Region 6 Newsletter – March 2025
Contents
| ● Message from Region Director ● IEEE Updates ● Volunteer Spotlight |
● Events & Conferences ● Funding opportunities |
Message from the Region 6 Director
Dear IEEE Volunteers,
This is Joseph Wei, 2025 – 2026 Region 6 Director. I would like to welcome and thank you for volunteering for Region 6. I have received feedback from many of you to prioritize improving communication and reducing the amount of IEEE emails by starting with this monthly newsletter that consolidates pertinent information regarding news and activities in IEEE and in Region 6.
My priority is to support you as volunteers with training and empowerment to maximize our impact to the IEEE community and to the world. Imagine the Possibility of working as ONE IEEE.
Feel free to email me with ideas, suggestions and issues at joseph.wei@ieee.org.
Joseph Wei
IEEE UPDATES
Highlights from recent IEEE Board of Directors meetings
- IEEE will have a major press announcement on 2/20 in New York of the IEEE Medal of Honor Award prize being increased to $2 million.
- IEEE global membership has exceeded 500,000 members.
- IEEE Finance will require all OUs to convert their local banking accounts to CB accounts for Nextgen by the end of 2025.
- Many OUs have substantial amounts of reserves in their regular CB accounts. IEEE Finance is encouraging all OUs to allocate a reasonable amount of their OU reserves to be put into Long Term Investment Funds (LTIF). Long term means 10 years or longer which the LTIF generates better average returns than the regular bank account. OUs can access the returns from LTIF more quickly now to support additional activities.
- The Hawaii Subsection petition was approved by the IEEE Board.
Highlights for Region 6
- IEEE USA membership grew ~2% in 2024 and Region 6 membership grew ~2.6% for the first time after membership declined for many years. Let’s continue the momentum to grow more members in Region 6.
- Region 6 membership currently has ~88% as professional membership and ~12% student membership. We need to increase student membership to start a pipeline of Young Professionals members.
- The current average age of an IEEE is 51 years old and for a USA member is 55 years old. We need to focus on growing students and younger members. And, leverage more experienced members in mentoring these younger members.
Call for Nominations: 2026 IEEE MGA Leadership Positions
The IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Nominations and Appointments (N&A) Committee is soliciting nominations for the following Leadership Positions:
- MGA Vice President-Elect/Board Chair-Elect
- MGA Treasurer
- MGA Vice Chairs
- Committee Chairs
- IEEE HKN – MGA Governor-At-Large
A complete list of available MGA positions, committee descriptions, and information on the MGA Nominations and Appointments process are available here.
The deadline to submit nominations for the above positions is 15 March 2025.
Nominate yourself or a colleague now!
For questions, email mga-noms@ieee.org
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
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BRIANNE TENGAN |
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Brianne facilitated identifying new enthusiastic chapter officers, restarting the Student Branch at UHM and working to establish the new Hawaii Pacific University Student Branch, established a social media presence to promote Section and Chapter activities, established programs and events to increase and retain Student and Young Professionals, and formed a new Chapter and Affinity Groups to broaden appeal to local community of engineers. During 2024 elections, Brianne was elected Hawaii Section Chair and extended her influence to IEEE Region 6 as the Young Professionals Coordinator. She continues to positively impact students and young professionals. For her outstanding contributions, Brianne Tengan has been recognized with the IEEE-USA Jim Watson Student Professional Awareness Achievement Award. |
2024 IEEE Region 6 Award Recipients
A heartfelt congratulations to this year’s outstanding IEEE Region 6 Award recipients! Your dedication, leadership, and contributions to the engineering and technology community are truly inspiring.
- Outstanding Affinity Group Member: Quynh Tran and Alka Singh
- Outstanding IEEE member who promoted Global Humanitarian Projects or Activities: Timothy Troske
- Outstanding IEEE member who promoted Membership Development or Senior Member Elevation: Alberto Tam Yong
- Outstanding IEEE member who is an Outstanding Educator, Mentor or Facilitator in the area of STEM: Dr. Edward Epp
- Outstanding Service and Leadership to the IEEE: Ed Perkins
- Outstanding Engineer: Pranav Chaudhary
- Outstanding Corporate Service: Burns & McDonnell
- Outstanding Small Section of the Year: IEEE Hawaii Section
- Outstanding Affinity Group Chapter of the Year: IEEE Hawaii Women In Engineering
- Outstanding Chapter of the Year: San Francisco Bay Area MEMS & Sensors Chapter
- Outstanding Large Student Branch of the Year: IEEE Student Branch University of California, Irvine, IEEE Student Branch University of California, San Diego
- Outstanding Small Student Branch of the Year: IEEE UHM Student Branch (University of Hawaii at Manoa).
This well-deserved recognition highlights your impact in advancing innovation, education, and professional excellence within IEEE and beyond.
IEEE WIE Awards – Recognizing Excellence
It’s time to honor the outstanding contributions of our peers! The IEEE WIE Awards celebrate individuals making a significant impact in engineering and technology. Nominate deserving candidates and help recognize excellence within our community.
Nominations can be submitted until 31 March 2025.
The nomination process is available here.
