2021 R10 WIE Outstanding Volunteer
Ray Hua Horng is the Distinguished Professor of the Institute of Electronics in National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. She became an IEEE member in 2007, then a Senior Member in 2011 and got the Fellow position in 2015. In 2007, Prof. Horng was awarded the 2007 IEEE Region 10 Academia-Industry Partnership Award. She has been actively contributing as an IEEE volunteer from 2011, when she was elected to the executive committee of the IEEE Taipei Section Photonic Society Chapter. After serving in the Executive Committee in various positions, she was elected as Treasurer in 2011 and 2012 and became Chapter Chair in 2013 and 2014. In 2021, Prof. Horng served as the editorial board member in IEEE EDL and also as Elected Board of Governors members of Photonic Society.
Since 2019, Prof. Horng has organized the event Women in Optics (WIO) every year. Prof. Horng is the promoter of Women in Optics (WIO) of Taiwan Photonics Society (TPS). The objectives are as follows:
- Promote personal and professional growth for women through community building, networking opportunities.
- Offer a platform to share the experience and ideas for women.
- Offer a platform to release pressure.
- Encourage young women to choose optics as a career.
The meeting has a parallel session for kids, “Photonic Children Care”. In this parallel session, children can learn some optics knowledge and also let their mother not worry about them and focus on joining the meeting in WIO. In 2020, “Women in Optics & Engineer @ Taiwan” was held in Taiwan on 5th December 2020. It is the first time Women in Optics & Engineers events were combined. The meeting of Women in Optics & Women in Engineering (WIO & WIE) was successful in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The topic of 2020 is wave-particle duality: “Light is a wave as well as a particle. WIO/WIE are professionals and moms/wives, just like light. The balance between work and family is a struggle.”
Prof. Horng has also been involved with international activity. In 2018, she was invited to attend the WIO in Korea to share her research and talk about experiences of female scholars in the workplace. In 2019, she was invited to be the Distinguished Lecturer of SRM Institute of Science and Technology University in India. Prof. Horng shares her research and shares her experience on how to become an international society member and its importance during the student stage. In 2021, she was invited to be the Distinguished Lecturer of Mangalam College of Engineering in collaboration with MSME Technology Development Centre, PPDC, Agra, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt. of India for 2021 International Women’s Day event online. Prof. Horng talked about the resources of the IEEE Student Member, especially for the female member and how to become an IEEE Student Member.
Prof. Horng is an excellent leader. She has taught young students how to become a professional researcher and engineer. She believes that it is important to let the female students know how to utilize the resources in IEEE and let them know who can support them if it is necessary. Prof. Horng has not only shared her professional research. She has also introduced the activity of WIO/WIE in Taiwan. Based on the above contributions, Prof. Horng was awarded the 2021 R10 WIE Outstanding Volunteer Award.