Message from the Chair - May 2011

Changes to the IET communities are being proposed to make it easier for potential volunteers to contribute to their own communities and the IET as well. Currently, volunteer positions require long-term commitment, which can be difficult as many Young Professionals juggle family life and work with their IET responsibilities. If the idea becomes reality, many more volunteers could participate in YP initiatives at their leisure, or create their own initiatives, making volunteering for the IET so much more fulfilling. Your opinion on this new approach to engaging communities within the IET is important, as these changes will influence how we work in the future. Please participate in the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/communityeng agementfeedback, or send an email to programmes@theiet.org. Don‟t forget to inform your colleagues to take part before 3 June 2011. For more information, visit http://kn.theiet.org/community-engagement/.

Election to the boards and committee is the best opportunity for YPs to play a significant role in the governance of the IET. I strongly encourage you to stand for future elections, because there is always a need for fresh perspective on tackling new challenges. The YP constructs are relatively new, and the YP250 community has an important role in creating value for YP communities around the world. So don‟t ask why the IET was not there to speak up on matters that you care about, but instead take action by working with the IET to make your voice heard. I do hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter.

David Leong

Chair

Young Professionals Coordination Team

Delhi PATW Final

A Student from AMU wins the Delhi round of IET-PATW Competition. Mr. Syed Nabeel Mehdi from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), won the First prize of Rs 11,000/- and a ticket to Colombo in the Present Around the World Competition (PATW) Delhi Finals held at Amity University Noida on May 10, 2011. Mr. Mehdi will now be competing with teams from Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the South Asian Regional Finals to be held at Colombo in August this year for a place in the World Finals at London. Mr. Alind Trivedi from Oriental Institute of Technology and Science (RITS) Bhopal was the runner-up and won a prize of Rs 7,500/-. Amity proved to be perfect hosts for the event by making all out efforts in organising the first ever PATW competition in the NCR region. Held under the aegis of IET Delhi Network, the Present Around the World (PATW) Competition encourages students from science background to polish their presentation skills while updating their technical knowledge. This year the event has been organised in a big way with competitors from Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Aligarh, Panipat, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Agra, Gorakhpur, Patiala, Pantnagar etc. participating in the event. While inaugurating the competition Dr (Mrs) Balvinder Shukla, Pro VC and DG of Amity University called upon all the participants to make their best efforts in the competition and assured them of all possible help during their stay at Amity. She said, “When students go out from their campus, they get a big exposure which proves to be good learning opportunity for the students”.

Prizes were given away during the Valedictory function by Maj Gen K.J. Singh, the Vice Chancellor of Amity University. Mr. Sandeep Marwah, the President of Marwah Studio Group and Mr. Anil Sood, Managing Director of Microcomm India Ltd were guests of Honour for the event. During his speech Mr. Sandeep Marwah was able to touch the perfect chord with the student community with his punch lines. Calling upon all the participants to be better prepared for the event next year, he reminded them that „God helps those who help themselves‟. Mr. Anil Sood called upon the students for working on projects to make the environment cleaner so that we can enjoy the company of the „mother nature‟ for longer duration. He appeared equally impressed with the kind of infrastructure on offer from Amity University and hoped that the association will continue for times to come.

Manager at Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Dr (Mrs) Satinder Bajaj, former Principal of Lady Irwin College (Delhi University) and Dean at Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana; Dr. Subodh Mahanti, a Senior Scientist with Vigyan Prasar, under Department of Science and Technology; Mr. Sanjay Gupta, the National Head - Program Management & CRM (Enterprise) at Hughes Communications India Ltd; and Ms. Sakal Bhatt, a renowned Anchor and Newsreader on Doordarshan News.

Under the dynamic leadership of Dr.(Mrs) Balvinder Shukla the core organising team included, Prof Abhay Bansal, Ms. Sapna Sinha, Ms. Sumita Gupta, Ms. Rashmi Dubey, Ms. Nitasha Hasteer, Mr. Sanjeev Saxena, and Mr. Rana Majumdar. There were in fact a number of other dedicated faculty members and student volunteers who devoted their valuable time and energy in making the event a grand success. Deliberations during inaugural and valedictory functions were anchored by Ms. Natasha Hasteer, while the PATW rounds were compered by two Amity students Ms. Abhilasha and Ms Garima.

Gp. Capt. P.L. Rishi, the Vice Chairman of IET Delhi Network thanked Amity and its valuable contribution by presenting a certificate of appreciation to the Vice Chancellor of Amity University. From IET Delhi Network, Gp. Capt. P.L. Rishi, the Vice Chairman; Mr. V.K. Gupta, the Hon. Secretary; Mr Ramesh Negi, Chairman-YPS, and Mr. Rajeev Gupta, Secretary-YPS worked as a closed knit team under the leadership of Mr. H.B.S. Rana, the Chairman to make the event a success.

Ramesh Negi Chairman

Younger Professional Section

IET Delhi Network

YP’s in Trinidad & Tobago – a developing Local Network

Trinidad & Tobago is a small developing twin island state in the Caribbean that is blessed with rich natural resources: oil, natural gas, asphalt. The presence of these resources has facilitated the industrialisation of Trinidad and the development of one other resource, our people. Today, Trinidad is home to the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies and the University of Trinidad and Tobago. These two main tertiary level institutions, as well as various technical and vocational programmes, both governmental and non-governmental, have seen thousands of engineers, scientists and technologists walking through their doors over the years, with a few thousands more with each new year.

There is a visible need for the certification of skills in Trinidad & Tobago and the greater Caribbean, especially as we move to diversify our economy away from oil. Emphasis has been placed on the manufacturing sector and the service sector in forging this path, however in order to offer our skills to the global market, we must first meet its requirements; i.e. international professional certification and registration.

From my first introduction to the IET, to now as the YMS Representative, I have been aiming towards the establishment of a local IET office here in Trinidad which would serve as the link to the Caribbean. This initiative would transform the IET‟s presence here: from being just another professional body, to a physical brick and mortar organisation. Directly stemming from this would be member access to the various services currently being offered by the other IET LN‟s, as well as the promotion of public acceptance of the IET and the YMS as authentic bodies.

Currently, we are pursuing registration of the IET and the YMS as professional entities in Trinidad & Tobago. As a developing nation, mistrust by local and international firms is commonplace, but hopefully once registration is complete, we can gain the support of larger players in both the public and private sectors. Communications have already been established with the educational institutions mentioned above, as well as with other facilities such as: COSTAATT, SBCS, SAMS, MIC, and TRINZUELA.

It is my belief that Trinidad & Tobago is a valuable resource-base for the IET, especially the YMS. The current and future turnover of young professionals and our relationship with the rest of the Caribbean has placed us in an exciting position in leading the charge into the global marketplace. It is indeed a difficult journey to embark on, but with your support, we will.

Sanjay Suchit, MIET

Young Member Representative

Trinidad & Tobago LN