This month I would like you to consider some of the benefits of being an IEEE member. Each of us has our own reasons, and I would like to share why I value my IEEE membership.The IEEE provides a broad spectrum of opportunities for learning and professional development. I personally want to be a “lifelong learner”, and need to have continuing education in order to maintain my NYS Professional Engineers license. I have attended many of the conferences and seminars that are offered by the IEEE and our Long Island Section. Various IEEE publications provide educational resources. The IEEE eLearning Library, located on IEEE Xplore, contains more than 400 interactive online tutorials and short courses addressing a wide variety of engineering and technology topics.
I am also an IEEE Member because of the networking opportunities. As an organization with 400,000 members, IEEE offers many opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in your profession. The Long Island Section has approximately 1800 members and 17 Societies. We have Affinity Groups for Women in Engineering; Life Members; and the Long Island Consultants Network.
There are other reasons why people belong to IEEE. There are career and employment resources. Our Section has an active Employment Assistance Committee. We also have an active Engineers Club that has monthly meetings. As a large organization, IEEE is also able to offer other discounts and benefits to its members. For example, IEEE offers insurance at competitive rates. For the LI Section to attract and retain members, we need to provide value to our members. There are many ways that you can contribute. Everyone can talk to their colleagues about the activities our Section has planned:
• Social Networking event that will be held on February 5th
• Dr. Babak Beheshti will be offering a Linux Workshop on March 17th
• 2018 Awards Banquet will be held on March 22nd at the Crest Hollow Country Club
• IEEE Region 1 Student Conference will be held at NYIT on March 23-25
• The 2018 Microwave Society Conference (Spring 2018)
• The 2018 LISAT Conference at Farmingdale on May 4th
• The MRI Historical Milestone event at Stony Brook will be held on September 5th
• The Power Electronics Society Conference (Fall 2018)
• The LI Consultants Network and the LI Engineers Club have monthly meetings
Please “save the date” for these events and stay tuned for information on other technical seminars. I hope that you value your IEEE membership as I do. Please encourage your colleagues to renew, or join if they are not already members.
A personal invitation from a colleague is one of the most effective ways of recruiting or retaining members.
If you have suggestions on ways we can enhance value to our members, please email me at chair@ieee.li.
Regards,
Lou D’Onofrio
2018 Chair, IEEE Long Island Section