Article By Mohamed Emara

In October 2019, IEEE Young Professionals Ottawa organized a reception for the attendees of the 7^th Annual IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE 2019). The reception took place in the Sidedoor Restaurant in downtown Ottawa in proximity to the conference hall. The reception gave the conference attendees the opportunity to network with the conference chairs, keynote speakers, industry experts and other young professionals. During the reception, the conference chairs, keynote speakers and selected industry representatives were invited to give short talks to young professionals, which included advice on career advancement, social responsibility, and networking.

Article by Suresh Venkatesh, Laura González Llamazares, and Saeed Al Mansoori

Rapid innovations in space technology require smart and immediate adaptation. This can be achieved by harnessing and grooming the young talents of today who will be the stakeholders of tomorrow. Young Professionals (YP) in Space, is a technical program conceived in the year 2016 with a dream of achieving this exact goal. This article highlights and recaps some of the success stories of this program, including the recently held YP event in Dubai, UAE, during November 2019.

Introduction

Traditionally, satellites and related space technologies mainly found their application in remote sensing, security, and direct-to-home broadcast services. With the burgeoning quest for high-speed data access, high-tech conglomerates have started to look up to the skies. The main players in space technology like SpaceX, Amazon, and OneWeb are investing heavily on space internet infrastructure and megaconstellations consisting of both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites [1]. This potential trillion dollar market invariably requires innovations from varied aspects of science and engineering fields namely: chemical sciences for efficient rocket fuels, electrical engineering for modern communication systems, mechanical/aerospace engineering for novel propulsion systems, and so on. To understand and meet these challenges, YP in space was conceived by Dr. Tushar Sharma in 2016 (shown in Fig.1). The main motto of this program is to bring the world renowned experts from different fields of space technology and young professionals from all over the world under one umbrella [2]. These experts share their experiences and train the young professionals. YP in Space has completed three successful events in Bangalore (India 2017), Barcelona (Spain 2018), and Dubai (UAE 2019) so far. Until few years back, the space sector was perceived to be extremely closely knit and dominated by a few countries. However, some of the innovations and breakthroughs are currently being led by young professionals from different nationalities including from developing countries. This is evident in the kind of startups that are spawning in this area. This in turn has led to the opening up and democratization of the space sector.

Fig. 1. Tushar Sharma (right), the founder and chair of YP in Space being felicitated by Eng. Saeed Al Mansoori (left) from Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre at the Dubai 2019 YP event.

Fig.2. Dubai, UAE-2019 event

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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!