Women in Engineering Forum
The field of engineering, like many others, has historically been male-dominated, with women facing different barriers and under-representation. In recent years, however, efforts have been made to encourage and support girls and women in pursuing their interests in engineering. The active participation of women is essential for driving innovation, advancing technology, and creating a more inclusive and diverse engineering community. The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is a global network of IEEE members and volunteers dedicated to promoting women's involvement and leadership in engineering and science, and inspiring girls around the world to follow their academic interests in a career in STEM. One of their notable initiatives is their involvement in the IEEE World Forum on the Internet of Things (IEEE WFIoT). In this year's 9th edition, the IEEE WFIoT2023 is featuring a dedicated program organized by the WIE Affinity Groups from both the Portugal Section and the UK and Ireland Section, and women in IoT forum.
Keynote Speakers Session: Advancing Gender Equality in the Technology Education
Date: Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, 08:30 – 10:30 (WEDT)
Description:
This session will feature two inspiring speakers sharing their perspectives on gender equality and girls’ education in technology. Promoting gender equality and empowering women is not only a matter of social justice but also an economic imperative. The participation of women in the workforce and in leadership positions is vital for innovation, productivity, and sustainable growth. It is crucial to invest in girls’ education and ensure gender equality from an early age if we are to build a more inclusive and diverse workforce in the future. By integrating technofeminist perspectives into children's education, we can encourage educators to critically assess how technology is taught and used, ensuring that it does not perpetuate gender stereotypes but rather serves as a tool to break down barriers.
Moderators/Chairs:
Anikó Costa, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal (LinkedIn Profile)
Anikó Costa received her engineer degree in Electrical Engineering from Czech Technical University in Prague in 1992, her Master's degree in Informatics, and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Nova University of Lisbon in 2003 and 2010 respectively. She is currently an Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Science and Technology. Her main research interests include model-based development of embedded systems using Petri nets, and statecharts, digital system design, and hardware-software co-design. Her interests also include engineering education. Anikó Costa is an IEEE member since 2005. She has always been ready to serve IEEE communities as a volunteer, namely supporting IEEE sponsored conference organization. She also served as the Finance Co-Chair for the IEEE IES flagship conference, IECON2019, with more than 1200 participants. From 2020 to 2022, Anikó Costa held the position of Chair for the IEEE Affinity Group Women in Engineering of Portugal Section, and in 2022, she transitioned to the role of Secretary.
Carolina Lagartinho de Oliveira, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal (LinkedIn Profile)
Carolina was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1995. In 2018 she received her master’s degree, in the fields of control systems, digital systems, and robotics, from NOVA School of Science and Technology. She is currently working towards a Ph.D. from the same faculty in the field of Computational and Perceptional Systems, and she is also a Researcher Fellow at UNINOVA Institute. In addition to her research, Carolina is also passionate about promoting the presence of women in engineering. She is the Chair of the IEEE Affinity Group Women in Engineering of Portugal Section.
Speakers:
Sanaz Nikghadam, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal
Renata Frade, University of Aveiro, Portugal
Talks and Panel Session: Guiding the Path to IoT Device Education for School Pupils
Date: Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, 11:00 – 13:00 (WEDT)
Description:
Across various domains, whether it is devising novel IoT devices and applications or employing IoT to address critical global challenges, women in engineering and STEM are making a significant impact in guiding the path to IoT device education for school pupils. In this session, the speakers will share their thought-provoking experience in connecting, inspiring, and engaging young people with IoT technology followed by a panel discussion on how IoT technology enables advancing gender equality by distinguished women leaders from academia and industry. The speakers will share their experiences and insights on how women can be leaders and get involved in the IoT industry for advancing gender equality.
Moderators/Chairs:
Nagham Saeed, University of West London, London (LinkedIn Profile)
Dr Nagham Saeed is an associate professor in electrical and electronic. Since 2007, Dr Saeed has been teaching and researching in the area of electrical and electronic engineering. Dr Saeed is the head of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) research group. In 2011, she completed her PhD research titled “Intelligent MANET optimisation system” at Brunel University, UK. She has written extensively on energy-efficient intelligent systems in smart cities using artificial intelligence and optimisation approaches. Dr. Saeed has published a respectable number of high-quality publications in well-known international journals related to various disciplines including telecommunications, modelling and simulating, industry applications, information, and smart power. She has been an expert reviewer and guest editor for top-rank international scientific journals, conferences, and workshops. She has been serving as a member of many Technical Programme Committees and Editorial Boards. Dr. Saeed is one of the editors of the journals: Smart Applications of 5G Network, and Engineering Future Sustainability. Dr Saeed is a Senior fellow in HEA, a member of IET, a senior member of IEEE, IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) UK & Ireland (UKI) Chair, and IEEE UKI WIE Early Profession Lead. She mentors early career engineers, she promotes women engineers and scientists aiming to change the face of electrical engineering. Dr. Saeed won the IEEE Region 8 Outstanding Women in Engineering Section Volunteer Award 2022.
Speakers/Panelists:
Ana Margarida Trigo, Anchorage Digital, Portugal
Mona Jaber, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Stamatis Dragoumanos, Mobile Cloud Networks, and Services, Greece
Catarina Silva,University of Coimbra,Portugal
Maria Fatima Domingues, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi
Ana Maria Drăgulinescu, Politehnica University of Bucharest,Romania
