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edfas.org 33 ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 21 NO. 1 discussion formatwas initiated this year toaddress attend- ee’s questions and make the UGs a more valuable exchange. The new format increased attendee participa- tion by providing a robust and informative discussion of challenges and solutions. To encourage exploration of critical issues beyond the ISTFA conference, a UG commu- nityhas beenestablishedonASMConnect located through your My ASM Profile on the ASM website. The communi- ties are led by the ISTFA onsite UG session moderators. We look forward to offering additional value by fostering online engagement with newengineers and those unable to attend ISTFA. Youarewelcome to join the online groups. Tutorial Program: Mayue Xie, Intel and Randal Mulder, Silicon Laboratories The ISTFA Tutorial Program is a great resource for engi- neerswho are new to FA, changing disciplineswithin FA, or desiring a better understanding of tools or processes. The programwas divided into five sessions—Electrical Analysis and Yield, Microscopy, Package and Physical Analysis Challenges, Fault Isolation, and Featured Tutorials. Attendee favorite presentations covered FA issues in aerospace and automotive and an in-depth look at EOS/ ESD Mechanisms and Design Solutions. Academia and Student Contributions: Dr. Navid Asadi, University of Florida ISTFA’s reputation is growing among universities. This year featured a keynote speaker from the University of Florida and several high quality student papers. Academia is expected to be the origin for many of the next big changes in FA. Automation with machine learn- ing, pattern recognition, and image analysis are already playing an important rule. Papers on these topics were presented this year, primarily from university contribu- tors. More academic presenters are anticipated for ISTFA 2019. Students had the opportunity to meet prospective employers and present their work to a receptive mix of government, industry, and academic attendees. International Committee Chairs’ Impact ISTFA attracts FA professionals fromaround the globe, which helpsmake our event unique. International attend- ees joining for the first time say they valued the face-to- face discussions with platformpresentations, application experts, and poster authors. They also valued exploring a wide range of FA tools at the exhibition with experts on hand to discuss use cases. Local Flavor: Ted Kolasa, Northrop Grumman— Innovation Systems Attendees were treated to beautiful fall weather in Phoenix and the expansive convention center housing ISTFA and ITC enabled attendees to fit in healthy walks after indulging at vendor-sponsoreddinners. Monday eve- ning’s social event at Lucky Strike Social Club was a great success with a delicious dinner and networking through bowling, vintage video games, giant Jenga, and a costume photo booth. Local student volunteers assisted with the conference in exchange for complimentary registration, planting the seeds for future interest in FA. Audio Visuals: Zhigang Song, IBM and Yan Li, Intel Thank you to the authors, mentors, session chairs, and AV chairs formaking the technical sessions a success. Top- notch presentations, legible slides—even from the back row—and interesting discussions enriched the conference experience. ISTFA is the place to go for new perspectives on the latest issues in electronic failure analysis. There is simply no better forum for networking and learning in this industry. If you have not yet attended an ISTFA event, we believe you will find it a worthwhile investment, especially when returning to work energized by new ideas. Ultra Tec demonstrated their equipment at the Tools of Trade Tour on Monday evening. Poster presenters entertained attendee questions on the show floor.