View this newsletter on the web.
|
January 2019
Volume 10 Issue 1
 In This Issue
 Section Officers
 Excom Meetings3rd Tuesdays of the Month*
Original Brooklyn’s
2644 West Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80204
*Except July & December
 Recent Excom Actions
Open Positions Some of the Standing Committees where we could use some great volunteers include:
Actually just about anything you can think of, we’re interested in talking to you!
If you are interested in volunteering, please send email to chair@ieee-denver.org. Positions will be open until filled.  Try Something New!
Whether you are active in IEEE ExCom, are a chair of a technical society, or just a paying member, we thank you for being a part of something that we think is pretty great. If you want to get more involved, you know where to find us! And if you just want to enjoy the hard (and not-so-hard) work of our volunteers by attending our events we would love that even more! Take advantage of the monthly volunteering efforts we have put together for you. Try something new, meet some new people, and learn something new by listening to a distinguished lecturer. Oh, and thank you for being a reader of our newsletter!
  Editors:
Ian MacMillan
|
Message from IEEE Denver Section Chair
Happy new year! It is my honor to take over as chair for the IEEE Denver Section. At our January ExCom meeting, we discussed our goals for the year. I hope some of these are exciting to you! Our previous chair, Ian MacMillan, did a far outstanding job of running the organization, along with a fabulous team. Fortunately for us all, many of our volunteers are continuing to serve. I’m thankful for having Ian remain to coach me and assure a smoother than otherwise transition. That same core of outstanding volunteers met to discuss progress, actions for the group, and to set goals for the year that benefit our Denver membership. Several topics were covered.
Which of these areas interests you? Where would you benefit personally, or where do you think you can make the most difference? If you are even lightly interested in getting more from your IEEE membership, please join us and try something in your interest area. We will definitely help you get started and going. Share your ideas with us, but also share your energy and time to help your IEEE Denver section and membership community. By Jason Rupe Mark your Calendars: Build Something Cool Returns on February 23! The Denver IEEE Section will again team with MSU Denver and Sparkfun Electronics to host the fifth annual “Build Something Cool” Event for 6-12th graders on Saturday, February 23, 2019. Together with IEEE and community volunteers, kids and their parents, we work to make another great time for everyone and learn something about science and engineering in the process. Over the course of the day, Denver area students build (and keep) electronic projects of their own, for free. The students can select project kits like Simon Says Games, Portable USB Chargers, and LED Blinky Projects. This year we also have a special “experimental” project that introduces the exciting new area of E-Sewing and Wearable Electronics. IEEE also will host lunch for the students and their parents, and encourage them to meet the volunteer engineers and chat about careers in electronics.
Students with DIY Kits at BSC 2018 If you have not participated in this fun and amazing community event before, think about volunteering or bringing your 6th – 12th grader. This event works because of the help of our amazing volunteers. In one day together, volunteers help kids assemble kits, learn to solder, organize lunch and registration, and regale students with stories about the fun of careers in engineering. Parents work with their children to learn some new skills and take home what they build. Students and parents can choose a DIY kit and sign up for the event on-line at: https://msudenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ssOUZc85WL7rDv For more information or to volunteer, email the Denver IEEE K-12 Committee at: sac_k-12@ieee-denver.org
Students, Parents and Volunteers at the 2018 BSC Sponsors
by Jim Harrer The local affiliate of IEEE Women in Engineering kicked off in March 8th of 2018, with the group hosting a variety of meetings through the year. Adapting the hashtag #WIE5280 as a nod to the Mile High City, the group used LinkedIn and other social media to note activities through the year. From a talk on infrastructure at University of Denver featuring IEEE member Jill Tietjan, to a Blockchain tutorial from Global Women in Blockchain (https://globalwomeninblockchain.org/), and a tour of Infinite Monkey Theorem (https://theinfinitemonkeytheorem.com/), the variety of events will be continued in 2019. The year culminated on December 2, 2018, when #WIE5280 hosted a public fundraiser at the Hampden Sipping N’ Painting (https://www.sippingnpaintinghampden.com/). The event was a success, with nearly 50 supporters from #WIE5280 and other Women’s engineering societies in Denver painting for the cause. The funds raised will be used to support women in Denver’s engineering community in 2019. As an added bonus, #WIE5280 discovered one of the co-owners of Sipping N’ Painting is an IEEE member. Because of this, we hope to host a future event at the same Hampden Sipping N’ Painting as #WIE5280 creatively connect our community. Favorite the site (https://sites.ieee.org/denver-wie/activities/) to see as #WIE5280 update the calendar for more events in 2019. #WIE5280 look forward to connecting with you.
