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During his 15 years as an IEEE member, Ramesh Nair has grown from an engineering undergraduate student to a young professional at Intel. Along the way, he has held a diverse range of roles within IEEE, including Vice President of Communications and Public Awareness of IEEE-USA, IEEE Awards Board Member-at-Large, Vice Chair for IEEE Young Professionals, and IEEE Region 6 Committee member. 

Ramesh has also come full circle, from being an IEEE Foundation Grant recipient in 2010 to becoming a donor to the IEEE Awards program. He even doubled the impact of his donation by submitting a matching gift request to his employer, Intel.

“I have served on several award committees over the years, and awards recognition is one of the best ways to motivate volunteers and encourage them to continue their great work,” observes Ramesh. “I realized how much of an impact the Awards program has after attending the IEEE VIC Summit & Honors Ceremony Gala and getting a chance to interact with people like Vint Cerf (2023 IEEE Medal of Honor recipient) at these events.”

In 2009, Ramesh was in his sophomore year of undergraduate study at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, India, when a senior in his program encouraged him to join IEEE. 

“I quickly realized IEEE is much more than a student club,” shares Ramesh. “I was able to network with senior section members and officers and increased my understanding of IEEE benefits. And that’s when I first heard about the IEEE Foundation.”

Ramesh worked under a professor studying hardware engineering and microcontrollers. The seniors at his university had developed a prototype for a gesture-based wheelchair control system. Their vision was to advance the prototype to a real-world product with home navigation features. They applied for and won $7,500 in funding from the IEEE Foundation Grant program, which allowed them to achieve this goal.

His involvement with IEEE continued through his tenure as a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was appointed to the IEEE Student Activities Committee in 2013. After graduate school, he was introduced to the Young Professionals Committee and became active in IEEE Region 6 after relocating to California for his career.

When asked why he has stayed so involved with IEEE, even during busy life transitions from student to professional, Ramesh shares, “I was able to benefit greatly from my membership even in college, so I wanted to give back through my time and volunteering.”

Ramesh acknowledges that the transition point from student to professional is often where IEEE student members lapse on their membership. That’s why he is so passionate about supporting scholarship programs that will play a critical role in a student’s life – and help them become more involved in all that IEEE has to offer.

Ramesh is motivated by his belief that engineers bring significant change to human life. That shines through from his first funded project to improve wheelchair accessibility to his volunteer work today. He hopes this opportunity to create real-world improvements for humanity through technology will inspire the next generation, too.

“Engineers are making a much bigger impact on our day-to-day lives. They are disrupting norms and driving change through technology in how we communicate with each other, drive a car, travel, and more. If we can show students how much technology has advanced over the past 10 years,” Ramesh says excitedly, “I believe we can get them excited about what engineering can do for the future.”

Join Ramesh in his excitement to build a better future for younger generations and inspire the continuation of advancements and technological progress by supporting the IEEE Foundation, which serves as the heart of IEEE!