Welcome Messages

    Message from IEEE Region 10 Director

    Dear all IEEE Region 10 Members,

    Though we had a great start of the year 2020 with Prof. Toshio Fukuda, the first IEEE President from Region 10, neither I (nor probably any of you) imagined the difficulties of the situation we now find ourselves in caused by the outbreak of COVID-19.

    We held a successful IEEE Region 10 Executive Committee Meeting in Queenstown, New Zealand, in early January, but I had to cancel our “IEEE Region 10 Meeting” scheduled to be held at Ho Chi Minh City on 7th – 8th March. Instead, on 7th March we participated in a virtual WebEx meeting. Since it is challenging for members to concentrate online for a full day, we restricted our meeting time to just seven hours (including lunch and afternoon tea breaks).

    Thanks to a dry run a few days before and to excellent technical and procedural support from IEEE HQ, I believe we had a good meeting, although some may not have been one hundred percent satisfied. I understand that we need the type of discussion available face-to-face, but please do accept my apologies during this crisis mode. To recoup hotel cancellation fees, Deepak Mathur, the next Region 10 Director, has scheduled our Region 10 Meeting for the identical hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

    As the 15th May 2020 “IEEE VICS and Honors Ceremony” has likewise been canceled, it is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic may also affect our annual flagship conferences and even our biennial “SYWL

    Congress”. The Organizing Committees have excellent contact with local authorities, as well as with IEEE HQ, the R10 Office, etc. We shall determine whether or not to hold these events as the year unfolds, with paramount attention to all members’ safety and well-being. Online conferences may be an option. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization, and our technological savoir-faire is bound to help mitigate any issues that arise out of present constraints.

    At the Board of Directors meeting in February, the elevation of the “Vizag Bay Subsection” to Section status, the establishment of a new “Laos Subsection” directly under Region 10 and a “Quetta Subsection” under the Karachi Section were all approved. Note that Region 10 now comprises 59 Sections and 36 Subsections. We are a big family, the biggest of all 10 IEEE Regions. That is one reason why we have been discussing Regional realignment at Board level. I hope to see increased diversity at all levels of IEEE going forward.

    As you know IEEE has adopted a New Diversity Statement, but in fact there are further improvements to be made. Nonetheless, I am convinced that Region 10 can provide a model of diversity. As always your enthusiastic participation in as many of our varied IEEE activities as possible will be greatly appreciated.

    In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!

    With warmest regards,

    Akinori Nishihara

    IEEE Region 10 Director

    Message from IEEE Region 10 Newsletter Coordinator

    Dear Region 10 Members,

    It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second edition of IEEE Region 10 Newsletter for 2020. This edition features special reports on the 2020 IEEE Region 10 Executive Committee Meeting in Queenstown, New Zealand and the virtual 2020 IEEE Region 10 Annual General Meeting. The 2020 AGM was initially planned to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was changed to be virtual meeting instead. This is the first time the R10 AGM has to be conducted virtually, and IEEE Region 10, with the help of IEEE Meetings, Conferences and Events (MCE) team, successfully carried out the virtual meeting.

    As has been the practice since last year, the newsletter continues the Personalities of the Month and Organizational Units of the Month column, where we are fortunate to have another five Region 10 personalities as well as five Region 10 organizational units contributing to the column. I am very grateful for all the invited personalities and units for taking some time off their busy schedule to prepare high-quality articles that can benefit all Region 10 members. I hope to continue receiving similar supports from other members and units when we approach them for future editions.

    We have also received more than 35 activity submissions from various organizational units for inclusion in this newsletter issue. We would like to thank all these units for their contribution to this newsletter. A special interview with IEEE R10HTC2019 contest winners is also featured. Besides, there are also several articles on the recently concluded conferences sponsored by various Region 10 units. Finally, I would also like to thank the R10 Committee Chairs for providing highlights on their committee’s activities and plan as part of the R10 Meeting Special Report.

    Besides regular release of newsletter, the plan for the newsletter team for this year includes preparing the web newsletter version, and increased visibility through social media marketing. For this, we have expanded our team to include two more members: Naila Mukhtar and Nabeel Ahmed Masoodi, whose short biographies are available in the next page. A special thanks to all our existing and new R10 newsletter committee members for their incredible efforts in preparing this edition. And thanks again all of you for your support. Wishing you for a very exciting 2020 ahead, and stay safe amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Mohammad Faizal Ahmad Fauzi

    Chair, IEEE R10 Newsletter Committee

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