Dear Members,

Welcome to our August IEEE WIE Newsletter.

The 2023 IEEE Annual Election started on 15 August and will end on 2 October 2023 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time USA (16:00 UTC.). Information about the candidates can also be found on the IEEE Annual Election website, https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/election/candidates.html. Click on the link below to get started.
Access Ballot
You will need your IEEE Account (username and password) to authenticate access. If you are a voting member, please do not forget to exercise your right in the 2023 IEEE Annual Election IEEE WIE Membership and AG Status.

IEEE WIE Membership and AG Status

There were 35,601 WIE Members as of July  2023,  a 13.8% increase in WIE membership Year-over-Year (YoY).

A Recap of Important IEEE WIE Happenings

Inaugural IEEE WIE Day
IEEE Women in Engineering was formally established on 29 June 1997. We are excited to share that IEEE WIE announced the launching of IEEE WIE Day on 23 June on the occasion of International Women in Engineering Day with Chaitali Naik as the IEEE WIE Day Chair. The theme of the IEEE WIE DAY, 2023 was Engaging Women in Mitigating Climate Change & Building Climate Resilience. The IEEE WIE day 2023 was celebrated world wide from June 29th to July 31st. It was a resounding success with 239 IEEE WIE Day Ambassadors from 10 IEEE regions, 120+ IEEE WIE Day events held worldwide, 33 IEEE WIE Day badges earned, 51 Poll questions answered, and 23 batches of promotional items shipped upon request. Thanks to all stakeholders, especially the MGA board for approving the MGA surplus fund for launching the inaugural IEEE WIE day and creating the momentum to celebrate it onwards for a greater member engagement.
IEEE WIE ILC and ILS
The ad hoc committee for the future of IEEE WIE international Leadership Conference (ILC) is brainstorming and making good progress through a series of meetings. IEEE WIE International Leadership Summits (ILS) at Raipur, India is going to be held with the theme Embracing Equity with Leadership and Sustainability from 25th-26th August. They have designed exciting tracks, such as Women in Space, climate change and sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Humanitarian to ensure more member engagement. Please join the IEEE WIE ILS closest to you for professional advancement and networking with role models and peers.

IEEE WIE Regional Meet and Greet Networking Event – IEEE WIE Leaders Forum 2023Co-located with IEEE Sections congress, at Ottawa, this hybrid event was organized jointly by IEEE WIE Ottawa section, IEEE R7 WIE and IEEE WIE at University of Ottawa, Ottawa on 11th August. I (Chair of IEEE WIE) conducted a brief training session focusing on capacity building for the regional WIE AG Chairs and WIE members by embracing the program values offered by IEEE WIE. The event was graced by prominent figures such as the IEEE President, Saifur Rahman, the IEEE Canada (R7) President-Elect, Tom Murad, the IEEE Ottawa Section Chair, Amir Joghataie , IEEE MGA Award and recognition committee Chair, Celia Desmond, past director, IEEE Division 10, Ljiljana Trajkovic , and many others. Please find photos of the meet and greet event at the forum.

IEEE WIE’s engagement at IEEE Sections Congress
IEEE WIE has provided impactful engagement and presence at IEEE Sections congress, 11th -13th August 2023 through ignite , break out sessions and booth participation. The ignite and break out sessions were delivered by  Jenifer Castillo (past IEEE WIE Chair) and me (current IEEE WIE Chair) on the following topics:
Ignite Sessions:
IEEE WIE’s visibility though International Leadership Summits (ILS) [Celia Shahnaz]
IEEE WIE : Promoting Diversity and Inclusion [Celia Shahnaz]
Women in Engineering Focus in Technical Activities [Jenifer Castillo]

Breakout sessions:
Inspiring More Women Participation in Technical Societies and Councils [Celia Shahnaz]
Designing Impactful Programs for Women in Engineering Members [Celia Shahnaz]
Engaging WIE Volunteers [Jenifer Castillo].
The sessions and booth were well attended and praised by the WIE leaders and promoters around the world, including IEEE president and CEO Saifur Rahman, MGA Vice President Jill Gostin, Computer Society President Nita Patel, and many others. Please find the photos here. 

IEEE WIE Award/Contest Statistics [IEEE Openwater judging portal is used]
For IEEE WIE awards,  the following valid submission statistics are listed below from the various IEEE Regions:

IEEE WIE Section AG:
R10 – 4
R9 -1
R3 – 1

IEEE WIE SB AG:
R10 10 -27
R9- 4
R8- 7
R7-2

IEEE WIE Inspiring Member Award:

R10 -6
R9- 2
R6- 1
R3
R8-1

IEEE WIE  Inspiring Student Member Award

R10-12
R8-3
R9- 2
R1- 1

Visit our Awards page to look up the winners.

IEEE Women in Technology and Leadership Award

Below are the application stats from the 28 valid applications received.
R1-1
R3 -1
R4-1
R5-4
R6-6
R7-1
R8-4
R9- 3
R10- 7

 Manga Story Contest

43 applications were received.
R1 -8
R3- 1
R6- 2
R8- 5
R9-3
R10 -20
3 submissions had no mention of country/region.

Top 10 story submissions:

R1 -5
R8-1
R9-2
R10-2

6 winners from the following regions were announced:

R1-3
R8-1
R9-1
R10- 1

Future IEEE WIE Events/Competition

IEEE WIE Climate Tech Big Idea Pitch Competition
This competition is launched with the theme Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability. The competition is designed with a vision to promote the growth of women-led startups in technical fields. Everyone is requested to encourage submissions and participation in the competition.
IEEE WIE Forum USA East
The forum USA East will take place from  26-28 October 2023 in Pittsburgh, and is inviting participation/registration. Please widely share it to your networks and join the forum. A WIE Member/ WIE AG activity is also planned at this event.

Thank you all for your extraordinary contributions to IEEE WIE!
Celia Shahnaz
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