IACEE Pulse: January 2025

In this Pulse:

A Note from the President | IACEE Symposium 2025 Registration | IACEE at the CIEC

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

As we step into a new year filled with fresh opportunities and renewed enthusiasm after a restful holiday break, I am thrilled to attend the upcoming Conference on Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC) in person with colleagues.

CIEC 2025 is set to be a landmark event, uniting thought leaders, innovators, educators, and industry partners from across the globe. Our collective mission is to foster collaboration, share the latest research, and discuss the future of education-industry partnerships. This will be my first CIEC conference.

I look forward to this unique opportunity to engage with peers, broaden my network, and gain invaluable insights to propel excellence in continuing engineering education.

Also, the IACEE Winter Executive Committee meeting will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The message from Soma includes details of the venue. I want to extend an invitation for you to attend. Your participation and insights make organizations and events like IACEE and CIEC successful.

Robert Prakash, IACEE President

Stanford University

Registration is now open for the IACEE Symposium 2025

in collaboration with Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Early Bird Registration closes February 15, 2025 | Register here

IACEE at the CIEC

My first CIEC—the Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration—was in 2011. It was an eye-opener. I had no expectations when I went to San Antonio, TX. Dr Nelson Baker, then president of IACEE, had asked me to attend the Executive Committee meeting that preceded the conference, so I thought of attending the conference, too. I primarily attended the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Division programs and met many industry and academia colleagues. Over time, they became colleagues and eventually friends and taught me the nuts and bolts of continuing engineering education. I also learned to gather presenters around a topic and present different aspects in 90 minutes. I remember having a thoughtful conversation with Dr John Klus, who was at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Unfortunately, he passed away later that year. John was the first president of IACEE and a mentor to many of us.

Next year, I was back in Orlando, FL, with three University of Kansas colleagues and made three presentations. As one of my CPDD colleagues pointed out, I did not stop presenting after that. Each year, I was fortunate to collaborate with extraordinary presenters, most of whom were from IACEE, and learned from each one of them. We had the winter Executive Committee meeting before or after the conference each year, had lunches and dinners together, and spent those few days like an extended family. IACEE also had joint hospitality events with the CPD Division, and often, we would gather at Dr Linda Krute’s suite to have snacks, drinks, and chat for a long time. CIEC is a special event for us, the IACEE members.

I have attended all the CIECs since 2011. However, due to COVID-19, we didn’t have one in 2021, and I attended online in 2022 when I could not travel. I often wonder why I go to CIEC every year; I wait for it. Why?

I remember what Ed Borbely, then a Council member of IACEE, told me during my first CIEC. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t attend all the presentations. Seeing me frustrated, he said, “Soma, we don’t come here only for the presentations. We come here for the people -- the people we meet here year after year. Enjoy that.”

It has stayed with me all these years. The same people who were there in 2011 may not be there now. Some have retired, a few have passed away, and a few have changed their work direction. However, it is still the “people” who matter. Below, you will find some of our old pictures when "we had joy, we had fun."

This year, CIEC will be held in Henderson, NV. Many Council and other IACEE members will attend and present, including Amy Moore, Patricia Caratozzolo, Robert Prakash, Nora Sutton, Ed Borbely, and others.  Of course, I, too, will be there. The Winter Executive Committee meeting will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025, from 9 am to 3 pm. If you are there, join us for breakfast at 8 am, and feel free to attend the Executive Committee meeting at El Viento IV soon after the CPOED 504 session. You won’t be disappointed and will become part of this extended family. You can find more about this tear’s CIEC on this ASEE page.

- Soma Chakrabarti, IACEE Fellow, Secretary General, and Immediate Past President