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HIGHL IGHTS A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 7 5 EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IMAT Emerging Professionals Committee Overview During these unprecedented times, there is increased uncertainty in almost everything we do. With this in mind, ASM is taking every precaution regarding IMAT 2020, planned for September 14-17 in Cleveland. Though the final format of the conference has yet to be decided, IMAT 2020 will span a spectrum of advanced materials, applications, and technologies from failure anal- ysis and metallography to sustainability and automation. Additionally, IMAT is currently set to host a number of sym- posiums and student competitions including the Emerging Professionals Symposium, the Women in Materials Engi- neering Symposium, poster competitions, and a Trivia Hour. As an emerging professional, this is a great opportu- nity to learn about the materials science and engineering field as a whole. You could stumble upon research in a field you never knew you were interested in, or perhaps meet a vendor with the technology to solve the challenge you are having right now. Additionally, this is your chance to con- WOMEN IN ENGINEERING This profile series introduces lead- ing materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Becky Holdford, failure analyst, at Raytheon Intelligence and Space, McKinney, Texas. What part of your job do you like most? The puzzle/mystery aspect. As a physical failure ana- lyst, I like figuring out the how andwhy something failed and what things might be needed to stop it from failing again. What is your greatest professional achievement? I contributed a chapter titled “The Uses of Dual Beam FIB in Microelectronic Failure Analysis” to the book Introduc- tion to Focused Ion Beams: Instrumentation, Theory, Tech- niques, and Practice, published by Springer in 2005. What is your engineering background? I have an associate’s degree in electronics and 35 years of experience in microelectronics failure analysis. What attracted you to engineering? The sheer diversity of it. You can design, teach, re- search, build (or in the case of failure analysis, destroy); you can be a specialist or a generalist. Did you ever consider doing something else with your life besides engineering? No. This is too much fun. Best career advice, given or received: I was given this piece of advice early in my career and I give it frequently: If you see something that needs doing or that you want to do, just go do it until somebody tells you to stop. They probably won’t. Finish this sentence: Women in engineering are… …absolutely essential. Why limit yourself to the intel- ligence of only half the population? The world’s problems need every bit of IQ and common sense we can muster. Favorite motto or quote: “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permis- sion.”- Grace Murray Hopper Last book read: Bum Fodder: An Absorbing History of Toilet Paper by Richard Smyth Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Women in Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at vicki.burt@asminternational.org Holdford EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Women in Electronics Failure Analysis Becky Holdford helped organize the inaugural meeting of Women in Electronic Failure Analysis (WEFA) at last year’s International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis in Portland, Ore. The group is for mem- bers of the Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society, an ASM affiliate. WEFA’s first meeting featured a panel discussion on the topic “How to Fearlessly Direct Your Career Growth,” moderated by Kannu Wadhwa, Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy Inc. and Svetlana LeBoeuf, Intel Corp. The three panelists were Lihong Cao, ASE, Rohini Sankaran, Intel Corp., and Becky Holdford, Raytheon. To participate or learn more, there is a WEFA online community available on ASM Connect or contact Holdford at pfadiva@gmail.com . The inaugural WEFA meeting at ISFTA 2019.