#WIE5280 members and supporters at #WIE5280’s fundraising event at Hampden Sipping N’ Painting in December 2018 (Denver, CO)
#WIE5280 members at Infinite Monkey Theorem in October 2018 (Denver, CO) We raised half of the money we need to send a University Woman to the 2019 IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference in Austin! We will be requesting the rest of the funds for the IEEE Denver Executive Committee in February. Please find our 2019 event summary below, with additional information to come. As a reminder, you can find more information and events on our website: https://sites.ieee.org/denver-wie/
Thanks, and we’re looking forward to a fun and successful 2019! Sarah Beckman, Keaton Looney, Kate Landow and Tom Schafer IEEE WIE 5280 Officers By Sarah Beckman Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference
I went to the WIEILC in May primarily looking to gain exposure to a broader range of engineering careers and to develop my understanding of leadership in an engineering context. With that in mind, I enjoyed the exhibition area of WIEILC a lot. Many companies were looking for software engineers, but even as an RF engineer I found companies, whose work I was less familiar with, who had RF positions and was able to learn more about their work environment, offerings, and projects. Although I am in general a chatty person, at each conference I go to, it takes some time for me to work up the nerve to talk shop with other conference-goers and company representatives; I found the attendees and representatives at WIEILC to be welcoming and friendly and it helped me to come away with business cards and a list of companies to keep my eye on. It definitely helped that Keaton and I had great lunchtime chats with Kate Landow and other professionals from the CO area! While I enjoyed the general keynote addresses, I do think that the programming at WIEILC could use improvement. Two of the memorable ones I attended were “Intersection Between Artistic and Engineering Design” and “The Double Whammy Effect: Women and Introversion in the Workplace.” I felt the first session presented several platitudes about how engineering requires creative thought, without going the extra (and significant) mile of truly challenging how team leaders can harness this intersection to create a more unconventional or invigorating environment. The second session, however, I attended as an extrovert curious about how current team environments can be modified to benefit more from the feedback of introverted thinkers. It was fascinating! The presenter was funny while laying out action items and strategies for introverted engineers to use in large group meetings to get their point across.If I were to attend again, I would be curious about the workshops, which span an entire morning or afternoon block and might possibly provide more interaction with other attendees and presenters for feedback and active learning. So if you’re considering going in the future, maybe consider checking those out!I had a great time at WIEILC and am so glad that I was able to attend with the sponsorship of IEEE Denver. by Allison Duh I was on the phone the other day with an old friend and was explaining that I had become active in the Life Members group of my professional society. There was an awkward pause, followed by a very tentative “So . . . do dead members also have a group?” I’ll chalk it up to a poor cell phone connection. I had to explain that IEEE Life Members – (with an F!), are members that:
“So”, he continued, “you’re basically a bunch of old electrical engineers”. Well, sort of. But if you think all we do is sit around playing liars poker with our Medicare Cards, you would be very wrong. (Although, looking at my card right now, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. I’ve got a pretty strong hand). Some of us are quite active in IEEE. Case in point, the Chair of our Life Member Affinity Group, Jim Sipes, is also the Treasurer for the Denver Section. In addition to our quarterly Life Member luncheon programs, we have also furnished a speaker from our group to the Section’s ‘Dine and Learn’ program (Frank Barnes) as well as assisting the local student branches in organizing and sharing best practices. Planning for next year is underway and we’re hoping to continue to grow our active ranks, as well as be of service to the Denver Section. For example, if you belong to a society that would like to balance your programs of what’s anticipated for the future with a talk about where we’ve come from, we may have a knowledgeable speaker for you. We may not have a witness to the Edison / Westinghouse rivalry, but we can probably come close. Drop us an email: lmag@ieee-denver.org. by Owen Herman Future City is a national science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) project-based learning experience in which middle school students imagine, design, and build model cities of the future. Teams of students spend about 4 months imagining and creating cities that will exist 100 years in the future, addressing public policy, economic, cultural, recreational, and sustainability issues. Teams of students work with an educator and professional mentor to plan their sustainable city, research and write solutions to an engineering problem, build a tabletop scale model with recycled materials, and present their ideas before