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View overlooking Florence, Italy
Tom Coughlin
In the last half of July 2024, I visited an IEEE student and young professional event in Grenoble, gave an award at the 2024 Antennas and Propagation Society event in Florence and travelled with 2024 IEEE President Elect Kathleen Kramer, and other IEEE volunteer leaders, to India to meet with IEEE volunteers and conferences, promoting IEEE objectives for 2024 and beyond.
I attended the opening event for the 2024 IEEE Region 8 student and young professional event where I made a short talk about IEEE objectives and initiatives in 2024 at the Minatec Auditorium, particularly pitching students and YPs on why IEEE should be their professional home (my biggest priority for 2024). I then attended an evening social event at the Chateau de Sassenage, a 17th century castle near to the mountains. The picture below shows me next to a sign about the conference.
Tom at the 2024 Student and Young Professional Event in Grenoble
Tom Coughlin
The following day I travelled to Florence, Italy to attend the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (APS) 75th anniversary celebration at their 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and ITNC-USNC-URSI Radio Science Meeting and to give out an IEEE Field Medal. I attended a student and YP event the first evening I was there and then various sessions and events at the conference. At a 75thanniversary symposium event I was involved in cutting up cake and serving it to students and YPs along with the APS President, Bransilav Notaros. The image below shows me cutting sliced of the anniversary cake for YPs and students.
Cutting 75th Anniversary Cake for IEEE APS at their Symposium in Florence
Tom Coughlin
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The IEEE Electromagnetics technical field award was presented to Kamal Sarabandi for contributions to electromagnetic sensing technology and metamaterials for antenna miniaturization. Professor Sarabandi is the Fawwaz T. Ulaby Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. In addition, I gave talks about the history of the IEEE and the 2024 initiatives and the development of our IEEE strategic plan for 2025 through 2030.
From Florence, I traveled to Bangaluru, India to start my nearly week-long trip to several cities in India. Deepak Mathur, Vice President of Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) and Sri Chandrasekaran head of the IEEE India Office, joined us in Bangaluru. One of our first visits was to the Param Science Experience Center in Bangaluru. They had a small building that they had a few exhibits set up for STEAM education that included interesting cultural themes as well as various science and engineering exhibits. There was a real Maker culture feel to the place. The image below shows me on a hybrid bike that replaced the back wheel with a belt-driven walking device. They told me that they actually used this on the road in front of the science center and it got a lot of attention.
At the Param Science Center in Bangalore
Tom Coughlin
By 2025 they will move into a much larger facility that includes a conference center as well exhibit hall. Sri from the India office accompanied Kathleen, Deepak and I on this visit and we are exploring how we might do more with this Science Center to develop IEEE impact on technical education in India. In Bangaluru I attended the SPACE conference, met with the IEEE India office staff as well as local section officers and young professionals talking about IEEE and our focus on retaining our younger members through greater engagement with industry. 2023 IEEE President, Saifur Rahman was at the Space Conference as well as 2024 President Elect Kathleen Kramer (and her husband Antonio). Kathleen and her husband accompanied me for the rest of the Indian trip.
At the India IEEE office, Saifur, Kathleen and I got our pictures taken next to the photos of the three of us in the office along with Deepak Mathur (left of us) and Sri Chandrasekaran (right of us), see below.
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