EMC Fest
May 7, 2026
Speakers:
Dan Beeker and Chris Semanson
Topics shown below:
Vendor Table Registration Page
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2026 Speakers: To Be Announced
Important Registration Information – Please read First!
Note: Our sister chapter in Chicago has a similar event on May 5, 2026
http://www.emcchicago.org/sectfiles/events.htm
Agenda
Program Outline: Thursday May 7, 2026
| 6:00 | Vendor Table Setup (till 8:30) | |
| 8:00 | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS | |
| 8:00 | CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST | |
9:00 | Session 1 – | |
| 10:00 | Break & Exhibits | |
11:00 | Session 2 – | |
| 12:00 | LUNCH | |
1:00 | Session 3 – | |
| 2:00 | Break & Exhibits | |
3:00 | Session 4 – | |
| 4:00 | Reception | |
| 5:00 | Close of EMC Fest |
Venue: Embassy Suites in Livonia
Hour 1 – Daniel Beeker: Controlling the Waves: A Field-based Perspective on High-speed PCB Design
Good signal integrity and EMC start with a good PCB design philosophy. It is critical for design engineers to understand the behavior of EM fields. Proper design of the spaces these fields follow through the board is critical. Creating transmission lines that meet the needs of the PDN and fast-switching ICs in today’s high-performance products can be challenging. Specific questions must be answered to define the PCB geometry that will lead to a successful design. This seminar will present an easy-to-understand, science-based approach to PCB design.
Hour 3 – Daniel Beeker: Novel Power Distribution System Design
This presentation will present a simple EM physics and geometry-based approach to designing power distribution networks on PCBs. The simple rules discussed can be used to reduce power supply noise and improve EMC from the input power connection to the IC die. New research will be presented on the impact of discrete components on radiated and conducted emissions, with an emphasis on cost analysis.
Biography:
Dan Beeker is currently President and CTO of System Solution Specialists. With over 50 years of experience in electronic system design and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Daniel Beeker is a globally recognized authority in signal integrity and EMC design. He provided application support to NXP Automotive customers worldwide and supported global teams with specialized development tools and
instrumentation.
Daniel’s expertise lies in EMC and signal-integrity techniques for systems and PCBs, particularly in low-layer-count designs. He has completed more than 250 PCB design evaluations for both customers and internal NXP products, consistently driving performance improvements and design reliability.
A passionate educator, Daniel has delivered over 150 training sessions to more than 6,000 attendees since 2010, sharing his field-based design philosophy at NXP Tech Days, industry conferences, and customer workshops worldwide. He also contributes to NXP’s IC package and development tool teams, supporting EMC performance across more than 25 IC designs.
Email: daniel.beeker@outlook.com
Hour 2 – Chris Semanson’s first presentation features demos and builds a practical framework to use on the bench and in the chamber. It starts by showing how energy moves through a system: conductively through return paths and impedances, and electromagnetically through capacitive, inductive, and radiated paths. Then problems are separated by mode: common mode versus differential mode; the single classification that often points directly to the shortest fix. A debugging methodology is discussed which centers around the EMI model: source, path, and receptor. Then the most common conducted mechanisms are covered, including concrete examples and common remedies. The presentation then notes how to verify that the change addressed the issue.
Hour 4 – Chris Semanson’s second presentation covers near field versus far field coupling. It explains reasons why fixes that work on some issues in the near may not work on those in the far field. Also discussed is how to recognize when a local magnetic or electric field interaction is dominating the behavior. The presentation lays out a field-tested debug workflow for when someone asks, “Why does the circuit quit working?” His goal is not only to explain how to quiet the waveform immediately, but to give students a repeatable method to identify the path, identify the mode, and remove the coupling with minimal impact. Chris explains the concept of parasitics. The presentation shows how in practice, local capacitive and inductive interactions live in the near field, while true free space wave radiation dominates longer distances. Paths of coupling will be illustrated with demonstrations and equations.
