This November will be a month to remember. Thanksgiving this year may not be the holiday we would love to celebrate in the usual fashion. It will most likely be one we will recall with some not so fond memories. My message this month, at the risk of being too repetitious, is to continue driving the pandemic infection curve downward. We all know what to do.

This last October, however, has seen the section get more comfortable with online events. Thanks to the efforts of Barbara Porter and Lon Chu, the Section hosted a very successful 1010 Day event. The two guest speakers for the event, Bart Romeny and Peter Scott were online from the Netherlands and California, indicating geography is no barrier to these events. Between the two speaker sessions, Marj Issapour and Ron Pirich hosted an insightful panel discussion featuring local tech professionals and Section members. The turnout for the meeting was encouraging, with about 30 attendees logged in, even though October 10 was a Saturday. Planning for next year’s event will start soon; anyone interested in helping put it together is welcome to contact me for further information. There is no theme for next year’s 1010 Day yet, and it is on a Sunday. Organizing it will be a challenge, but it will be rewarding when it comes off as successfully as this year’s.

In the first quarter of 2021, the Section will be hosting a very popular retirement planning seminar given by Rob Leitner. Originally scheduled for this month, unforeseen circumstances led him to reschedule for early next year. This will be a virtual session hosted by the Long Island Section and one of the New Jersey Sections. As many may have suspected, I intend to postpone the Awards Banquet yet again, from March to September. I have spoken with two authoritative sources about the March date and they agree the postponement is the wiser option. The banquet will combine the awards for 2020 and 2019 into one. Although final arrangements are not yet complete with the venue, Crest Hollow Country Club, our force majeure clause should allow us to reschedule without a problem.

On a final note of good news, also in this month’s issue we have the report by Mallika Rathore on her internship at Google. These internship reports give an insight into the experiences of our young professionals as they experience the workforce. Especially now, during a pandemic, when entering the workforce is problematic to say the least, reading these essays is heartening.

As usual, stay healthy and everyone please have a safe and meaningful Thanksgiving.

Regards,
Arnold Stillman
IEEE Long Island Section Chair, 2020