Education Forum

The PSMA Industry Education Committee invites Power Electronics (PE) students to apply for our inaugural 2026-2027 PSMA Student Internship Program

 This program highlights the mutual benefits of increased collaboration between PSMA and power electronics (PE) students

• Students benefit by getting front row access to PE experts and insight into trends, roadmaps, applications, which opens their eyes to the diversity of PE career opportunities.
• PSMA benefits by inspiring and guiding the next generation of young PE professionals and getting more students involved in PE.

We believe this prolonged engagement compared to the traditional PSMA/APEC travel support will complement APEC attendance and make a more indelible impact, fostering longer term collaborations.

 Click here to fill out the application form by May 6, 2026.

 The program operates as follows:

• 3 students will be selected for participation and will join one of the following PSMA committees for a minimum of 10 months.
  •    Energy Harvesting
  •    Energy Management
  •    Magnetics
  •    Semiconductor
• Each selected student will be assigned a mentor and will join the related committee meetings (usually monthly) from June onwards
• Every 2 months the student will give a bi-monthly presentation of their findings (Aug, Oct, Dec, Feb)
• In early Feb the winning student will be selected based on activity levels, reports, etc. The winning student’s APEC 2027 registration will be reimbursed (up to $575) and up to $1425 in travel reimbursement.
• The winner will present their results (to date) at the PSMA annual meeting at APEC 2027.
• There will also be a runner up prize of $300 and an additional $200 for the best idea of the year, announced at the PSMA annual meeting at APEC 2027. Students will be prompted to log any ‘ideas for improvement’ in the bi-monthly report.

Regulations

• It is not necessary to be a member of PSMA to participate.
• Students need to be in a relevant field of electronics or science and registered with an accredited university in a Masters or PhD program with a graduation date after April 2027.
• The winning student is responsible for arranging their own flights, accommodation, visas, & registration for APEC 2027.
• If the student withdraws or fails to attend APEC, then they no longer qualify for the reimbursement.

Background

APEC is the world’s largest power electronics event, founded in 1986 and co-sponsored by PSMA, IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) & IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS). It typically attracts over 5,000 attendees and comprises technical, educational and industry sessions, posters and a large exhibition. There are unequaled opportunities to meet other power electronics professionals, get your finger on the pulse on what’s happening in power electronics and build your professional network.

PSMA is an international not for profit industry association headquartered in the US. Its purpose is to enhance the stature and reputation of its members and their products, improve their knowledge of technological and other developments related to power sources, and educate the entire electronics industry, plus academia, as well as government and industry agencies as to the importance of, and relevant applications for, all types of power sources and conversion devices. PSMA hosts a number of voluntary technical committees in areas such as capacitors, magnetics, packaging, semiconductors, energy management, reliability and safety. It publishes a Power Technology Roadmap every 3 years and sponsors special projects undertaken by their committees.

In addition to APEC, PSMA also runs/co-organizes a number of conferences/workshops such as Power Supply on a Chip (PwrSoC), 3D Power Electronics Integration and Manufacturing (3D PEIM), International Workshop on Integrated Power Packaging (IWIPP), Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Application (WiPDA), and International Energy Harvesting and Power Management Workshop (EnerHarv).

For any additional queries, please contact the PSMA office power@psma.com.

PSMA Student Mentorship Program matches a motivated student with a professional (from industry or academia) with expertise related to his/her interests. However, students can make special requests (such as proficiency in his/her first language or career experience) to tailor the mentor matching criteria to his/her specific needs. Naturally these special requests are limited to the mentors available.

To supplement the one-to-one mentorship, the program also includes a mentorship program guide filled with various suggested activities with associated point values. These suggested activities address the six major objectives of the program:

1. Take advantage of APEC
2. Explore career options & directions
3. Promote self & network (socially)
4. Meet subject matter experts
5. Learn about sponsors (PSMA & IEEE)
6. Have fun along the way

The students who earn the most points wins $500, the second highest points wins $300, and the third highest winner receives $200. Furthermore, students who earn at least 300 points will be publicly recognized as APEC’s Rising Stars.

The mentorship program has three phases:

• Before APEC - Prepare for APEC & initial mentoring meeting
• During APEC - Participate in APEC, implement suggestions & meet each other in person
• After APEC - Follow up on how APEC went with improvement tips & final mentor meeting

For more details on this mentoring program, see:

https://www.psma.com/HTML/newsletter/Q3_2025/page9.html

Recruiting Mentors

Consider investing in the next generation of engineers in the power electronics industry with guidance, support & wisdom.

To maximize the number of students who receive mentorship, PSMA is recruiting all professionals (from industry or academia) who attend APEC to volunteer as mentors. Mentors are expected to:

• Share knowledge and experience,
• Be flexible to meet mentee,
• Attend APEC to meet with their student mentee in person.

The time commitment is up to three meetings (before the event, during the event & after the event) with the student mentee. Since the PSMA Mentoring Program is student led, the student will reach out to the mentor to schedule the meetings and decide how many meetings the student thinks are appropriate.

Mentors should feel free to share any noteworthy mentor qualifications (such as proficient languages for a career discussion, startup experience, manufacturing experience, etc.) to match them with the right mentee under the extra qualifications section of the application. In addition, mentors can request a specific type of student mentee under special requests. Naturally any requests are limited to the students who apply for the mentee pool.

Mentors sign up here

Call for Student Mentees

This mentorship program is student-directed which means that students must take the initiative to communicate with their mentors about their individual needs. Afterall, only the student can drive their own career direction. Consequently, the mentorship program guide has a list of questions to help students explain their situation with their mentor before meeting their mentors to prepare for the conference/workshop. Naturally at APEC they will have the opportunity to put in place any advice given and meet their mentor in person. In addition, the mentorship program guide has another list of questions to follow up with their mentor after the event for further guidance.

Another example where students drive the mentorship is in the mentor matching criteria. By default, students are matched by technical interest and by time zone overlap with their mentors. However, students can also request specific mentor matching criteria such as language, country, affiliation type (such as large organization, academic, startup, national laboratory), and other criteria based on their needs. Naturally these requests are limited to the mentors that are available on a first request basis. This means that if there is only one mentor with a specific requested criterion, then the first student who requested that criterion will be matched to that mentor - so apply early!

Moreover, students can and should take the initiative to conduct informational interviews for career direction or technical expertise. Exploring options is critical to making good decisions. Consequently, they should be prepared to ask good questions out of respect for their mentor's time.

Sign up before Monday, February 9, 2026 for the best selection of mentor-mentee matchups. Mentor and mentees will be notified on February 9. Sign up on or after February 9 will be matched to the first pair of student mentee and mentor signed up if available.

Student mentees sign up here

For questions, email mentors@psma.com.