IEEE-CT Section January 2024 Letter
This letter is from the IEEE Connecticut executive committee. As the incoming section Chair, I want to introduce myself to the CT Section and share with you some of the initiatives that we have ongoing.
As you may know the Executive Committee is the governing body of the Connecticut section with 4 elected officers. We have volunteer opportunities at the section level for those that want to become more involved in guiding the section. We meet monthly throughout the state.
It is important to monitor the Section website ( https://www.ieeect.org ) and manage your email preferences to get timely section information. Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions about the section, volunteer opportunities, IEEE, or electrical engineering related topics!
Thank you,
IEEE CT Section, Chair Peter J. Kootsookos
My email address is p.kootsookos@ieee.org
Section Executive Change
A big thank-you to the out-going 2022-2023 Executive Committee:
Chair: Oscar Tonello, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Vice-Chair: Peter Kootsookos, CT State Community College, Middlesex
Treasurer: Gary Felberbaum, Advanced Decisions, Inc
Secretary: Robert Thoelen, Pratt & Whitney
The 2024-2025 Executive Committee started this month:
Chair: Peter Kootsookos, CT State Community College, Middlesex (p.kootsookos@ieee.org)
Vice-Chair: Adrian Rusu, University of New Haven (rusu@ieee.org)
Treasurer: Oscar Tonello, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (ot@ieee.org)
Secretary: Robert Thoelen, Pratt & Whitney (rthoelen@ieee.org)
Awards & Grants
One thing that has always concerned me is: what can the IEEE do for its members? We, as engineers, tend not to recognize our peers as much as we should for their exemplary work. Below are some ways to recognize and be recognized for your work as an IEEE member.
Region 1 Awards
The Section is part of Region 1 (also soon to be merged with Region 2). There are several awards available for members across the region. These are very competitive, but Connecticut members have been successful in receiving them.
CT Section Awards
The Section will be re-starting annual awards for Industry, Academic, and Student members.
Industry Award
The industry award recognizes either engineering managerial or technical excellence of an IEEE member or associate member in industry. Applicants must have a demonstrated, long-term (5 year) track record in their field as attested to by colleagues or patent / product development record.
Academic Award
The academic award recognizes an IEEE member who are teachers or researchers for impact in their respective teaching or research fields. Applicants must have a demonstrated, long-term (5 year) track record in their field as demonstrated by student attestations or publication record.
Student Award
The student award recognizes an IEEE student member who has shown outstanding academic or service performance while studying. Applicants must be (or have been) enrolled in Connecticut college during the current calendar year and must demonstrate superior student performance as attested to by their college professors.
Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF)
We have been awarding IEEE related projects at CSEF for over 40 years.
Current awards are:
Award #1: $250 Honors Award -Senior High
Award #2: $250 Honors Award –Junior High
Award #3: $100 Honorable Mention (5 Awards)
The Fair takes place in early to mid March each year at Quinnipiac University.
Robotics Sponsorships
The Section has a long history of supporting robotics in Connecticut, but the (no longer active) Trinity Home Fire-Fighting Robot Competition, and various middle and high school robotics clubs.
For robotics teams mentored by an IEEE member, we have the following sponsorship arrangement.
IEEE-CT HS Outreach Sponsorship
Criteria for funding:
Any Connecticut high school team participating in IEEE-related competitions is allowed to apply in writing for funding to support their activities. Support is limited to $500 for local competitions.
If the team is participating in national or international competitions, they are eligible for $1,000 total funding.
The team must have at least one IEEE-CT member sponsor.
Application/Award process:
Pre-award: Team members present their activities to the IEEE-CT ExCom
Post-award: Team presents their results and organizes an IEEE-CT ExCom meeting at their facility
Provide an acknowledgement of funding and documentation as required
Upcoming Events
Annual General Meeting
We are working on scheduling our annual general membership dinner and guest speaker event for 2024. This event welcomes members and spouse to an excellent dinner and to hear a 1 hour presentation on a topical technical subject. We recognize members who have received IEEE or section awards at this event. An excellent way to network and get to meet section members.
PACE Semi-Annual Events
This event is for Professional Development for our members. It is hosted at CCSU on a Saturday morning. It is a well-attended event that is focused on providing members to network and learn about a subject that is non-technical but very much focused on career success. It is also an event where we can help members attain Senior Member advancement.. The event is usually held in the Spring and Fall. Watch out for a notice about the next one.
February
1st : PELS Technical Lecture: PCB Embedded Power Packaging
IEEE PELS is hosting a technical lecture by Dr. Shashank Krishnamurthy of Otis Elevator Company on the topic of PCB Embedded Power Packaging at the Farmington Library from 5:30-8 PM. More details and registration are in the event listing: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/400913
9th : Eversource Energy Center Annual Meeting 9:00am to 2:00pm
Nine Years of Utility-Academia Partnership in Tackling Real-World Challenges Where Weather, Resilience, and Energy Intersect
More info: Dr Junbo Zhao junbo@uconn.edu
9th : Minority Networking Night 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Come be a part of an inclusive and empowering environment for minority students at CCSU to network with professionals from leading companies in the area, including FACTSET, COCC, Travelers Insurance, and The Hartford. Organized by the CCSU IEEE student club.
Location: Alumni Hall
More info: ieee.club@outlook.com Instagram: ccsu_ieee
13th : CT Section Ex Com, University of New Haven
The CT Section executive committee meets at various places around the state on a monthly basis. The February meeting is being held at the University of New Haven.
March
5th, 6th, & 13th : Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair
The Section has awarded prizes to electrical engineering-relevant projects for many years, ably led by Bill Wessman. Bill is looking for judges to help on March 5th, 6th, and 13th. The preliminary judging on the 5th and 6th will be virtual. Final judging on the 13th will be in-person at Quinnipiac University.
Bill is also looking for someone to take over the relationship with CSEF.
More info: bill.wessman@cox.net
8th : Yale Alumni in Energy Conference
On March 8th, the Yale Alumni in Energy conference will be held in New Haven (precise location + web link for more information will be provided later).
May
29th & 30th: Yale Innovation Summit
Yale hosts an annual Innovation Summit.
We are working with Yale to see about discounts for IEEE members. Watch this space.
November
7th to 9th WIE Forum USA East 2024
The section will host the annual Region 1 and Region 2 Women In Engineering Forum in Stamford, CT this year from November 7th, 2024 to November 9th, 2024.
More info: Charlotte Blair cblair@ieee.org
