Bridging the gap between industry and academia, the IPC academic poster competition returns to IPC APEX Expo™ in 2010. Fourteen academic posters from eight universities have been submitted for consideration by the industry. Between today and February 19, 2010, IPC is seeking industry votes to determine the top ten poster abstracts.

As determined by industry, the ten academic posters with the most votes will be displayed during the exhibition at IPC APEX Expo on April 6-8, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the show, attendees and exhibitors will be invited to vote for their favorite poster. The authors of the top three posters will be awarded with $3,000, $1,000 and $500, for first, second and third places, respectively, which will be announced at the close of the show floor reception on Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

"This is a great opportunity to acknowledge and reward industry research that is taking place at great institutions," said Greg Munie, IPC Technical Conference Director. "We urge everyone to review and vote for the abstracts they feel are the best in terms of research and usefulness to our industry."

To review the poster abstracts and to vote, industry members should visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/academic-posters. Participating universities include Auburn University; Johns Hopkins University APL; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Purdue University; State University of New York at Binghamton; University of Alaska Fairbanks; University of California, Irvine; and University of Maryland.

Munie adds, "Attendees at IPC APEX Expo will be exposed to new ideas in so many ways--the technical conference, the networking, educational courses and now these academic posters. Visitors are guaranteed to return to their jobs with critical information that can really make a difference back at work."

All events will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information on other IPC APEX Expo activities or to register, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org. Exhibits-only registration is free to pre-registrants and provides access to the exhibition, free keynote sessions, free forums, free technical poster sessions and all free networking activities. Early-registration savings of 20% on fee-based activities expire March 5, 2010. Scholarships to attend the technical conference are available to industry members.

About IPC

IPC is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Illinois, dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.7 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, New Mexico; Arlington, Virginia; Garden Grove, California; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; and Shanghai and Shenzhen, China. For more information, visit www.ipc.org.