IEEE WA Section Report March 2021
Muhammad Hayat, Newsletter Editor for IEEE WA Section
1. Event: IEEE Western Australia Training Workshop
This training workshop was particularly essential to provide new committee members with the information they need to have more focused effort for the forthcoming year to achieve the Section’s mission and objectives. This virtual training was organised on Saturday morning 6th February, 2021 and was organised by IEEE WA Section with a total of 25 participants. This was the first time such much needed training was organised by IEEE WA Section. 2021 Chair of IEEE WA Section, Associate Professor Farhad Shahnia conducted the workshop. The event attracted a wide spectrum of audience from various industries, academic groups etc. The Chair provided training to the new committee members and general audience on the history of IEEE to attract more interests on the activities of IEEE. IEEE Strategic Plan for 2020-2025 was shared with the attendees so that the Section efforts align with the mission and vision of IEEE. To further intrigue the attendees, interesting details such as the history of the IEEE logo was shared. The structure of the Section and role and responsibilities of committee members and what is expected of them were also outlined. Attendees were briefed on the following areas:
- Details of members’ classification and membership numbers.
- Activities and structure of Technical Activities Board (TAB)
- Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) and where IEEE WA Section sits.
- Existing Technical Chapters, Affinity Groups, and Student Branches within IEEE WA Section
- Procedure around the formation of a new Chapter, Affinity Groups, and Student Branches.
- Reporting requirements and minimum activities requirement for the organizational units.
- The objective of the IEEE WA Section and how these objectives will be achieved through technical activities and social events.
- Membership development campaigns.
- Financial aspects of Chapter around rebates, expenses, Section finances, cash flow.
- IEEE’s online reporting Vtools, e-notices, and voting.
- Planning, execution, and decision-making aspects of Section meetings.
This training workshop was very comprehensive and beneficial for the new committee members and general audiences and attracted positive feedback from the attendees.
2. Event: IEEE Western Australia Planning Workshop
This Section meeting targeted on discussing the Section plans for the forthcoming year and sought approval from committee members on such plans. This event was held on Saturday 20th February, 2021 at Murdoch University and was attended by 14 committee members. The Chair highlighted the Section activities for the year 2020 and briefed on the 2021 committee and the role of its members. The Chair sought approval of activities for the year 2021. These activities include Section meetings, Mid-year networking dinner, Section conference, Student Educational Workshop, IEEE Day Networking event, Family Day BBQ, and Annual General Meeting. The timeline for the Student Competition, Section Volunteer Award, and other committee awards were also discussed and finalized. Finally, the amendments to the IEEE Western Australia Section Bylaws were explained and approved to start the amendment process.