Events

Volunteers Needed for Build Something Cool Event on Saturday May 16, 2026 We are excited to announce the return of Build Something Cool Event, and we're reaching out to our community for volunteers to make this event a success! About the Event: The Build Something Cool Event is a hands-on experience where students have the opportunity to learn soldering techniques, build their own projects for FREE, and engage in conversations with real engineers and scientists like yourself. It's not just a technical gathering; it's a celebration of community, a chance to reconnect with old friends, make new connections, and share our passion for science and technology with the next generation. How You Can Help: We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to assist with various aspects of the event, including but not limited to: - Guiding students through the soldering process - Assisting with project assembly - Engaging in discussions with attendees about your experiences in science and technology - Providing general event support and assistance as needed - Help out for full day or half day; but jstick around for lunch RSVP: If you are available and willing to volunteer your time and expertise, please RSVP by May 9, 2026 by selecting Register button below. Spread the Word: We encourage you to visit our website to register as a volunteer and select your preferred DIY kit. Additionally, please share this announcement with any 6th – 12th graders you may know who would be interested in attending the event. Website for Students and Families: Together, let's make the Build Something Cool Event an unforgettable experience for all involved! Thank you for considering this opportunity to be a part of something truly special. Your support and dedication are invaluable in inspiring and empowering the next generation of innovators. If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact Jim Harrer at: jharrer@ieee.org Warm regards, BSC Committee Agenda: Here's how the day is scheduled: 8:30 - 10am: Volunteers show up (Free Parking for Volunteers with Gift Card), setup the rooms and work places, have breakfast, and learn the basics of what we will be doing. 10am - 3pm: Students come through to build projects in two groups, morning and afternoon, as Volunteers assist. 12:00pm - 1:30pm: We will have lunches available for Volunteers, and all students and participants. 4pm: Send kids home, pack everything up, be on our way. Stay for morning, afternoon or both, but join us for lunch. Bldg: College of Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building 405 , Metropolitan State University of Denver Auraria Campus, 890 Auraria Parkway, Denver, Colorado, United States, 80204

Energy solutions are driven by regional needs, changing regulations, and dynamic market forces. Power electronics is an enabling technology that plays a crucial role in providing impactful and sustainable solutions for these energy transitions. In Denise's current role, she wears many hats varying from power electronics engineer, technical project leader, and technology strategist. In this session, Denise will share what it means to navigate and contribute to today's evolving energy landscape through this lens. All are welcome! IEEE membership is not required. Speaker(s): Denise, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/531955

Presentation: Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Pipelines Abstract: Large language models provide powerful capabilities for generating natural language responses, but systems built solely on generative models often suffer from hallucinations, outdated knowledge, and limited domain accuracy. Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) addresses these challenges by combining modern information retrieval techniques with generative AI models. In a RAG system, relevant documents are retrieved from external knowledge sources at query time and provided to the model as contextual input, enabling responses grounded in verifiable information. This talk explains the architecture of RAG pipelines and walks through the stages involved in building them, including data collection, document processing, embedding generation, vector search, retrieval, and prompt construction. Implementation approaches and tooling in both the .NET and Python ecosystems will be discussed, along with considerations for data curation, web scraping, and responsible engineering practices when building AI systems. Attendees gain practical skills to build accurate, production-ready AI systems using Retrieval Augmented Generation and real-world tools. Speaker(s): Scott Swindell Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/558489

Join the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) for an informal technical discussion with Dr. Bowen Yang on emerging power architectures for AI data centers. Dinner will be provided, along with time for networking with local engineers and professionals. As demand for AI computing continues to grow, data centers are exploring new approaches to power distribution—particularly the transition from medium-voltage (MV) systems to low-voltage DC (LVDC) buses such as 800V DC. Solid-state transformers (SSTs) are one of the technologies being considered to enable this shift. This session will be an open, high-level conversation rather than a formal presentation. Topics may include: - The role of SSTs in future data center power architectures - Considerations when moving from MV systems to 800V DC distribution - Reliability and controllability in power-electronics-based systems - Practical challenges, tradeoffs, and industry perspectives Attendees are encouraged to ask questions, share experiences, and engage in the discussion. Schedule 5:30 PM – Check-in, Chapter Business, and Networking 6:00 PM – Dinner Served 6:00–7:00 PM – Technical Discussion 7:00 PM – Adjourn Speaker(s): , Bowen Yang 1211 Avery St, Unit 101, Golden, Colorado, United States, 80403

TBD Loveland, Colorado, United States, 80537