Janine Love
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A few months ago, I received an e-mail from IEEE reminding me that I could become a Senior Member. I’d received them before, and, quite honestly, ignored them. But this time, I took a heartbeat to think about how much I have enjoyed being a part of IEEE these past several years.
I have met some fascinating people through the organization, and they admirably show their commitment to the IEEE mission by volunteering throughout the year. As a reminder, IEEE’s stated mission is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.
I also thought about another initiative close to my heart: supporting women engineers. Perhaps if I became more involved with IEEE, I could do more to support others’ career trajectories? And maybe, if more women got involved as Senior Members or higher in IEEE, we could all help. Recently, I was at the IEEE Women in Engineering Forum East (Figure 1), and several speakers said, “I’m at the point in my career where I’m focused on giving back.” For me, that resonated. For others, becoming a Senior Member could offer a path to further recognition in the field, increased networking, and, likely, improved career advancement (Figure 2).
Figure 1. The 2022 IEEE Women in Engineering Forum East Defense Panel “Women Leading Innovation With Defense Careers.” From left: Molly Mageer, executive director, Senedia; Marie Bussiere, digital transformation executive, Naval Undersea Warfare Center; Felica Harlow, security research engineer, Air Force Research Lab (forum cochair); Ellen Ferraro, vice president of engineering and mission assurance, Raytheon Intelligence and Space; Charlotte Blair, technical support manager, ANSYS (forum cochair); and Kelly Mendell, president, MIKEL. (Source: IEEE Women in Engineering Forum East; used with permission.)
Figure 2. Each year at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), there is a Women in Microwaves event that offers an excellent networking opportunity. In 2022, it was in Denver, CO, USA. In 2023, it will be held in June in San Diego, CA, USA.
So, this time when I received the invitation from IEEE, I took a closer look. And within a few minutes, I realized how easy it would be to apply to be a Senior Member. If you’ve been a professional for at least 10 years, I encourage you to also take a look. (There’s no cost.)
Here’s what’s required:
You will need three references who are at least a Senior Member (a Fellow might be more influential, but my references were three Senior Members). My tip here is to ask your references for their IEEE Member ID before you apply, considering that the application requires them. Note that they will be asked by IEEE to provide a written reference. Once you apply to be a Senior Member, you are given access to a portal that tracks the status of your application and recommendations, so you know if you need to remind anyone to complete the form.
How do you find references? Well, in my experience, many people don’t put it on their LinkedIn. However, there is a member database that you can search to see what level of membership people have. So, if you know someone is in IEEE (or suspect), you can search for them specifically. Alternatively, you can search for Senior Members and see if you know any. Think about the people you’ve met at IEEE events. The ones in leadership roles are very likely Senior Members …
Besides bragging rights, an addition to your LinkedIn profile, and, apparently, a plaque (which takes three months to get, so I haven’t seen mine yet!), what are the benefits to being a senior member?
So, what are you waiting for? Apply to be a Senior Member today! And tell your friends!
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2022.3226553