategy and industry needs to strengthen the electronics supply chain.
Navigating Global Manufacturing in an Era of Uncertainty
05/07/2025 | Philip Stoten, ScoopThe EMS industry faces unprecedented challenges as global trade tensions rise and tariff announcements create market uncertainty. In an overview of IPC Europe’s podcast, MADE IN EUROPE, industry experts from GPV and Zollner examine how these developments impact our businesses and customers, and what strategies will prevail in this new landscape.
Nick Koop Launches IPC Flex Design Class
05/06/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineNick Koop is director of flex technology for TTM Technologies, and he’s been a staple of IPC’s flex committees for decades. He’s also a longtime flex design instructor, and he’s about to debut a new IPC class, Flex and Rigid-Flex Design for Manufacturability, which will run May 12–21. In this interview, Nick tells us about this new class and what attendees can expect to learn.
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
05/06/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitThere is certainly no shortage of work to be done in the IPC Government Relations department, as the U.S. waged a tariff campaign on practically every industrial country in the world and several countries embarked on high-tech initiatives with a mix of approaches to the crucial foundations of electronics manufacturing. Indeed, the breadth and speed of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign continues to be a serious challenge for our industry.