01 Aug

IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Summit (WIE ILS) Toronto 2018, Register Today!

Article by P. Travis Jardine and Fuad Shamieh.

IEEE Young Professionals is dedicated to providing opportunities for members to learn new skills and grow their and professional networks. We are thrilled to tell you about an exciting such opportunity coming to Toronto soon! From September 15th to 16th, an impressive lineup of leaders from across industry, academia, and the government will be descending upon the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale for two days of inspiring presentations, panels, and workshops for the IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Summit (WIE ILS) Toronto 2018.

The goal of the IEEE WIE ILS Toronto 2018 is to inspire, engage and empower women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Specifically, this event addresses the under-representation of women in STEM. Over the past several decades, female participation in the workforce has dramatically increased. However, studies show that despite this leap in women’s workforce participation, global female representation in technical fields remains comparatively low. This summit is a part of a larger, global IEEE WIE initiative to support and empower women in STEM in different countries, providing them with opportunities for networking, mentorship, and collaboration. This is the first summit of its kind in Canada.

During the summit, there will be tracks focussed on leadership, future technologies, entrepreneurship, empowerment, and innovation. These will be complemented by keynote speakers from industry, academia, and government and specialized panel discussions. The list of speakers is rich with diverse expertise and skills from across many sectors. For example, you could learn from the award-winning mathematician from the University of Kansas (KU), Professor Bozenna Pasik-Duncan. Dr. Pasik-Duncan’s research focuses on stochastic control systems and their applications in communications, economics, and health science. Her contributions and dedication to the field have earned her an IEEE Distinguished Membership of the Control Systems Society and the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. Throughout her career, she has received numerous other distinctions, including the Kemper, H.O.P.E, and L. Hay awards and membership in the KU Women’s Hall of Fame.

Alongside Dr. Pasik-Duncan, the Dean of Applied Technology from the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Dr. Farzad Rayegani; and Dr. Amy Pinchuk, president and founder of InField Scientific Inc, will be leading their own workshops. Dr. Rayegani has spent the past 20 years in academia mentoring future researchers and innovators. He has been a partner with SME enterprises on emerging technology projects, where he developed an applied research program giving students a hands-on experience in the field. In addition to being president and founder of InField Scientific Inc., Dr. Pinchuk also teaches software engineering courses at McGill University. She an author of several children’s books aiming to inspire future engineers and scientists!

If you are interested in engaging with these inspiring individuals, growing your professional network, and helping a good cause, check out the WIE ILS Toronto 2018 website and register today: http://site.ieee.org/wieils-toronto-2018/

See you there!