Biography:
Christopher Semanson works at Renesas Electronics America Inc. as a Staff Power Systems Applications Engineer in Durham, NC supporting the design of PMICs and other power generation semiconductors in automotive applications in accordance with ISO 26262. He has five years previous experience in EMC Education at the University of Michigan, teaching EMC and Electronics with Mark Steffka. Semanson has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan Dearborn. Chris recently authored “Coupling in Real World Systems” plus more than 10 other technical articles on EMC for Compliance Engineering Magazine
Email: christopher.semanson@renesas.com
EMC Fest 2024 Photos
EMC Fest 2023 Photos
EMC Fest 2022 Photos
EMC Fest 2019 Photos
EMC Fest 2018 Photos
EMC Fest 2018 Slideshow
| FEE SCHEDULE. NO REFUNDS AFTER April 15 | |
| IEEE Members Registered Before April 15 | $75 |
| Non-Members Registered Before April 15 | $100 |
| IEEE Student Members Before April 15 | $50 |
| Retired / Unemployed / Life IEEE Members Before April 15 | $50 |
| *CEU Uniits | $25 |
| Vendor Table | $600 |
| Extra Vendor Staff Early | $100 |
| Extra Vendor Staff Late | $125 |
| All At the Door | $150 |
| * Requires additional use of registration system. | |
For EMC Fest Vendor Table Registration questions contact Steve Tomba
steve@emcsociety.org
EMC FEST 2016 VIDEO & PHOTOS
EMC Fest 2015 Pictures from EMC Fest 2015: http://www.emcsociety.org/EMCFest2015/EMC_Fest_2015_Pics.htm
EMC Fest 2014 Pictures from EMC Fest 2014: http://www.emcsociety.org/EMCFest2014/EMC_Fest_2014_Pics.htm
IEEE EMCFest Committee
Speaker Arrangements
Keith Frazier
kfrazie1@ieee.org
Continuing Education
Suriano Solutions
candace@emcsociety.org
Vendor Exhibits & Dinner
Steve Tomba
steve@emcsociety.org
Registrations & Website
Scott Lytle
s.r.lytle@ieee.org
Registration Table
Robert Adams
Mike Miller
Candace Suriano
Scott Lytle
Treasurer
Malcolm Lunn
lunnmalcolm@me.com
Photography & Audio Visual
Akio Fujimaki
Akio@emcsociety.org
Audio Visual
Malcolm Lunn
Kimball Williams
Akio Fujimaki
John Suriano
Committee Members at Large
Mark Steffka
Kimball Williams
It is with a heavy heart we inform you that our section chair Robert Neff passed away on Sunday, October 6, 2019 Bob was the vendor table chairman for many years for our popular annual chapter event EMC Fest
Obituary and funeral service information may be found at https://www.casterlinefuneralhome.com/obituary/robert-neff-jr?fh_id=15828
Jim Woodyard, EMC Chapter 8 Awards Vice-Chair, presenting Scott Lytle, EMC Chapter 8 Chair, with a Leadership Award on behalf of the Chapter for his many years of service. Under Scott’s leadership, the Annual EMC Fest Conference has grown from a few Chapter members to drawing over two-hundred attendees, and several exhibitors. The presentation was made during the awards ceremony at the 2019 EMC Fest Conference held in Livonia, Michigan on May 9, 2019.
Jim Woodyard, EMC Chapter 8 Awards Vice-Chair, presenting Candace Suriano, EMC Chapter 8 Technical Activities Vice-Chair, with the 2019 Excellence in Service Award Leadership Award on behalf of the Chapter for “for over 15 years of Service to the Chapter and continued pursuit of excellence in all that she undertakes especially for youth STEM Programs in local libraries and schools. The presentation was made during the awards ceremony at the 2019 EMC Fest Conference held in Livonia, Michigan on May 9, 2019.
Matt Feusse, EMC Chapter 8 Treasurer, congratulating Dr. Eric Bogatin and informing him that his professional commitment to the education of chapter members will be honored with a donation in his name to the University of Colorado-Boulder Foundation for supporting student research. Dr. Bogatin was the 2019 EMC Fest Conference speaker; the title of his presentation was “Illustrating Signal and Power Integrity Principles through Measurement Examples”. The Conference was held on May 9, 2019 in Livonia, Michigan.
That the Wayne County Commission salutes and commends KIMBALL WILLIAMS for his community service and career in engineering; and be it further resolved on this 9th day of May 2019, that this resolution be spread at length upon the journal of this day’s proceedings to endure as a lasting record of acknowledgement and that a suitable copy be presented to KIMBALL WILLIAMS, with our best wishes for many years to him and his wife Mary Lou.