Dear IEEE WIE Members,

Welcome to our October 2024 IEEE WIE Newsletter.

In this edition, we delve into the core values of the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) program, review the 2024 program assessment, and outline our future goals. We’ve prepared detailed statistics to enhance your knowledge, presented in this IEEE Women in Engineering Program Statistics deck.

We encourage you to actively participate in the IEEE WIE programs within your local WIE Affinity Groups to build your capacity and make the most of these opportunities!

A Recap of Important IEEE WIE Happenings

IEEE WIE Membership
As of October 2024, there were 1173+ WIE AGs worldwide and 45, 237 WIE Members with 31.41% male membership indicating the diverse and inclusive nature of WIE global membership.
IEEE WIE Visibility
IEEE WIE programs has been creating a great visibility with 3,679 WIE events reported via IEEE vTools and through social media, such as LinkedIn – 21,307 Followers, LinkedIn Group – 5,854 Members, Twitter – 4,522 Followers, Facebook – 128,8K Followers, Instagram – 5,526 Followers and IEEE WIE Global Network in IEEE Collabratec – 13,255 Members

IEEE Day and IEEE History Week Celebrations
IEEE WIE encourages IEEE WIE members and their organizational units to organize IEEE day events. Watch Celia Shahnaz’s video posted in the IEEE Day social media.

IEEE WIE encourages you to host a history-themed local or virtual event during IEEE History Week!  Be sure to submit the event details for inclusion on the History Week event calendar on the History Week webpage. In line with IEEE Day guidelines, these events can be held anytime from September 30 to October 31, 2024. Let’s celebrate our rich history together!

Celebrating World Gratitude Day: A Tribute to IEEE Foundation Volunteers and Donors | IEEE Foundation, Inc. Myself as IEEE WIE Chair , Celia Shahnaz, was invited to share a short blurb for IEEE foundation’s blog post celebrating World Gratitude Day on 21st September.
Celebration of Hispanic Month – 15 Sept -15 Oct
IEEE WIE celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and highlights the remarkable achievements of the WIE members who have made significant contributions to our organization and the STEM fields.
IEEE WIE International Leadership Conference (WIE ILC) 2025:  In August 2024, the IEEE WIE ILC Steering Committee approved the conference theme “Promoting Women in Engineering and Technology: Accelerating Leadership In An AI-Powered World.”
The registration fee and budget are approved and the sponsor prospectus has been shared. The Call for Speakers was sent out on 13 September with a submission deadline of 4 November 2024.

IEEE WIE International Leadership Summits: 8 ILS were held in 2024 with resounding success.
IEEE WIE ILS Subcommittee has prepared a manual of WIE ILS and Its best practices of Organization based on the lessons learned during 2023-24.

IEEE WIE ILS 2025
In preparation for 2025, the call for 2025 IEEE WIE International Leadership Summits was released. The deadline for Affinity Group’s to submit their application is 31 October.

IEEE WIE Manga Story Contest 2024
2024 Manga Story Contest winning stories are:

  1. Avengers of the Power Grid by Aditie Garg – Region 10
  2. Riko-chan & the SmartMeds Box by Alba Benny – 10
  3. Riko-chan & the Power of Wind Energy by Nazia Sultana- 10
  4. Riko-chan & the Seismic Safety System by Lais C. Baptista – 9
  5. Riko-chan’s Furry Innovation by Elmira Alimohammadzadeh -8
  6. Riko-chan & the Smoke Filled Room by Carolyn Sher-DeCusatis -1

IEEE WIE Publishes the first Manga Story of 2024: Avengers of the Power Grid
The 2023 IEEE WIE Manga Stories have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. The calls for translators for Hindi, French and Arabic is open. Please apply!
IEEE WIE Family Cares Grant Program
For the first call of the IEEE WIE Family Cares Grant Program (FCGP) , Breakdown of Submissions by Region:  R5:1, R6:0, R7:2, R8:5, R10:1
The first recipient (IEEE Region 8) was selected to receive the $1,000 grant to cover childcare costs.
Feedback: The recipient reported that the conference provided a great opportunity for her to present her paper, meet numerous industry professionals, and establish a potential collaboration with a company all while at ease knowing her children were well looked after.

IEEE WIE Climate Tech Pitch Idea Competition
The 2024 competition received 118 submissions from the following regions and winners are declared, IEEE WIE Climate Tech Pitch Idea Competition, Heartfelt congratulations to winners!

