Chapter Support Webinar Report
Prepared by: Amit Kumar, Chair for IEEE Region 10 Section/Chapter Committee
IEEE R10 Section/Chapter Committee in collaboration with IEEE MGA TA Ad-hoc Committee has organized a webinar on “IEEE Chapter Support cum Experience Sharing” on 5th July 2021 Virtually through WebEx at 7:30 PM (IST). The webinar was organized under the leadership of Dr. Amit Kumar – Chair IEEE R10 Section Chapter Committee. Mr. Deepak Mathur – Director IEEE R10, Dr. Maike Luken – Vice President MGA, Dr. Costas Stasopoulos – Chair MGA GUOS Committee, and Dr. Bob Rassa – MGA TA Adhoc Committee on Chapter Support Co-Chair graced the webinar.
Dr. Supavadee Aramvith – Member, IEEE MGA TA Ad-hoc Committee gave the opening remarks by introducing the eminent speakers in the panel. Mr. Deepak Mathur appreciated the Organizing Committee for being committed and supportive for the development of its Section and Chapter initiatives. He further added that R10 is more predominant in providing volunteering opportunities for the members of its Chapters and Sections, which results in the development of membership retention and sustainability.
Dr. Maike Luken briefed about the MGA vision and how it supports Chapters & Sections. Dr. Costas Stasopoulos shared his insights on how the chapters can be enhanced and made technically strong. He also enlightened the attendees on the importance of Chapters/Sections. In continuation, Dr. Bob Rassa explained the importance of the committee and its efforts to strengthen the Chapters and Section development.
The following are the takeaways from Dr. Bob’s presentation:
Following this there was an Experience Sharing Session from vibrant Section and Chapter representatives.
Dr. DVSS Siva Sarma – Chair, Chapter Subsection Coordination Committee (CSSC) IEEE Hyderabad Section has articulated about the activities that Hyderabad Section is engaging for the development of its Chapters and Subsections. He also briefed about the Future Development Committee (FDC) initiated by Hyderabad Section with its Past Chairs and Senior Members for sharing their expertise for sustaining the Chapters and Subsections.
Prof. Chia-Chi Chu – Director, IEEE Taipei Section briefed the Section’s statistics, and also gave his insights on “what is a Successful Section?” and shared the wide range of activities organized by Taipei Section, especially for membership engagement and retention. Dr. Subhash Chandra Mukhopadhyay – Founding Chair, IEEE SC NSW Chapter gave a brief introduction about Sensors Council of IEEE NSW Chapter, and shared his insights on best practices for making a successful chapter.
Some of the key takeaways from his presentation were:
Dr. Lalitha Vadlamani – Past Chair, IEEE ComSoc/SPS Joint Chapter Hyderabad Section, presented the best practices which made the chapter to be one the most promising & vibrant chapters and a recipient of Outstanding Chapter Award.
The Major points covered include:
Dr. Hazile Mokhlis – IEEE PES Malaysia Chapter listed the wide range of activities organized by their chapter, followed by the best practices of the chapter which have resulted in active engagement and sustainability.
Some of the best practices listed were:
The panel ended with a positive note followed by an interactive Q&A session. The main outcome of the event was to give an overview about Section and Chapter management. More than 70 attendees from various sections and chapters have been actively engaged and benefited by this webinar. The event eventually concluded with the Vote of Thanks by Dr. Amit Kumar.