8 Spring / Printemps 2017 How and Why I Volunteered for IEEE ciation of the uniqueness of what this country had to offer. As countless newcomers had before him, and many more since, Bob Alden embedded himself into the fabric of Canadian society, helping grow its material and cultural richness. His legacy serves to remind us of the extra- ordinary contributions made by those we welcome from other countries. ■ Canada en percevant de l’extérieur ce que notre pays présentait d’unique. Comme d’innombrables immigrants l’ont fait avant lui et de nombreux autres depuis, Bob Alden s’est fondu à l’étoffe de la société canadienne, contribuant à enrichir ses ressources matérielles et culturelles. Son legs témoigne des contribu- tions extraordinaires que font ceux et celles que nous accueillons d’autres pays. ■ Collaboration with other engineering clubs broadens workshop offerings O O n 9 September, 1982 an aircraft crashed in the mountains of British Columbia. A Canadian ground station in Ottawa located the aircraft using the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. Search and rescue teams were dispatched and all on board were rescued. Since the first incident, many tens of thousands of lives have been saved around the world using this technology. The above is the citation for IEEE Canada’s 16th Milestone, approved by the IEEE Board of Directors in February. Congratulations to Michael Stott and other members of the Milestone Proposal Team from IEEE Ottawa Section. Following the Milestone dedi- cation, the IEEE Canadian Review will provide a full report on this humanitarian breakthrough. T T echnical skills are in high demand by employers seeking co-op students. Uni- versity engineering programs cover a wide range of subjects and focus on theory, leaving little time to teach “hands-on” skills. The University of Victoria’s IEEE Student Branch has bridged that gap with SkillDev, an innovative series of free workshops providing practical, technical skills to interested students in all disciplines. As of the fall of 2016, there had been 409 participants in a total of 15 workshops over two semesters. “It was fun to use a tool that might actually be part of our future careers,” enthused one participant. “Amazing group of seminars,” stated another. To ensure the workshops provided the most up-to-date knowledge and skills, the IEEE Student Branch reached beyond electrical engineering to collaborate with other engin- eering clubs for workshop content and pres- entation. Soldering Fundamentals was presented by the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle interdisci- plinary engineering team, (AUVic), with cir- cuit boards provided by a B.C. based com- pany. Embedded systems basics were explained by Jason Long of Engenuics Technologies. Autocad was taught by a structural designer from Tetra Tech and Bearing Fundamentals by the University of Victoria Formula Society of Automotive Engineers. Not ignoring the “soft” skills, a Public Speaking Workshop was hosted by the Engineering Student Society. The University of Victoria’s McNaughton Cen- tre has been key to many of these activities pro- viding space and equipment for development and testing of workshop projects. U. of Victoria Student Branch Outreach IEEE Canada’s 16th Milestone approved Community News/Nouvelles de la communauté l l E E I have an unwavering desire to promote social justice and I am inspired to help others. Through IEEE WIE, not only can I practice my social advocacy skills and improve my leadership abil- ities, but I am also hoping to contribute in over- coming the tradition of gender disparity. I want to see women and men have the same opportunities using their distinct talents to make a better future. The involvement with IEEE has provided me with the opportunity to meet many professionals from industry and emerging researchers. This has helped me build my professional net- work, which I will definitely benefit from in the future. Being an active member of IEEE, I have been able to grow as an individual, but also help others build a brighter future. ■ Nasim Abdollahi M.Sc., Ph.D. Candidate, ECE Dept., U. Of Manitoba IEEE WIE Winnipeg Section Chair; Western Can. Rep., WIE Canada abdollan@myumanitoba.ca Nasim.Abdollahi.CA@ieee.org I came to Canada as an international stu- dent in January, 2015 and started a Ph.D. program at the University of Manitoba to continue my research on Biomedical Imaging Systems. I have always had passion in learning new skills, and as a newcomer to Canada, I had a lot to explore. I attended the IEEE Winnipeg Section meetings and seminars to explore professional communities. I was fortunate that IEEE offered me the position of Chair of the Women in Engineering (WIE) affinity group in January, 2016. I was excited that as the WIE Chair, I had the opportunity to encourage young girls to pursue careers in engineering and science. I have met dedicated volunteers who create a friendly environment —a space where we enjoy the activities of the group, while practicing our leadership skills. lunteered d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f fo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o or r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E EE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E EE E E E E E E E E E E E E E o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o or r r r r r r r r r r r lunteered d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f fo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o or r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E EE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E EE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E (A few words from the Editor in Chief cont’d from page 6) (Quelques mots du rédacteur en chef suite de p. 6) Photo: Friends of CRC Close-up of B.C. mountain crash site