In the month of August, two significant events were related to IEEE Region 10.
An IEEE Region 10 Meeting was held on 11th August 2023, and the 2023 IEEE Section Congress (SC2023) was successfully held from 11th to 13th August at Shaw Centre, Ottawa, Canada. The theme of the Congress was “Enabling Leaders to Build a Sustainable Future”.
The IEEE R10 meeting was attended by 28 Executive Committee (ExCom) and Nomination and Advisory Committee (NAC) members, 44 Primary Section and council delegates, 5 Chairs of R10 AdHoc Committees, 8 VIP and guests, and 5 IEEE staff from R10. The meeting included updates and introductions from the Region Director, IEEE VP-MGA, IEEE Foundation, IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board, IEEE Roadmaps Committee, IEEE Technical Community Outreach, Engagement and Society Membership Committee, R10 NAC, R10 Ethics Awareness and Advancement Committee, R10 New Initiatives Projects, R10 Finance, AdHoc Committee on Philanthropy Initiatives, AdHoc Committee on Volunteers Upskills and Empowerment, AdHoc Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, AdHoc Committee on Conference Steering and Development, plus updates from three R10 Vice-Chairs on Members Activities, Professional Activities, and Technical Activities. More importantly, a proposed change on the R10 Bylaws incorporating Zone Representatives has been passed and will be submitted to MGA Board for final approval. In addition, R10 Liaisons on the ASEAN Industry Round Table on Climate Change, plus a new staff at the IEEE Japan Office were introduced. The agenda, and presentations are now available at the R10 Website and members are welcome to view them at https://www.ieeer10.org/2023-r10-annual-meet-2/
Following the R10 meeting, the IEEE Section Congress 2023 held its Welcome Reception on the evening of 11th August. After three years of delay due to COVID, the event was attended by 1,096 attendees, with obvious excitement and energy in the air.
The IEEE Sections Congress is the flagship event hosted by MGA once every three years. SC2023 was the occasion that brought together volunteers, leaders, and primary delegates from Sections around the world, for them to share experiences, ideas, and solutions, from 86 breakout sessions, 34 Ignites presentations, and 22 Learning Hub topics. In addition, delegates had the opportunity to learn from 46 Exhibits about IEEE products and programs for members in their local areas. This year, a Climate Change Pavilion was set up to raise awareness and to encourage local activities to combat the global challenges.
One of the key outcomes from the Congress is the selection of three recommendations by all Primary Section Delegates for IEEE MGA to address them in the coming years.
The recommendations are:
#9: Provide Continuing incentives to volunteers,
#29: Continuous Education in the IEEE professional fields,
#10: Provide support, education, and processes for working with Student Chapters and building relationships with Sections.
Details of the program can be found at https://sections-congress.ieee.org
During the closing session, Keynote Speaker, Ashley Noseworthy, CEO and Founder of Edgewise Environmental shared the six Principles of Sustainability Leaders –
- Worldview
- Network
- Boundaries
- Influence
- Complexity
- Self-Leadership
It is hoped that all delegates have made good use of the excellent opportunities to learn and network with delegates from other Sections and IEEE OU’s. Members in the Sections are also encouraged to urge their primary Section delegates to provide a report and to share the lessons they have learned.
Last but not the least, let’s all aim to Build a Sustainable Future and Advance Technologies for Humanity.
Lance Fung
IEEE R10 Director 2023-2024