Award | Prof Charles Turner – 2023 IEEE Region 8 LMAG Achievement Award
IEEE UK and Ireland Section congratulates Prof Charles Turner on receiving the Region 8 2023 Regional Life Members Affinity Group Achievement Award ‘for the motivation of Life Members and Students in IEEE activities by the planning and delivery of a comprehensive series of Milestone events and symposia.’
Commenting on his success, Charles said:
It’s very pleasing when you get an award for doing something that is itself personally rewarding. After I became a Life member I joined the UK and Ireland Section Life Member Affinity Group (LMAG) Committee, mostly to keep in touch with my former colleagues at home and abroad. Eventually, I was invited to become a member of the IEEE Life Member Committee (LMC) which is responsible for managing the activities of over 35,000 Life Members. In the UK and Ireland our work has concentrated on the history of electro-technology, principally through the Milestone program. My involvement in some notable Milestones has been one of the highlights of my 65 year association with IEEE.
Often the question arises-what exactly do IEEE Life members contribute? The answer is very simple: most are no longer directly active in IEEE, but those who remain active are responsible for a range of activities of significant benefit to the rest of IEEE and also to the wider community. For, example their support for students (STEM programs) and the younger segment of the membership (mentoring of Young Professionals), special community-based projects (helping off-grid communities achieve energy self-sufficiency and disaster relief), complement the Milestone and other history activities that I have been engaged in.
All of these enterprises need volunteers with expertise, organisational skills, and leadership qualities. Life members can offer useful capability in each of these categories because of their engineering experience, and they generally have more spare time.
I can recommend getting involved: there is a lot that needs doing!