EVENTS & CONFERENCES
Recent Events
| 2025 IEEE Rising Stars Conference
The IEEE conference, held in Las Vegas in January, brought together over 400 students, IEEE Young Professionals, and IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu members for an inspiring and impactful event. This conference served as a dynamic platform for networking and collaboration, allowing participants to learn, connect, and exchange ideas with some of the brightest minds in engineering and technology. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry leaders, career coaches, and professors, gaining valuable insights to advance their careers and contribute to technological innovation. |
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Joint IEEE Region 4 & IEEE Region 6 Annual Meeting
The Joint IEEE Region 4 & IEEE Region 6 Annual Meeting took place in San Francisco, January 2025, bringing together IEEE leaders and volunteers for a dynamic and productive gathering. This event served as an invaluable platform for exchanging insights, celebrating achievements, and strategizing for the future of IEEE in both regions. |
| 2025 IEEE Region 10 Opcom with Joseph and Scott attending.
The IEEE Region 10 Opcom was held in Incheon, S. Korea with >100 people attending from 65+ Sections and invited guests from other Regions. Joseph delivered a presentation with an introduction of Region 6 and its goals for 2025, and offered to collaborate with Region 10 on joint activities. Scott gave a presentation of the very successful 2025 Rising Stars Conference in Las Vegas. On behalf of Region 6, Joseph presented Region 10 Director, Takako Hashimoto with the infamous Region 6 Hawaiian shirt along with Ghiradelli chocolate from San Francisco to all the attendees. (picture (L to right, Scott Tamashiro, Tim Lee, Kathleen Kramer, Takako Hashimoto, and Joseph Wei) |
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IEEE Education Week
IEEE Education Week is planned for April 6-12, 2025, and provides opportunities to highlight educational programs and resources for students, educators, and technical professionals around the world.
Upcoming events
IEEE-USA Congressional Visits Day (CVD)
Washington, D.C., 8-9 April 2025 | Info here.
CVD brings IEEE Members to Washington, DC, to raise visibility of and support for engineering and technology. Join with 49 other members from R6.
12th IEEE Conference on Technologies for Sustainability (SusTech 2025)
Santa Ana, CA — 20-23 April, 2025 | Register Now
The 12th IEEE Conference on Technologies for Sustainability (SusTech 2025) is designed to explore development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. SusTech brings together scientists, engineers, technologists and scholars from multiple disciplines to hold a dialogue on environmental issues and collaborate on ideas to develop and utilize innovative tools and intelligent systems to address the need for Sustainable Infrastructure.
10th IEEE WIE ILC – Accelerating Leadership in an AI-Powered World.
San Jose, CA – 15-16 May 2025 | Register Now (Discount for early registration ends on March 4th)
The IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference (WIE ILC) aims to support and sustain women leaders and technologists, especially those in mid to senior career. Enhance your leadership skills and knowledge of the tech industry, while networking with 300+ STEM leaders from around the world.
IEEE-USA 5-night Western Caribbean Cruise
October 27 to November 1 2025.
We’ll be cruising in style aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas from Galveston, Texas, to stops in Costa Maya, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico, before concluding our cruise back in Galveston. Booking is NOW OPEN.
Other Events
2025 IEEE World AI IoT Congress (AIIoT)
28 – 30 May 2025 | Seattle, Washington, USA
2025 IEEE Life Members Evolution Conference
June 11-13, 2025 | Greater Boston, MA, USA
2025 IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Forum USA East
6 – 8 November 2025 | Arlington, Virginia, USA |
Local section and chapter events, workshops, and meetups
Challenges in Cyber Security Career | Coastal Los Angeles Section Computer Chapter
Date: 04 Mar 2025
Event Format: Online
Lab Equipment Workshop | University of California-Los Angeles
Date: 04 Mar 2025
Event Format: In-person
Open Source Hardware FPGA Projects Roundtable | IEEE San Diego Open Source Digital Radio Group
Date: 04 Mar 2025
Event Format: Online
More Region 6 events information can be found here: Link
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
| Announcing the 2025 Tech4Good Call for Proposals | |
The 2025 IEEE Tech4Good call for proposals is now open! Tech4Good, an IEEE Humanitarian Technologies program, offers funding to support localized technological projects led by IEEE members to achieve positive social impact. Teams can apply for US$2,500 to US$10,000 to implement their project related to one of these themes:
See the Tech4Good call for proposals landing page for more details. |
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IEEE WIE Family Cares Grant Program This grant program, made possible by the IEEE Family Cares Grant Fund of the IEEE Foundation, was established to promote attendance at IEEE conferences, especially by persons whose financial obligations to care for family members may prevent their attendance. Application deadline – 24 March 2025. Apply here. |
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Call for 2025 MGA Surplus Funding Proposals IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) is inviting Regions & MGA Committees to submit proposals for potential Region activities or projects. Guidelines on Requesting MGA Surplus Funding:
Application deadline – 23 March 2025. Submit Application here. |
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IEEE New Initiatives Committee (NIC) The New Initiatives Program is designed to support potential new IEEE programs, products, or services that will provide significant benefit to IEEE members, the public, the technical community, and customers, or which could have lasting impact on the IEEE or its business processes. Initiatives must be of strategic importance to IEEE. Details on specific procedures for the submission can be found here. |
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IEEE Future Directions Projects The IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC) seeks to identify, develop, and promote projects that are value-added for IEEE and its members, bringing together multiple Societies and Councils to provide broad and deep perspectives on a particular topic, application, or technology. These projects range from short-term activities to reach a specific goal to Future Directions Initiatives seeking longer-term cross-collaborative engagement among industry, academia, and government striving to develop and deploy various future technologies. Details information can be found here. |
