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Events and achievements in 2025

 in R8 WIE News

As we approach the end of an inspiring year, the IEEE R8 WIE community proudly reflects on a remarkable journey of growth, impact, and collaboration. Throughout 2025, we organized 37 events across the region — from flagship international conferences and leadership summits to student congresses and engaging online sessions. Each event amplified our shared mission to empower women in technology, promote diversity in engineering, and connect professionals, students, and innovators across borders.

 

Below is an overview of all our activities and highlights that made 2025 an exceptional year for IEEE WIE Region 8.

 

2025 Activities Overview

Total Events Organized: 37

  • 5 International Flagship Technical Conferences

  • 6 Student and Young Professional (SYP) Conferences

  • 4 Official International Leadership Summits (ILS)

  • 9 Congresses and Regional Conferences

  • 14 Online Events (Webinars and Sessions)

 

R8 Flagship Technical Conferences

  • IEEE R8 EDUCON 2025 – Workshop “Practical Approaches in Engineering to Inclusive Research and Education” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE R8 Education Society.

  • IEEE EUROCON 2025 – Keynote, panel “Leading Innovation in Engineering, Aerospace, Defense, and Emerging Technologies” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Poland AG and IEEE WIE Global.

  • IEEE RTSI 2025 – Panel “Breaking Barriers in Industry, Academia, and Research”, poster session and student competition. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Tunisia AG.

  • IEEE HISTELCON 2025 – Panel “Women in Technology” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE YP Germany AG.

  • IEEE AFRICON 2025 – Panel “AI for Social Good: Ethical Innovation that Serves All” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE African Council.

 

Student and Young Professional Conferences

  • IEEE R8 WESYP 2025 – Panel “Signals and Stories: Women in Engineering and Microwaves” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE Women in Microwave and IEEE WIE Germany AG.

  • IEEE R8 NSYP 2025 – Workshop “Building Your Personal Brand as a Woman Engineer” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE R8 Entrepreneurship.

  • IEEE R8 ASYPC 2025 – Keynote, panel “Engineering Equity: Accelerating Women’s Leadership in Africa’s Tech Ecosystem” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Ghana AG and African Council.

  • IEEE MenaSYP 2025 – Panel “Roundtable on Transforming the MENA Region’s Innovation Landscape” and poster session. Collaboration with local IEEE WIE AG and IEEE Action for Industry Committee.

  • IEEE CEUSYP 2025 – Keynote, panel “Leading the Way: Inspiring Success Stories from Women Engineers and Dedicated IEEE Volunteers” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Turkey AG.

  • TSYP 2025 – Workshop “Saying Yes to Growth, No to Negativity: A Volunteer’s Guide”. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Tunisia AG.

 

International Leadership Summits (ILS)

  • IEEE ILS Poland 2025 – Keynote, panel “Leaders Who Care: Life Beyond the Title”, presentation “IEEE WIE grants and programs” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Poland AG, IEEE WIE Global and IEEE R8 YP.

  • IEEE WIE ILS Jordan 2025 – Workshop “R8 WIE ressource and opportunitie” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Jordan AG.

  • IEEE R8 ILS Paris 2025 – Keynote, panel “Roundtable on Women in STEM” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE France AG, IEEE YP France, IEEE R8 YP, GWMH and MKS Inc.

  • IEEE R8 ILS UK & Ireland 2025 – Keynote, interactive session “IEEE WIE programs and opportunities” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE UK & Ireland and IEEE R8 YP.

 

Other Regional Events

  • UAE Leadership Summit – Keynote and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE UAE AG.

  • Gitex Global 2025 – IEEE booth.

  • WIE Act (Tunisia) – Keynote and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Tunisia AG.

  • IEEE SAC/YP/WIE/LM Joint Meeting – Joint activities and coordinations. Collaboration with IEEE SAC, YP, LM (global and R8) and all WIE representatives.

  • IEEE R8 Volunteer Training – Presentation on WIE programs and resources. Collaboration with IEEE R8 SAC.

  • AfroTech Intelligence Congress (ATIC) – Two keynotes and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE R8 Computer Society and IEEE WIE Tunisia AG.

  • Women in Tech – IEEE R8 WIE booth. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Global.

  • IAS Society Conference – Presentation IEEE R8 WIE presentation. Collaboration with IEEE IAS.

  • I²MTC Conference – Panel “Redefining Feminism” and poster session. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Germany AG.

  • IEEE PowerAfrica Conference – WIE sessions participations. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Global.

Online Events

Throughout the year, WIE R8 hosted and supported 14 online sessions, including:

  • IEEE Region 8 Women in Engineering Virtual Meeting 2025

  • IEEE R8 SAC Students PodTalk – Presentation by Emna Amri (IEEE R8 WIE Chair). Collaboration with IEEE R8 SAC.

