The second edition of the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Annual Congress, held in Monastir, Tunisia, on September 30th and October 1st, 2023, was a monumental celebration of women’s achievements in STEM fields. Organized by IEEE WIE ENIS and IEEE WIE ENET’COM Student Affinity Groups, the event focused on the theme of “women’s empowerment” with the inspiring slogan “Women’s Steps Leading Engineering Progress”. The opening ceremony was graced by Baya Bouchaala, representing the Student Affinity Groups in the IEEE WIE Global Committee, winner of the Region 8 Student Volunteer Award, co-founder of WIE ACT 1.0 and Takoua Bouchouicha, co-founder of WIE ACT 1.0, featured keynote speakers such as Achref Selmi, Chair of IEEE Tunisia Section Technical Activities Committee, and Tasnim Chiboub, the WIE Student Affinity Groups Coordinator. The congress included a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Dr. Dhouha, a Ph.D. holder in electrical engineering, and Dr Ines Abdelaziz, an Assistant Professor in Electronics and Microelectronics at the University of Carthage. Asma Sliti, a renowned web/mobile QA engineer, also added their presence, sharing inspiring stories and insights. She made a powerful impact with her speech, sharing her journey as a successful woman in engineering. The WIE ACT Committee organized an AI hackathon proposed by the Association of Tunisian Women Engineers, focusing on “Empowering Women In Engineering through Artificial Intelligence.” Teams presented innovative projects, and judges evaluated them, providing feedback. Throughout the Congress, a series of enriching workshops were conducted by accomplished experts in various technical fields including “Enhance your text classification with Ensemble techniques”, led by Ms. Imen Masmoudi, an AI Engineering Teacher Assistant, “Embedded Systems” with Mr Kayoum Dejdidi, a Community Manager & Graphic designer at IEEE Tunisia Section, “The benefits of begging a young professional member” with Ms Madiha Neifar, who serves as the Chairwoman IEEE PES Tunisia Chapter , “Revolutionizing Learning Through AI Chatbot Integration” led by Ms. Mouna Abdelakfi, a Research and Ph.D. student in computer systems engineering, “Scrum session” facilitated by Ms. Asma Sliti, “PrestaShop Mastery Workshop” conducted by Mr. Kadhem Belguith. The non-technical challenge showcased the work of 10 affinity groups, with presentations about their activities for 2023. There were 3 finalists chosen, and the winner, selected by WIE SAG’s present at the event, was granted by the IEEE WIE Tunisia Section. The closing ceremony featured a panel of esteemed professionals acknowledging the hackathon winners. WIE ACT evolved into a national event over two years, with attendance growing from 125 to 275. The hackathon winner, BuyBuster team, was announced, and the best ambassadors, Aziz Boussarsar and Imen Ayari, were recognized. The IEEE WIE ESPRIT Student Affinity Group was privileged to host the third edition. In conclusion, the IEEE WIE Annual Congress in Tunisia was a resounding success, bringing together women in engineering to celebrate their achievements, share knowledge, and inspire future generations. More information may be found on WIE ACT Facebook , WIE ACT Instagram and WIE ACT Linkedin
Pic Credit: Mohamed Karim Mednini