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As part of their strong and sustained commitment to IEEE, the organization’s 38,000 Life Members worldwide are encouraged to actively engage with students and young professionals, mentor the next generation of technologists, and participate in activities that advance technology for humanity.  In 2024, Life Members enthusiastically answered that call by taking part in a host of exciting initiatives through the Life Member Affinity Groups (LMAGs) located in every region of the world.

Following are just some of the exciting and diverse activities Life Member Affinity Groups (overseen by the IEEE Life Member Committee and funded through the Life Members Fund) participated in throughout 2024:

• A Hands-On Hardware Experience – In March 2024, the Region 3 IEEE SoutheastCon Student Hardware Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, USA was just one of seven diverse student competitions at SoutheastCon, a forum for IEEE Region 3 computer scientists and electrical and computer engineering professionals (including LMAG members), faculty, and students to exchange ideas and learn of and contribute to advances in the engineering field.  Nearly 60 student teams participated in the event’s lively robotics competition, which was funded in part by a grant from the Life Member Fund and IEEE Foundation.

• Promoting Futuristic Agriculture – Members of the IEEE Tokyo Section LMAG took a tour of Sagamico Farm, Inc., a solar power generation facility in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan.  Dedicated to using renewable energy sources and other sustainable practices, the trailblazing farm employs the use of “agrivoltaics,” the innovative practice of using land for both solar energy production and agriculture, and produces food and energy through solar sharing and automated irrigation and fertilization. The tour concluded with a hands-on harvesting experience at nearby Abio-Farm, which grows seasonal vegetables and fruits using low-impact cultivation methods and allowed LMAG Members to witness the intersection of technology, sustainability, and community first-hand.

• Robotics Rules! – In April 2024, The North Macedonia LMAG helped sponsor RoboMac 2024, the 12th Annual International Competition in Robotics, Electronics, Programming, and Artificial Intelligence. More than 100 students from universities across North Macedonia participated in events focused on such activities as ‘AI Football,’ a JetBot self-racing car competition, a ‘ChatBot Challenge,’ and the use of robotics and machine vision to develop a robotic arm. At the same time, 54 students from 26 high schools throughout Macedonia participated in a ‘RoboMac Junior’ competition which encouraged their design of autonomous mobile robots and smart electronics for autonomous vehicles. Students also enjoyed attending lectures on mobile electronics, robotics and AI, and myoelectric robotic arm prostheses.

• A Power Trip – In May 2024, members of the IEEE Delhi Section LMAG visited the National Thermal Power Dadri power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India for meetings with senior officials and a comprehensive tour of the highly efficient plant and complex. Stops on the tour included an overview of the complex’s cutting-edge Real Simulation Model, which demonstrated the operation of different units, as well as a visit to the plant’s monitoring and control room, where power supply and demand are visible in real time. LMAG members concluded the informative day outdoors with a visit to a tree-laden section of the complex, where LMAG members were graciously invited to plant two trees.

• Gaining Insights into Navigation — In May 2024, nine members of the IEEE Benelux Section LMAG (representing Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) visited Leuven, Belgium-based Septentrio, a leading designer and manufacturer of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers for industrial applications. LMAG members received insights into Septentrio’s cutting-edge technology, proprietary application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs, signal processing, and integration of multi-constellation data of the Galileo, GPS, Glonass, and BeiDou satellite positioning systems.

• Supporting STEM – For the fourth year, the Central Texas Section LMAG participated in a monthly “Science Thursday” event at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas, US. The event was held in partnership with Central Texas Discover Engineer, which works to excite Central Texas K-12 students about STEM careers through in-class, hands-on engineering activities and collaborative, volunteer-driven initiatives by the engineering and education communities. Attended by 200 students, parents, and teachers, the day saw LMAG members providing hands-on demonstrations of a Van de Graaf static electricity generator, an old-fashioned string telephone to illustrate vibration and waves, playdough circuits, geology samples reacting to UV light, and more.

For more information about LMAG activities, you can find a complete listing of upcoming LMAG events on the Life Member Website. Check to see if you have a local LMAG in your section on a world map providing a complete listing of all current LMAGs with contact information for the local LMAG chair. You can also petition to help to form a new LMAG.