Blog Spot December 2020
Farewell 2020, Hello 2021!
by Aparna Srinivasan
It’s quite an understatement to describe 2020 as a year like no other. We at IEEE SCV WIE hope that you and your family have been safe and healthy during this unprecedented period in history.
While we couldn’t have our usual array of networking events, talks, conferences and all that IEEE is synonymous for, there were still quite a few highlights from the year to share. We’ve summarized the best parts here:
IEEE WIE ILC 2020 – June 2020
The annual IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) International Leadership Conference (ILC), in its seventh edition this year, was supposed to happen in May in San Diego. However, with travel restrictions and lockdowns starting across the country in March / April, the organisers revamped the format to be virtual and it was finally held in June. As they say, the show must go on!
Instead of the usual 3 day extravaganza as in previous years, the events were split into byte-sized sessions, split over 4 weeks. It was also free! The flexibility in the format, coupled with the fact that it was free, made it accessible to a wider range of audience this year – one of the silver linings.
Week 1 began with a bang, with a keynote by Sallie Krawcheck, CEO & Co-founder, Ellevest on “Crisis or Opportunity?: The Economic Impact on Underrepresented Communities and How We Move Forward”. Anar Simpson (Global Ambassador for Technovation) and Erica Lockheimer (Vice President, Software Engineering – LinkedIn Learning, Lead – Women In Tech @ LinkedIn) spoke on “Leading in Engineering”.
Week 2 had Telle Whitney, co-founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration, sharing her story in a talk “It Takes Resiliency, Curiosity, and Courage – One Entrepreneur’s Journey in Technology”. Sonita Lontoh, Global Head of Marketing for 3D Print & Digital Manufacturing, HP, also shared her thoughts on “Enabling Digital Transformation and Creating Impacts: Finding the Intersection of Your Passion, Skills and Purpose.”
Week 3 saw a bustle of activity with Patty Burke and Kelly Simmons, from the Center for Creative Leadership, sharing their secrets on “Beating the Odds: Winning Strategies of Women in STEM”. Kelly Simmons & Enric Bernal ( also from the Center for Creative Leadership) gave another helpful session on “Leading in Crisis”. The week concluded with a panel discussion with Patty Burke and Kelly Simmons.
Week 4 was the grand finale, and attendees got to watch a free screening of the movie “Pioneers in Skirts”, an entertaining social conscious documentary that addresses the stereotyping and sexism that can chip away at a woman, hurt her potential, and make her feel like she must rethink her dreams. [ See Trailer : https://vimeo.com/386090624 ]. The movie was complemented by a panel session the following day, providing a fitting end to the conference.
Apart from the sessions themselves, several companies like Mercer, Google and Cirrus Logic hosted virtual Happy Hour events across the month, providing great opportunities for women to network, and just relax.
[ P.S : Many of the talks are available on IEEE TV: https://ieeetv.ieee.org/channels/wie ]
Dr.Jeewika Ranaweera wins Award! – August 2020
Dr.Jeewika Ranaweera, IEEE SCV WIE Vice-Chair won the 2020 IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section (SCV) “Outstanding IEEE Member Who Promoted Women in Engineering” Award. Congratulations Jeewika! We are so proud and grateful for your leadership.
Virtual Art Series: Drawing 101 – October 2020
In lieu of the many technical talks that were happening online over the past few months, IEEE WIE SCV hosted a virtual Halloween-themed painting session and what a grand success it was!
Russell Story, Concept Artist from Industrial Light & Magic (Lucasfilm) drove the event, walking attendees through the various steps to create their own realistic rendering of a Pumpkin while our very own Karen Horovitz moderated it. 45 people attended the event, and everyone went away with a beautiful drawing to show. It was very well received and made for a great evening stress buster with some parents joining in with their kids too! We plan to host more such events in the future, so be on the lookout!
Holiday Dinner on Zoom – December 2020
Volunteers and the IEEE SCV WIE board got together over Zoom to unwind and celebrate the ending of a year of many firsts, and to look forward to a much different new year 2021. Games were played, jokes were spent, and much laughter was shared.
Hopefully, 2021 holds only pleasant surprises and sees us convening at last in the real world, leaving the Zoom world behind. The SCV WIE chapter would like to wish you all Happy holidays and a Happy 2021! We look forward to seeing you on the other side!