MINNEAPOLIS – SMTA selected Sabrina M. Rosa-Ortiz as the recipient of the 2020 Joann Stromberg Student Leadership Scholarship.

The SMTA Awards Committee selected Rosa-Ortiz for her committed leadership in the SMTA. She is a doctoral candidate in the electrical engineering department at the University of South Florida. As part of her research, she was able to develop a patent named Electrochemical Three-Dimensional Printing and Soldering, in which she studied the hydrogen evolution assisted electroplating as a reliable source to obtain a rapid and lateral copper deposition. She is currently the SMTA USF Student Chapter president for the University of South Florida and is also responsible for bringing back the SMTA USF Student Chapter to the university.

The $3,000 scholarship, given in honor of the nearly 30 years of service dedicated by former executive administrator, JoAnn Stromberg, was established following her retirement in 2015. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students to take on more leadership opportunities and strengthen the connection between students and the electronics industry.

The scholarship is awarded annually to a full-time student pursuing a degree in electronics and actively involved in the SMTA. The scholarship is intended for the purchase of technical books and research materials, for participation in conferences related to electronics assembly and packaging, and for living expenses, if necessary.

The award will be presented in person at the 2021 SMTA Annual Meeting during the live SMTA International Conference.

The nomination period will be available early next year for 2021 candidates. For more information, visit https://www.smta.org/scholarship/.

PCB West Virtual 2020 has more than 125 hours’ worth of technical sessions on printed circuit design and manufacturing available through Oct. 12.  pcbwest.com