By Prof. Yoshikazu Miyanaga, Prof. Takako Hashimoto, General Co-Chairs, IEEE R10 SYWL Congress 2024 Local Organizing Committee
General Introduction
Mr. Hidenobu Harasaki, Operation Committee Chair
IEEE R10 SYWL Congress 2024 was held from August 29 to September 1, at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Tokyo, Japan.
324 participants and 10 student volunteers gathered at the venue. Participants from Japan were 118, and overseas participants from 20 countries were 206. Since Typhoon No. 10, Shanshan hit the western part of Japan, a few domestic participants could not come to Tokyo. Several registered overseas participants could not come due to the entry visa or the approval of the institute.
The outline of the congress is available at YouTube.
Local Organizing Committee would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Vijay S. Paul, who created the YouTube video until 4am of the final day of the congress.
Welcome Reception
Prof. Paulin N. Kawamoto, Welcome Reception Chair
The R10 SYWL Congress 2024 program opened with a welcome reception on the evening of August 29, 2024 with welcome addresses by the 2024 R10 SYWL Congress General Co-Chair Yoshikazu Miyanaga, IEEE Member Geographic Activities Vice President Deepak Mathur, and the 2022 R10 SYWL Congress General Chair CheonWon Choi. Following an introduction of the contest activities and program for the congress, guests were welcomed with a traditional Japanese style “kagami-wari” ceremony of celebration in which decorative mallets are used in an orchestrated, collaborative motion to open a wooden “sake” (rice wine) barrel for kicking off the reception. Participants were treated to a live performance of traditional Japanese performing arts including the Japanese “shishimai” (lion dance) and the comical “hyottoko” and “otafuku” mask dancers weaving in and out of the audience.
Keynote Session
Prof. Yasuharu Ohgoe, Program Committee Chair
The SYWL Congress featured two keynote sessions, three plenary talks, breakout sessions (Student, YP, WIE, LMAG), and member development sessions. In the keynote sessions, Tom Coughlin (2024 IEEE President & CEO) emphasized retaining younger members, the future of education, industry engagement, and workforce development. Kathleen Kramer (2024 IEEE President-Elect) focused on leveraging “One IEEE” to enhance global impact. Alberto Tam Yong, from IEEE Young Professionals, highlighted the resources available for early-career engineers, including networking events, mentorship, and career advancement tools, showcasing the vibrant community within IEEE Young Professionals.
In the plenary sessions, Ruben Barrera-Michel (IEEE MGA SAC Chair), Celia Shahnaz (IEEE WIE Committee Chair), and Rajendra K. Asthana (IEEE MGA LMC Chair) presented on “Student Retention and Transition,” “Diversity and Inclusion for Women Empowerment and Advancement,” and “IEEE Life Member Committee.” These presentations addressed key topics for students, young professionals, women engineers, and life members. The discussions emphasized the importance of sharing and expanding the value of IEE activities.
Student Track
Prof. Yusuke Kozawa, Students Track Co-Chair
The IEEE Region 10 SYWL breakout sessions for students were held across three interactive and insightful sessions, with two on August 30th and the final session on August 31st. These sessions were designed to promote networking, collaboration, and professional development for students. The topics covered ranged from strategies for effective networking, and insights into IEEE tools and resources, to the impact of AI in research and publications. One of the highlights of the event was the fun and engaging pasta and marshmallow game, where students from different Sections worked together in groups to complete the challenge. This activity fostered interaction and teamwork among participants. The event provided a well-rounded experience, combining educational talks with engaging activities, ensuring that students left with valuable knowledge and new connections.
Young Professionals Track
Mr. Yutaro Ishigaki, YP Track Co-Chair
The YP track consisted of a panel discussion, a talk session, and a group discussion, designed to provide young professionals with valuable insights for career development and success in the tech industry, while promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration among members. In the panel discussion, topics of great interest to young professionals were explored, such as “How to transition from individual success to collective impact in the tech industry.” The talk session featured two lectures focused on how to leverage emerging technologies to drive innovation and growth, along with introductions to IEEE activities and platforms for the topic. The group discussion started with YP representatives presenting platforms and initiatives that promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among volunteers, followed by brainstorming sessions where YP activities and collaboration were discussed. Representatives from outside Region 10 also participated online. Across the three sessions, participants gained valuable insights and collaboration opportunities.
Women in Engineering Track
Ms. Hiroko Nagashima, WIE Track Co-Chair
WIE Session had 1 keynote speech, 5 showcases, 1 panel session and 1 table talk session. In the keynote speech, Prof. Kathleen Kramer, IEEE President-Elect, gave the presentation about the importance of global and diverse membership, collaboration as IEEE members, and finding a mentor for own career. Besides, we talked with four panellists in a panel session about “Working Together: Overcoming Obstacles and Celebrating Achievements in Engineering”.
There were over 30 attendees each day. Every sub-session was exciting, especially some communication time effected by giving some opportunities to talk with participants, such as self-introductions and table talks among participants.
Life Members Track
Dr. Toshitaka Tsuda, Life Member Track Chair
LM-related activities started with the presentation of Mr. Rajendra Asthana, MGA LMC Chair, introducing LMC activities as the plenary talk, then three LM sessions were conducted. Nine presentations were given, five from India three from Japan and one from Malaysia. Among nine presentations, five presentations were best practice reports of each LMAG, one was the introduction of IEEE Milestones, two were technical overviews, and one was the presentation of the coming to LM Track at the R10 HTC Conference. All the presentations were informative and interesting for the participants and a hot Q&A was conducted.
