IEEE 2022 Student Awards Programme | Success for IEEE UK and Ireland Section Student Branches
The IEEE UK and Ireland Section Student Branches have once again prospered in the IEEE 2022 Student Awards programme, with two student branches being presented the Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award, and a further two being awarded the IEEE Power & Energy Society High-Performance Student Branch Chapter Award.
The University of Sheffield IEEE Student Branch and the University of Birmingham IEEE Student Branch each were awarded the Exemplary Student Branch Award, while the IEEE University of Manchester and the IEEE University of Sheffield Power & Energy Society Student Chapters were awarded the Power & Energy Society High-Performance Student Branch Chapter Award.
The Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award is presented to those student branches which meet a rigorous criteria in 12 areas (from a possible 32), in addition to a set of mandatory best practices for student branches. Such criteria includes completing the annual branch reporting, circulating a regular events newsletter to members, attending section functions or celebrating IEEE Day amongst many more. This award is given annually, and may serve as a yearly planning checklist for student branches, in order to get the best from their student branch and be in with the chance to be presented this very prestigious award from the IEEE.
The Power & Energy Society High-Performance Student Branch Chapter Award, meanwhile, is given to those student branch chapters who provide technical and educational activities to their members, such as workshops, seminars, invited speakers on technical or educational topics; hold professional development sessions including career fairs, interviews, and other career development initiatives, amongst other efforts.
Funding for the winning chapters is provided from IEEE PES, corresponding to the number of criteria each branch meets. This year, Manchester PES Chapter was awarded over $900 USD and the newer Sheffield chapter over $600 to spend on future activities.
Nan Chen, Chairperson of the University of Birmingham IEEE Student Branch, commented:
On behalf of the University of Birmingham (UoB) IEEE student branch, it’s our honour to receive the Exemplary Student Branch Award 2022 based on our student activities in 2021. Many thanks to the 2021 UoB IEEE Student Branch committee for their efforts organising all the technical and non-technical webinars and seminars, the student presentation competition and improving awareness of IEEE.
I have seen the continued growth of our student branch in 2022 – we now have around 50 members and 10 officers, and we have hosted eight student events so far this year and participated in the IEEE R8 SYP Congress 2022. We have also upgraded our Student Branch website to better meet the needs of our members and are using social media to promote events to wider audiences.
I believe with the encouragement brought by this award, our student branch will continue to grow and promote IEEE and student activities. We appreciate the UoB IEEE Student Branch counsellor Prof. Xiao-Ping Zhang and the IEEE Power and Energy Sociaty UK and Ireland Chapter for their support all the time. For more details, please check our official webpage: https://edu.ieee.org/uk-uob/.
Yinka Leo Ogundiran, chair of the University of Sheffield IEEE Student Branch and Power & energy society Chapter, had to say:
When I became the Chair of IEEE Sheffield Student Branch, our principal aim was to make the Branch become one of the most outstanding and exemplary not only in the UK, but the world at large. We have achieved that aim — we are one of the two exemplary Branches in IEEE UK and Ireland Section!
Special thanks to all our members, and to everyone in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield for their continued support.
We are just getting started!
As 2022 is now drawing to a close, the nominations will soon be open for the next session of the IEEE Exemplary Student Branch Award! We would strongly recommend all student branches in the UK and Ireland Section to take a look at the criterea, and apply for the award for the 2022 session. Remember: The final deadline is 31st March 2023!
More information and guidance on applications can be found at: https://students.ieee.org/student-opportunities/sac-awards-programs/ieee-regional-exemplary-student-branch-award/
