Because the saying goes, you’re by no means too outdated to start out over. It holds true for the IEEE Life Members Committeewhich has been revitalized after COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.
The committee helps these at the very least 65 years outdated who’ve been members lengthy sufficient in order that their age and years of membership equal or exceed 100. Life members’ dues, regional assessments, and society charges are waived, and a few convention registration charges are lowered.
Throughout the pandemic, fewer life members have been attending in-person actions and becoming a member of native teams, and donations to the Life Members Fundwhich helps a number of applications, dropped off.
“As we rebounded from COVID,” says Howard Wolfmanprevious chair, “the Life Members Committee took a deep breath and stated, ‘Let’s transfer ahead. What are our points?’” A life senior member, Wolfman has been an lively IEEE volunteer for 64 years and a beneficiant donor to the Life Members Fund.
“We re-established connections, developed new objectives, and launched new applications,” he says.
Throughout the previous 5 years, the committee launched a number of initiatives together with an annual convention and a mentoring program. It additionally labored to reactivate affinity teams that had gone dormant, and it shaped new ones. Affinity teams are a part of an IEEE part or area.
The committee additionally ran campaigns to extend donations to the Life Members Fund, which the IEEE Basis manages. The campaigns showcased how the donations are used to assist member actions and IEEE applications.
The variety of life members elevated from 25,000 in 2019 to almost 39,000 final yr. IEEE now initiatives a 58 p.c enhance by 2034. The group says it desires to utilize its most skilled and educated engineers.
Tech for an getting older inhabitants
The inaugural Life Members Convention was held in April 2024 in Austin, Texas. Its theme was “Evolution: Know-how, Functions, and Contributions.” Open to all IEEE members, the occasion centered on offering a greater understanding of how rising applied sciences and new functions might impression senior residents. Greater than 180 individuals attended.
This yr’s convention“Studying By no means Stops,” is scheduled for 11 to 13 June at Tufts College in Medford, Mass. Matters embrace improvements in well being know-how, synthetic intelligence, and robotics. A session on methods that impression society is anticipated to debate the vitality grid and telecommunications.
“Life members have the chance to share the knowledge they’ve gained by their membership in addition to careers in business or academia.”
In accordance with the World Well being Groupby 2030, one in six individuals on the earth can be 60 or older.
With that in thoughts, a convention dialogue on getting older and longevity will cowl applied sciences to boost the standard of life for older individuals, Wolfman says, including that it’s going to contact on independence and general well-being. The age tech subject consists of well being and wellness monitoring, sensible home equipment, and home-care robots.
The IEEE Requirements Affiliation’s Know-how Requirements for the Growing old exercise plans to supply a session to debate technical requirements being developed to make sure such merchandise are interoperable, protected, and safe. The keynote speaker is Rick Robinsonvp and basic supervisor of AARP’s AgeTech Collaborativewhich helps builders within the subject. Dean Kamen, an honorary IEEE member who most likely is finest recognized for inventing the Segway scooteris anticipated to ship the closing keynote handle.
You don’t need to be a member to attend the convention. Registration remains to be open.
Sharing experiences with youthful generations
The idea of mentoring will not be new. Conventional mentoring applications sometimes contain one-on-one classes. However Wolfman says he had an epiphany for a brand new sort of program the committee ought to launch: group mentoring.
Launched final yr, the group classes contain life members assembly with highschool college students, faculty college students, and younger professionals. The members share the ups and downs of their skilled and private lives, classes discovered, and pitfalls to keep away from, Wolfman says.
Group classes have been held in Ottawa; San Marcos, Texas; and Tokyo.
“One factor I discovered in speaking to the members is that mentoring works each methods,” Wolfman says. “Life members get mentored as properly. We study what’s occurring in right now’s world, so it’s a two-way avenue.”
He’s exploring increasing the mentoring program to different IEEE teams, together with Girls in Engineering and Younger Professionalsso members can get completely different views.
Affinity group actions
There are greater than 190 life member affinity teams in 66 nations. The Africa Council shaped one of many latest. Its members come from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Zambia, and three different nations.
A number of affinity teams have been reactivated after a number of years of inactivity, together with the Dallas group final yr.
The teams maintain various kinds of actions. Final yr the IEEE Benelux group visited the European House Company in Noordwijk, Netherlands. The members additionally toured medical tools firm Cochlear’s manufacturing plant in Mechelen, Belgium. In Colorado, the IEEE Denver and Pikes Peak teams visited the U.S. Basic Companies Administration’s Skaggs Analysis Heartin Boulder.
Affinity teams additionally arrange instructional classes on cybersecurity, electrical security, spintronics, and related topics.
Supporters of 15 applications
Life members are beneficiant. Final yr they gave greater than US $1.7 million to IEEE’s philanthropic applications, in accordance with the IEEE Basis. Life members account for 65 p.c of the whole donations given by people to the greater than 215 IEEE Basis accounts.
The IEEE Life Members Fund helps greater than 15 applications together with awards, conferences, instructional outreach, fellowshipsand humanitarian initiatives.
The fund, for instance, helps EPICS in IEEE initiatives world wide. Final yr, greater than 12,800 college students and a few 1,600 volunteers participated within the service-learning program of their neighborhood.
One other program that receives funding is IEEE MOVE (Cell Outreach utilizing Volunteer Engagement). In the US, three MOVE autos present communities with energy and communications capabilities in areas affected by widespread outages attributable to pure disasters. Previously yr they’ve been deployed to help survivors of floods in Kentucky, hurricanes in Florida, and wildfires in California.
MOVE India performed a number of applications final yr, together with disaster-awareness classes, STEM workshops, and volunteer coaching. MOVE India donated photo voltaic lanterns and cellular chargers to survivors of the Wayanad landslides who have been with out energy.
“Life members have the chance to share the knowledge they’ve gained by their membership in addition to careers in business or academia,” Wolfman says. “We obtain the satisfaction of figuring out that we’re giving again to the subsequent era of innovators, IEEE typically, and society.”
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