  • Women challenge (in www.afchix.org) – Presentation by Huda Machriki.

  • IEEE Opportunities for Women in Engineering and Entrepreneurship – Presentation by Emna Amri (IEEE R8 WIE Chair). Collaboration with IEEE Entrepreneurship.

  • IEEE Region 8 Women In Engineering – Presentation by IEEE R8 WIE Committee. Collaboration with EYE Association.

  • VoLT to Vision: Nurturing Women Leaders through IEEE WIE – Presentation by Rushali Thakkar. Collaboration with VoLT.

  • Work-Life Balance and Personal Development – Presentation by Rahma Al Quatri and Wafa Ben Hmida (IEEE R8 WIE Past Chair).

  • MOVE Into STEM – Empowering Communities through STEM Outreach – Presentation by Melody Richardson. Collaboration with IEEE WIE Global.

  • Empowering Journeys with IEEE: Growth, Challenges & Impact – Presentations by Sneha Satish Hegde, Rushali Thakkar and Husam Shannag.

  • Why IEEE and Why WIE Membership? Mapping Your Professional Growth Journey? – Presentations by Mohamed Sief and Emna Amri (IEEE R8 WIE Chair). Collaboration with IEEE Membership Development.

  • Presenting WIE Resources and Opportunities to Ghana Section – Presentation by Emna Amri (IEEE R8 WIE Chair). Collaboration with IEEE WIE Ghana AG and Ashesi University.

 

Thank you to all our members, volunteers, and partners for making 2025 a year of remarkable collaboration and inspiration. Together, we continue to shape a more inclusive future for engineering and technology across Region 8 and beyond.

We are excited to introduce the concept of the WIE Chapter Liaison Officer Program!

 in Chapter Liaison Officer Program

The idea of this initiative is to have a WIE Liaison Officer in each technical chapter within each section. For example, if the Jordan Section has five technical chapters, then each chapter would nominate one WIE-CLO. This officer will be responsible for promoting the WIE vision and activities within their respective technical chapter. Below is a brief outline of WIE-CLO eligibility and responsibilities.

 

Eligibility

  • IEEE member and IEEE technical society membership (preferably with WIE affinity group membership, though not mandatory)

 

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Promote WIE within the local technical chapters. 
  • Facilitate coordination between the section WIE Affinity Group and technical chapters to organize joint activities. 
  • Conduct statistical analysis on women’s membership within technical chapters. 
  • Share relevant activities, feedback, and updates with the Region 8 WIE Committee

We look forward to your feedback and engagement in this initiative and we highly appreciate your continued collaboration in strengthening the presence of WIE and enhancing the participation of women in engineering and technology.

 

 

Key objectives

International Leadership Summits

 in R8 WIE News

Regional summits fostering networking, mentorship, and collaboration.

 

Volunteer Leadership: Driven by IEEE WIE volunteers’ creativity and leadership.

 

Impact: Making a significant impact on communities in IEEE Region 8.

 

IEEE WIE R8 ILS 2025:

 

  • Poland: Gliwice, 1–3 June (Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
  • France: Paris, 24-25 November (Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
  • Jordan: Amman, 6-8 December (Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
  • UK and Ireland (Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram):
    • London, 28th November
    • Nottingham, 26th November
    • Liverpool, 3rd December
    • Leeds, 4th December
    • Ireland, 12th December

IEEE Region 8 Women in Engineering Awards 2023 – Winners Announcement

 in R8 WIE Awards Recipients

IEEE Region 8 Women in Engineering is announcing the 2023 Award recipients!

Region 8 Outstanding Women in Engineering Student Volunteer Award: Baya Bouchaala (testimonial) & Roshan Mohyeldeen Ahmed

 

Region 8 Outstanding Women in Engineering Section Volunteer Award: Annabel Latham (testimonial)

 

Region 8 Women in Engineering Student Affinity Group Award: IEEE WIE ENET’Com Student affinity group (testimonial)

 

Region 8 Women in Engineering Section Affinity Group Award: Jordan Section WIE Affinity Group (testimonial)

 

Clementina Saduwa Award: Simay Akar (testimonial)

 

Congratulations!

Region 8 Women in Engineering Student Volunteer of the Year Award

 in Region 8 Outstanding Women in Engineering Student Volunteer Award Guidelines

The Student Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding WIE Student volunteer who has been devoted to promoting WIE activities and spearheading events within their Student Branch AG.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Applications will be reviewed by the WIE R8 Sub-Committee, who will select a winning Student Volunteer. The winning Student Volunteer will then be, as a second step, validated by the R8 Awards and Recognition Sub-Committee.  The following criteria will be considered for the review of applications:

 

1)     WIE Student member in good standing.

2) Activities and events for which are reported as motivation of the nomination must have been conducted in the activity period January 1 through December 31 of the year for which the nomination is considered.