a panel of judges at the statewide competition in January. This year, middle school students are being asked to respond to the challenge of Powering Our Future and design an electrical grid that can withstand and quickly recover from the impact of a natural disaster. Learn more at https://futurecity.org. IEEE is working with Future City Colorado and is looking for volunteers. Some volunteer opportunities are remote and the duration varies. For any questions, please contact the Student Activities Chair, studentactivitieschair@ieee-denver.org, or Future City Colorado (colorado@futurecity.org, (970) 389-3651). by Yvonne B. Gray Thanks for taking time to talk through some ways that IEEE and Junior Achievement can partner together to prepare Denver’s youth for their future success! JA Classroom Volunteer opportunities Volunteer in a classroom with JA students. The JA in a Day implementation model is most popular for groups of volunteers since they all go to a school at the same time. JA STEM Job Shadow This is the program that brings a group of high school students into a workplace to learn about STEM jobs. JA College Connect This past school year, we had over 70 DU students volunteer with Junior Achievement! Our main contact is Lisa Victoravich, an Associate Dean in the Daniels College of Business. However, we have already been having conversations about ways to expand to the rest of the student body! The JA College Connect program engages college students in a service learning project. We work with each professor, club, or university to talk through the learning objectives for their students so we can find a service learning event that is the best fit. It would be really great for JA kids to hear from engineering students! Please check out our website for more information. By Jill Hrnicek Director of Volunteer Engagement | Junior Achievement–Rocky Mountain, Inc. 1445 Market Street, Suite 200 | Denver, CO 80202 Direct: 303-260-6291 JHrnicek@jacolorado.org | Website | Twitter | Facebook
GreenTech 2021 & R5 Annual Meeting
Denver Section will be again hosting the GreenTech & R5 Annual Meeting in 2021. The Students Robotics Competition is an exciting part of the the R5 Annual Meeting. The Conference Organizing Committee is forming up if you’d like to be involved in making this great fun conference happen, please contact conferences@ieee-denver.org. by Ian MacMillan IEEE Humanitarian Activities Grants to Denver Area The IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee has awarded grants totaling $95,000 to two non-profit organizations based in the Denver Section.
Wynn Talent thanking IEEE and Ian MacMillan for the IEEE Grant
IEEE and Colorado Haiti Project Members The IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) is tasked with supporting the IEEE Board-endorsed vision of IEEE volunteers around the world carrying out and/or supporting impactful Humanitarian Activities at the local level – i.e. “feet on the ground.” HAC has a stringent evaluation process for project proposals and looks for submissions that address one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a major, impactful way, demonstrate consultation with and a clear understanding of the needs of target communities, and demonstrate a needs-driven approach to strengthening local capacity through technology deployment.
by Ian MacMillan Senior Member Upgrade Event – March 9th IEEE Denver is pleased to offer you an opportunity to join us for a Senior Membership Upgrade Event. As an IEEE Member, this gives you the opportunity to meet with some of your fellow IEEE members and discuss your accomplishments in person to help you along the process of becoming a prestigious IEEE Senior Member. See https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/184304 for more information. IEEE Denver is looking for Senior and Higher Grade members to help with Members upgrade to Senior Members. Each Senior Member candidate for upgrade needs two Senior or Higher Grade members to act as references for them. To help with this process, we bring Senior Member Candidates and References together on one Saturday a year to meet and review the Senior Member Candidates resumes and background so that the References can complete their part of the Senior Member Candidate’s applications. Typically each Reference will act as a reference to 3 – 4 candidates and completing the reference part of candidate’s application takes about 15 min. See https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/184305 for more information. Based on past years Upgrade Events, it’s a fascinating opportunity to meet with very accomplished members across a wide variety of engineering background and lunch is provided. by Ian MacMillan Colorado Science & Engineering Fair
The CSEF is always looking for Judges if you’re interested in getting involved. This year the CSEF is April 11 – 13, 2019 at Colorado State University – Fort Collins. See https://www.csef.colostate.edu/ for more information. by Ian MacMillan
by Jackie Adams
You can see all of our upcoming events on the IEEE Denver Events Calendar |
Enrich the professional and personal lives of the Rocky Mountain Region members, developing them into valued contributors to society through quality programs, continuing education, career development and community service; in collaboration with IEEE, industry, government and academia.