Jenifer Castillo, Chair of IEEE WIE Committee 2021

Dear IEEE WIE Members and volunteers, the year is here: It is our 25th Anniversary!!!

The year is here It is our 25th Anniversary!!! 25 years of expanding this amazing, vibrant network of members and volunteers, all genders with a common focus: to facilitate the recruitment and retention of women in technical disciplines globally. With more than 1000 Affinity Groups globally, IEEE WIE has expanded its wings and with it, we have inspired girls to pursue STEM careers and promoted women engineers, technologists, and scientists. It is impossible to include in one paragraph all the great outcomes of our volunteers, but please do know that they are not only important for our community, but they are making a high impact in our society: from the STAR program in Panama, to the Returning Mothers Event in India; from the outstanding ILC, to all the great International Leadership Summits (ILS) we have globally, these are all great samples of the power of our network.

We have a great program this year to celebrate this milestone, and all the details are included on our 25th anniversary website. We are pursuing the promotion not only of Women’s achievements, but also our history, the men that have supported women, the ideas dedicated to solve women issues, among many other ways to celebrate.

Thanks for making our group what is it today. Our growth, our impact, our success is all thanks to you. Thanks for finding in IEEE your professional home, and in IEEE WIE your growth and empowering community.

For this newsletter, my guest is no other than the leader of the 25th anniversary activities subcommittee: Cinzia Da Via. Together with her team, they have been preparing a great program for the year for all of us, so please join me to thank her by learning a little bit more about her!

Jenifer Castillo R.

IEEE Women in Engineering Committee Chair 2021-2022

IEEE Region 9 Director Elect 2022-2023

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Meet Lin Cai Voting Member IEEE WIE Committee 

Hello, I’m Lin Cai. I am a voting member of the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Committee and a faculty member with the University of Victoria. I have been volunteering with IEEE for two decades in various roles. I volunteer with WIE because I see the gender gap in our fields and hope to bridge the gap, enhance understanding, and promote equity and diversity in engineering and society. When I was a kid, people often reminded me what girls cannot do or cannot do well, including Engineering. Swimming against the tide, I enjoy my Engineering career so much that I want to inspire more girls and women to join us. During the journey, I received numerous support from many mentors, so I am obligated to volunteer my time to support the future generation of engineers.