e sure to make your calendars. APEC is early this year! The Applied Power Electronics Conference, which will convene March 4-8, 2018 at the San Antonio Convention Center, continues the longstanding tradition of addressing issues of immediate and long-term interest to the practicing power electronics engineer.  The Conference Committee for APEC 2018 has put together an expansive program that covers the key technology developments that are driving power electronics innovation.

• The Plenary Session on Monday, March 5, is still being established but the list of potential speakers is exciting, indeed. Please check back soon for the complete schedule.
• Eighteen Professional Development Seminars on Sunday, March 4 and Monday, March 5, taught by world-class experts are designed to bring you up to speed on critical power electronics design technologies and techniques. Each year, the attendance at these exception seminars continues to grow and many are sold-out in advance. 
• A Technical Program from Tuesday, March 6 through Thursday, March 8, comprises nearly 600 top-quality, peer-reviewed papers to choose from.
• The very popular Industry Session program running concurrently with the Technical Program has been expanded this year to five tracks and 140 presentations.
• Three controversial topics will be covered in our annual Rap Sessions on Tuesday evening. Grab a cool beverage and bring your questions for the panelists.
• Exhibitor Seminars conducted on the show floor will again allow attendees to hear presentations about the latest products on display.
• The crowded exhibit hall has also been expanded and will be packed with the latest power electronics products.
• The always popular annual MicroMouse contest pitting teams from around the world to solve the maze the fastest with their intelligent motorized mice will again be held on Monday evening after the exhibits close.
• A terrific social event is in the planning stages that will bring us all together on Wednesday evening. This committee has its work cut out to match the great event we had last year in Tampa.

In addition, on the Saturday prior to the start of APEC2017, PSMA and PELS will be sponsoring two workshops, the third High Frequency Magnetics Workshop -"Power Magnetics @ High Frequency – Eliminating the Smoke and Mirrors" and the first Capacitor Workshop – "Everything You Wanted to Know About Capacitors But Were Afraid to Ask". For more information see the articles on each workshop in this issue of the UPDATE.

Speaking for all of us on the APEC Conference Committee, I invite you to come to San Antonio to be part of our annual gathering. You really don't want to miss it.  Check the APEC website for details (www.apec-conf.org).

If you haven't already made plans to attend, don't wait any longer. Be sure you have it in your 2018 budget to attend this exceptional event – truly The Premier Event in Applied Power Electronics™.

Provided by Greg Evans, APEC 2017 Publicity Chair

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