Annual General Meeting of the (IEEE)

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Monday, May 30th 2011 [ME NewsWire]

The annual general meeting of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) was held on Thursday 26th, May 2011 at the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS Pilani) in Dubai, UAE. A number of senior officials in (IEEE) and (BITS Pilani), in addition to a large number of guests and participants attended the event.

H.E. Dr. Eesa Bastaki, Chairman, IEEE UAE Section, delivered the opening address of the Annual General Meeting in which he noted that the UAE Section derives its approaches from the global vision of the IEEE which is reflected in the continuous strive to achieve international prosperity through encouraging innovation in the technical field, developing the abilities of the institute’s members and supporting societies around the world.

Commenting on the role and objectives of the IEEE UAE Section, Dr. Bastaki said: “The UAE Section plays an important role in developing the society, particularly with regards to creating and spreading awareness about Electric Engineering and its subsidiaries. The Section will spare no effort in its quest to construct technological infrastructure, develop the technology industry and improve the lives of individuals.”

The speech of Dr. Bastaki’s was followed by a welcoming address delivered by Prof. R.K. Mittal, Director, BITS Pilani. Prof. Mittal started his words by extending his thanks to H.E. Dr. Bastaki, chairman, IEEE UAE Section, for his opening remarks. Prof. Mittal also spoke about the role that the UAE Section plays in promoting the infrastructure of the country through the development of technology, and electric and electronic engineering.

Following the welcoming addresses by distinguished attendances, the business session commenced at 7:45 P.M. the session took note of the progress achieved by the IEEE UAE Section during last year. It was inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Eesa Bastaki, Chairman of IEEE UAE Section, who presented a brief on the work and achievements of the Section. He also noted that technology is the magical solution which will contribute in addressing all our economic and political problems, and also in finding remedies for the deficit areas in the performance of states and governments.

H.E. Dr. Bastaki, being also the CEO of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Fund, gave a brief in which he spoke about the efforts made by the Fund in order to provide financing and advisory services for companies, institutions and individuals to enable them enrich the information and telecommunication capital enjoyed by the UAE, through their research and scientific knowledge, commercial viability of their projects and initiatives, besides enabling and promoting the “Made in the UAE” approach and the creation process of knowledge.

The session also witnessed a lecture given by H.E. Dr. Ahmed Al Dabbagh, Technology Development Manager of the National Research & Education Network (NREN), “Ankabut”, at Khalifa University, in which he highlighted the main activities and work carried out by the “Ankabut” network. He pointed that one of the most important achievements of the network was to contribute in introducing the applications of the “Cloud Computing” system, thus, making the UAE the first country in the Middle East to introduce this global system which represents a revolution in the field of information technology.

The session also reviewed the reports of different committees of the IEEE UAE Section. The report of the Financial Committee was discussed, along with the Chapter Activities. The session also took note of the Student Branch Activities report, which highlighted not only the importance of science and technology, but also the important and vital contributions of the branch towards the students in order to enhance their technological knowledge, and develop their sense of responsibility towards their community and their country.

The activities of the Women in Engineering WIE branch occupied an important portion of the deliberations. The importance of Women’s participation in the field of electric and electronic engineering was highlighted, and the activities organized by the branch during the last year were reviewed.

The report of the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) was also examined, which included an overview of the most important activities and achievements of the branch during last year. The audiences were briefed about the “Made in the UAE” competition organized in 2010, in which contestants competed through inventing electronic and electrical devices which are interrelated to all aspects of our daily life, with the aim of encouraging and developing the spirit of innovation of the UAE graduates.

Following the business session, H.E. Dr. Eesa Bastaki announced that he won’t be nominating himself for the UAE Section Chairman post, which he has held for the past 16 years, as he was re-elected continuously by the members due to his valuable contributions to the UAE Section during his leadership, and due to the vast experiences enjoyed by him in the field of electric and electronic engineering. The participants of the present session of the IEEE UAE Section extended their gratitude to H.E. Dr. Bastaki for his significant contributions to the work of the Section, and expressed their confidence that His Excellency was and will remain an important source of expertise and information that the UAE Section can utilize and benefit from always.

The Annual Meeting was concluded with a gala dinner organized by BITS Pilani Dubai in honor of the distinguished guests who attended the meeting. Commemorative photos were also taken to commemorate this significant occasion.

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