At the Award Night, LM Individual Service Award to Dr. V K Damodaran, and the Outstanding LMAG Achievement Award to LMAG Kerala were handed by Prof. Hashimoto, R10 Director-Elect, then R10 LMC Certificate of Appreciations were handed to thirteen active LMAGs.
Awards Night
Prof. Aiko Uemura, Award Night Session Co-Chair
The award night took place on August 30th, beginning at 18:00, followed by a cultural performance of Tsugaru Shamisen by Mr. Chikudo Takahashi. The mesmerizing performance, which included improvisation, enthralled the audience. Following this exceptional performance, several awards were presented, including the 2024 IEEE Life Member Individual Service Award and the 2024 IEEE Outstanding LMAG Award. Additionally, R10 LMAG Certificates were awarded to 13 organizations for their outstanding activities in 2023. The event concluded with special promotions for IEEE PROCOMM, IEEE Rising Star Event, TENSYMP 2024, and HTC 2024.
SYWL Joint Session
Prof. Kojiro Nishimiya, SYWL Joint Session Co-Chair
Mousmi Ajay Chaurasia (Volunteer Upskills and Engagement) and Kojiro Nishimiya (Tokyo SIGHT) co-hosted the SYWL Joint Session, which transcended the boundaries of the respective Affinity Groups. The session began with a welcome speech by R10 Director, Lance Fung. After that, Mousmi gave a few words and Nishimiya explained the purpose of the session. Then, Prof. Jennifer C. Dela Cruz gave a speech on behalf of the Student Group, Dr. Aishwarya Bandla gave a speech on behalf of the Young Professional Group, Dr. Agnes Irwanti gave a speech on behalf of Women in Engineering, and Dr. Toshitaka Tsuda spoke on behalf of the Life Member Affinity Group. These talks were not only about the characteristics of each Affinity Group, but also about the benefits of co-sponsoring each of them, in order to create a beneficial chemical reaction in future activities. The second half of the session consisted of a mixed group discussion among members of each Affinity Group. The theme was “Delusional Best Practices. Each group was asked to propose an event that they would like to try in the future, even if it has not been realized before. The ideas were shared with all participants after the Congress.
Poster Session
Ms. Mayumi Suzuki, Poster Session/Cultural Night Co-chair
The poster session featured a diverse array of 37 booths, including four sponsor booths, seven activity introduction booths, one R10 Flagship conference booth, 11 cultural booths representing various countries, one booth from Nagoya Convention Bureau, and 11 Robotics Competition booths as part of a parallel event, along with two Industry Engagement Workshop booths. The photo booths, showcasing Japan’s iconic landmarks, alongside local food trucks and fruits, were a delightful highlight. Participants, adorned in items representing their countries, enthusiastically engaged in a bingo rally, fostering connections and deepening intercultural bonds in a vibrant atmosphere.
Cultural Night
Prof. Kojiro Nishimiya, Poster session/Cultural Night Co-chair
On the final evening of the R10 SYWL Congress, the highly anticipated Cultural Night took place, celebrating the rich diversity of the Asia-Pacific region. The event began with a captivating introduction to traditional Japanese performing arts. Yuki Yokota performed a graceful Japanese dance, accompanied by Tomomi Niji (Nanairo Shamisen), who later presented Kawachi Ondo after a brief cultural lecture. The performance ended on an energetic note as the audience enthusiastically joined in the dancing.
Following this, the host country’s Japanese Sections organized a national sake event, offering a selection of sake and soft drinks, each representing the pride of Japan’s various regions.
The highlight of the night was the Cultural Performance session, where participants showcased traditional music and dances from their respective countries. The atmosphere was filled with joy and unity as everyone joined in, dancing together and celebrating each other’s cultures, transcending national boundaries in a spirit of harmony and friendship.
Humanitarian Session
Ms. Emi Yano, Humanitarian Session Co-Chair
The Humanitarian Session, co-chaired with Saurabh Soni from IEEE R10 HTA, brought together experts to discuss impactful projects in renewable energy and robotics.
Keynote presentations highlighted innovative efforts in humanitarian technology. Prof. Takao Terano from Chiba University of Commerce shared the university’s journey toward becoming Japan’s first “100% renewable energy university” and introduced the Societal Prototyping Design (SPD) framework as a solution to overcome challenges. Prof. Zhidong Wang from Chiba Institute of Technology discussed cooperative robot control, focusing on advancements in human-robot interaction and micro/nano-robot systems. Dimuthu Anuraj also shared insights into IEEE HTB and SIGHT initiatives, emphasizing their impact in advancing humanitarian technologies.
As the final session of the IEEE R10 SYWL Congress Plenary, the venue was filled with attentive members.
Hospitality Program
Ms. Mayumi Suzuki, Poster Session/Cultural Night Co-chair
The hospitality program for 120 overseas participants, divided into three groups of 40, kicked off on the evening of September 1st. Participants enjoyed three diverse tours, each offering a unique glimpse into Tokyo’s cultural and historical highlights. The tours included a visit to the TOKYO SKYTREE Tembo Deck and an Asakusa walking tour, a scenic Tokyo River cruise with a stop at the Hamarikyu Gardens, and an exploration of the Meiji Shrine followed by a Harajuku walking tour.