IEEE WIE Climate Tech Pitch Idea Competition
The 2024 competition received 118 submissions from the following regions:
R3-1, R5-1, R7-1, R8-18, R9-1, R10 – 96 Total – 118

IEEE WIE Distinguished Lecturers Program(virtual)
IEEE WIE Distinguished Lecturers Program (virtual) This program highlights IEEE WIE’s partnership with the Societies/Council and has created a lot of enthusiasm among WIE AGs as IEEE WIE has received already 24 DLs were requested by WIE AGs from May to September. Below is a breakdown of events by region: R10:5, R9:1, R8:14,R3:2,R2:1,R1:1
For the expansion of virtual distinguished lecture (DLs) programs for WIE, from the call for 2024 lecturers, 33 new DL nominations have been received and a complete information of 13 additional DLs will be available to the WIE website in October apart from the existing 38 WIE DLs. I encourage all of you to  invite the DLs virtually at your WIE Affinity Groups’ meetings/seminars/panel discussions.

IEEE WIE Technical activities
IEEE WIE Tech meet up at the 2024 IEEE Future Networks World Forum on 15-17, October 2024, Dubai, UAE similar to 2023,
IEEE WIE Tech Meet Up during Contest International Conference, Sep 13, 2024.
IEEE WIE Global Tech Marathon was held on 18 September. Led by the IEEE WIE Technical Activities Subcommittee, the event was geared towards IEEE WIE Students and Graduate Student Members. It was a day dedicated to hands-on training using select labs from Google Cloud Hero.
Six individuals who finished all the labs the fastest, were deemed winners.
Winners are: Keerthana N – (R10), Maryam Berijanian – (R4), Hemanth D. – (R10), Vishnupriya G – (R10), Peddinti Heramba Sai Ganesh – (R10), Maseera Fatima – (R10)

In June, the IEEE Women in Engineering Pledge was released to various regions and societies, encouraging them to embrace its principles. Region 4, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (BTS), and IEEE Sensors Council responded positively and have been recognized on the IEEE WIE website for their commitment and visibility.

We continue to appeal to other regions and societies that have not yet embraced the IEEE WIE Pledge to join this important initiative. For more information and to see the recognized groups, visit the IEEE WIE Pledge page.

The IEEE WIE Emerging Innovation and Entrepreneurship Series: This series is designed to inspire and empower individuals in STEM fields, particularly women, by showcasing insights from industry leaders. The series features webinars and events focused on emerging technologies, innovation, and entrepreneurship, providing valuable knowledge and networking opportunities for participants looking to advance their careers in technology-driven industries.

IEEE WIE Upskill & Reskill Program:  This series includes technical workshops in emerging and latest research areas in engineering, technology and science. It primarily aims to guide and educate undergraduate and graduate students regarding the latest trends in research and innovation. The WIE members will find them effective for ensuring their retention in the WIE programs.

Apart from the webinar series, a joined effort of IEEE WIE, IEEE TAB COS, and IEEE SA to inspire more women to be engaged in IEEE Standards is becoming impactful and well received.

IEEE WIE Advancement – Senior Membership Elevation Drive
The Senior Membership Elevation Drive has been going strong, with great momentum and queries about our posts in Collabratec and LinkedIn.
SM elevations, Year-to-date (January-August, 2024) – 172
2024 – SM elevations – 172 – – Up by 8.2% from 2023.
2023 – SM elevations – 159 – Up by 148% from 2022.
2022 – SM elevations – 64

2024 IEEE WIE Awards
Judges from diversified regions(Number in parentheses represents number of judges from specified region) have worked to select the winners for 2024 IEEE WIE Awards
1. Inspiring Member: 4, 5, 8, 10 (3)
2. Inspiring Student Member: 5, 6, 7(2), 9, 10
3. Affinity Group of the Year: 3, 5, 8, 9, 10
4. Student Branch Affinity Group of the Year: 1, 5, 7, 8, 10 (3)
Thanks to the judges for their outstanding contributions. Looking forward to more submissions from non-participatory regions. Requesting every one’s help in those regions!

Upcoming IEEE WIE Happenings!

IEEE WIE Forum USA East 2024
Looking forward to your contribution to IEEE WIE forum USA East 2024. Please join their event to explore your potential and be part of an amazing networks.

IEEE WIE Scholarships 2024


The Edith McHale-Hannigan Scholarship was last awarded in 2014. In 2024, contact with the high school was reestablished and the scholarship was reopened. One application was received and reviewed by the Chairs of the WIE Education and Outreach Subcommittee. The following selection was made:
Naviah Izquierdo, John Adams Highschool Senior, attending the University of Oklahoma for Aerospace Engineering.

2024 call for the IEEE Frances B. Hugle Scholarship, and the IEEE WIE International Scholarship ,  are released !

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