For many people, industry events can have a profound impact on their personal and professional lives. Relationships formed and lessons learned in a shared space – whether in a conference session, on the exhibit floor or in a hallway – can be the start of something exceptional.

IEST: We asked several past attendees what draws them to ESTECH, the annual technical meeting and exposition of IEST. Here’s what they had to say.

“While interacting with other attendees, I learn new information about the cleanroom industry and develop relationships. These connections have created opportunities for mentoring and coaching, and have become resources for job opportunities and internships.”
– Jim Polarine, Jr., MA, Senior Technical Service Manager, STERIS Corporation

“ESTECH is a place where people who might otherwise never cross paths can tackle shared problems together. I have learned valuable lessons from experts that don’t use my company’s test equipment and even from direct competitors who face the same challenges I do. It is better for everyone that we sort these things out together, solving problems and setting standards.” 

– Benjamin Shank, R&D Engineer, Thermotron Industries

“I came out of a regulatory and manufacturing background, not at all related to contamination control. Attending ESTECH and learning how other professionals clean, or their new needs for cleaning faster or better, can only be done face-to-face. There are tones and gestures that cannot come through a screen, and questions arise that would not have been asked otherwise. Being new to the profession, I was fortunate to find mentors in this critical area at past ESTECH events who taught me what is important, what questions to ask, and how to think about contamination control.”
– Jay C. Postlewaite, Ph.D., Senior Technical Advisor, Texwipe

“ESTECH allows us to collaborate, participate in training, discuss technical scientific findings, and develop and update recommended practices by participating in working group meetings. You can also learn about the latest products and services from industry vendors.”
– Ahmad Soueid, Principal at HDR Architecture, Inc., 2022-23 IEST Executive Board President

IEST: What is the benefit of participating in technical training at ESTECH 2023, May 8-11 in St. Paul, Minnesota?

“IEST has access to so many experts in the various fields that make up contamination control. If there is something you need to understand better, there will be a session, and it will be taught by an expert or thought leader in the industry.”
– Jay C. Postlewaite, Ph.D., Senior Technical Advisor, Texwipe

“The art of testing is about connecting the resources you have to real world scenarios, making sure that potential problems with your product are addressed as early and efficiently as possible. Attending ESTECH gives me access to hundreds of years of experts trying things, finding out what went wrong and closing the loop to catch that problem in testing. This is a huge improvement over making all those mistakes myself! The technical talks are helpful, but equally enlightening are the hallway conversations that surround them and the stories told (and questions asked) after hours.”
– Benjamin Shank, R&D Engineer, Thermotron Industries

“Attending the contamination control sessions allows for growth and knowledge sharing in the cleanroom industry. They offer the chance to learn from case studies and cutting-edge technologies utilized in the cleanroom industry, such as gloveless isolators.”
– Jim Polarine Jr., MA, Senior Technical Service Manager, STERIS Corporation

IEST: Why should people participate in Working Groups (WGs) at ESTECH 2023?

“Participating in working groups provides exposure to emerging technologies and pioneering ideas in the making. WGs are tasked with tackling industry challenges by developing recommended practices to be published by the IEST.  Participants can serve in roles at multiple levels, from leading a working group as its chairperson to participating as a voting or non-voting member. ESTECH attendees that are not sure if they can contribute technically to a particular topic could also attend the working group as an observer and simply learn about the challenges and solutions being recommended. The level of involvement in each working group is customized based on the participants level of interest.”
– Ahmad Soueid, Principal at HDR Architecture, Inc., 2022-23 IEST Executive Board President

“Participating in a WG allows you to give back to the industry. That Recommended Practice you are working on will be published and distributed to people all over the world. WGs allow the pooling of resources to solve new problems and guide the industry.
– Jay C. Postlewaite, Ph.D., Senior Technical Advisor, Texwipe

“Working Groups are tasked with building consensus around Recommended Practices. RPs are a valuable reference for DTE practitioners at a fraction of the cost of specialized training.”
– Benjamin Shank, R&D Engineer, Thermotron Industries

“WGs publish documents the industry can truly reference in their cleanroom operations.”
– Jim Polarine Jr., MA, Senior Technical Service Manager, STERIS Corporation

IEST: What are you looking forward to the most at ESTECH 2023?

“I enjoy the networking and Working Group meetings. The contamination control sessions also always present an outstanding opportunity to learn new applications, regulations and guidance in the cleanroom industry.”
– Jim Polarine Jr., MA, Senior Technical Service Manager, STERIS Corporation

“I always look forward to catching up with my IEST colleagues during conference sessions, training programs, working groups and administrative meetings. I mostly look forward to engaging with the new generation of interested volunteers and young members that seek to improve their knowledge, sharpen their skills and contribute fresh ideas to our industry.”
– Ahmad Soueid, Principal at HDR Architecture, Inc., 2022-23 IEST Executive Board President

“After three years of remote ESTECHs, I want to see old friends and colleagues again. I’m also looking forward to meeting people who have joined our community in the interim: lab managers in Washington and Ontario who have contributed to some fascinating conversations but never sat down to a meal together.”
– Benjamin Shank, R&D Engineer, Thermotron Industries

“It is hard to pick just one thing, but I’ll go with the conference sessions. I learn what experts are thinking/doing through their presentation and also through the questions asked by the audience. Not all experts are presenting!”
– Jay C. Postlewaite, Ph.D., Senior Technical Advisor, Texwipe

Want to learn more about ESTECH 2023, taking place May 8-11 in St. Paul, Minnesota? View the conference sessions and technical training courses offered onsite. We hope to see you there!