3)     One endorsement letter written by your Section Chair highlighting achievements and contributions of the student volunteer to the AG.

4)     Both applications and nominations are accepted and any Student volunteer may apply for the award, and any member of the Section may nominate a Student volunteer.

 

The winning Region 8 WIE Student Volunteer will receive 250 USD.


Nominations must be submitted through the IEEE Region 8 Awards Portal.

Region 8 Women in Engineering Student Affinity Group of the Year Award

 in Region 8 Women in Engineering Student Affinity Group of the Year Award Guidelines

The Student Affinity Group of the Year recognizes activities and achievements for a WIE Student Affinity group from Region 8 in the activity period January 1 through December 31 of the year for which the nomination is considered. Activities will be evaluated in terms of content, collaborative activities to improve on student engagement and quality of the report submitted.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Applications will be reviewed by the WIE R8 Sub-Committee, who will select a winning Student AG. The winning Student AG will then be, as a second step, validated by the R8 Awards and Recognition SubCommittee. The following criteria will be considered for the review of applications:
1) Approved Student WIE Affinity Group (AG) within IEEE Region 8 that has conducted activities and events in the activity period January 1 through December 31 of the year for which the nomination is considered.
2) A report clearly and concisely documenting activities i.e. dates, content, number of attendees, academic or industry partners and impact of the events. The submitted report should be no more than 1000 words, please include pictures, a report in the form of powerpoint slides is also accepted.
3) All members of the Student AG must be listed on the application.
4) Both applications and nominations are accepted and any member of the Student AG can apply for the award, and any member of the Section can nominate the WIE Student AG.
The winning Student Affinity Group will receive 350 USD. Nominations must be submitted through the IEEE Region 8 Awards Portal.

Region 8 Women in Engineering Section Affinity Group of the Year Award

 in Region 8 Women in Engineering Section Affinity Group of the Year Award Guidelines

The Section Affinity Group of the Year recognizes activities and achievements for a WIE Section Affinity group from Region 8 in the activity period January 1 through December 31 of the year for which the nomination is considered. Activities will be evaluated in terms of content, collaborative activities to improve on professional growth and quality of the report submitted.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Applications will be reviewed by the WIE R8 Sub-Committee, who will select a winning Section AG. The winning Section AG will then be, as a second step, validated by the R8 Awards and Recognition SubCommittee. The following criteria will be considered for the review of applications:

1) Approved Section WIE Affinity Group (AG) within IEEE Region 8 that has conducted activities and events in the activity period January 1 through December 31 of the year for which the nomination is considered.

2)     A report clearly and concisely documenting activities i.e. dates, content, number of attendees, academic or industry partners and impact of the events. The submitted report should be no more than 1000 words, please include pictures, a report in the form of powerpoint slides is also accepted.

3)     All members of the AG must be listed on the application.

4)     Both applications and nominations are accepted and any member of the AG can apply for the award, and any member of the Section can nominate the Section’s WIE AG.

 

The winning Section Affinity Group will receive 450 USD.

 

Nominations must be submitted through the IEEE Region 8 Awards Portal.

Beyond the Award: Clementina Saduwa

 in Clementina Saduwa Award Guidelines

Clementina Saduwa was a dedicated, tireless student leader and extremely effective volunteer a few years back when IEEE Nigeria Section was being revived. She went on to become the first ever IEEE Region 8 Women in Engineering (WIE) coordinator. In January 2007, she was killed in a random act of violence at the age of 29, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. To honor her and as a tribute to her work throughout the years, IEEE Region 8 gave her name to the prestigious award recognizing outstanding women engineers who, through their engineering and career achievements, have demonstrated noteworthy support for women in the profession and established a record of excellence.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Nominations will be reviewed by the WIE R8 Sub-Committee, who will select a winner. The winner will then be, as a second step, validated by the R8 Awards and Recognition Sub-Committee.  The following criteria will be considered for the review of nominations:

 

1)  An active female engineer working in one of the fields of interest of IEEE. 

2)  A female IEEE member whose engineering and career achievements are performed in one of the countries belonging to the IEEE Region 8.

3)  The submitted application must provide a statement (not more than 750 words) that describes the candidate’s career goals, challenges and obstacles she faced in her career, and explains how she overcame them.

4)  The nominator (who could be a non-IEEE member) or self-nominated has to submit at least two signed endorsement reference letters from individuals who are qualified to evaluate the candidate’s success (supervisors, professors, and others). Additional optional endorsement letters from public or private establishments can be provided.

5)  The award may be offered to a candidate one time only.

 

The award recipient will receive 1000 USD.  The winner will be personally invited to that R8 meeting.

 

Nominations are accepted until June 15th, 2024 through IEEE Region 8 Awards Portal