The IEEE Student Branch Regional Meeting (SBRM) in Region 9, held in El Salvador, proved to be a landmark event for the IEEE community in Latin America and the Caribbean. With over 180 student members and chapter chairs participating, the event was a platform for leadership development, technical knowledge exchange, and fostering collaboration among engineering students from across the region.
This year, the IEEE Photonics Society returned as the Diamond Sponsor of the event, a significant contribution that helped support the development of future leaders within the IEEE community. The event attracted participants from a diverse range of countries including El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and beyond. The international scope of the meeting underscored the growing strength of IEEE in the region.
The conference featured a series of impactful sessions led by experts such as Ana Karen Reyes, AVP of Multicultural Outreach, and staff Lauren Mecum-Smith, Senior Manager of Strategic Programs. These sessions covered a wide array of crucial topics, including Strategic Volunteer Development, Leadership Essential Skills, Imposter Syndrome, Intersectionality, Mental Health Awareness in STEM, and the Fundamentals of Photonics. These discussions were designed not only to empower students but also to provide them with the tools they need to thrive in both their academic and professional lives.
Reyes is a postdoctoral researcher at the Universidad Tecnologica de Tulancingo, Mexico. She earned her Ph.D. in Science from the Optical Research Center in 2022. During her doctoral studies, she worked on coupling interferometric systems to an optical tweezer system, resulting in her first publication as the lead author. In 2024, she was appointed as a candidate in the National System of Researchers in Mexico. That same year, she was also named an Associate Vice President (AVP) for Multicultural Outreach on the Diversity Oversight Committee of the IEEE Photonics Society and an Ambassador of OPTICA. These recognitions were awarded for her research and active participation in outreach activities.
During the meeting, Reyes served as a role model, providing her journey story as a volunteer. She has been a speaker on various topics over 30 times and has implemented internationally recognized outreach workshops. Such as, initiatives to empower and motivate women to begin and continue STEM careers, conducted workshops to teach optics to blind and visually impaired people, and led awareness workshops on inclusion, as well as talks aimed at motivating the Latinx community to explore their options and enhance their essential skills.
In addition to these leadership-focused sessions, the IEEE Photonics Society discussed its Iluminando el Futuro initiative, which aims to enroll local sections and establish new or joint technical chapters across the region to participate at STEM Outreach Ambassadors in the region. This initiative is an essential part of the Society’s efforts to strengthen the IEEE community, and its success was evident in the enthusiasm with which new chapters were installed.
A particularly notable achievement this year was the remarkable 166% increase in IEEE Photonics membership in Region 9, thanks to focused efforts on engaging students and fostering growth in the region. This surge in membership contributed significantly to the rise in undergraduate participation, highlighting the growing interest in STEM disciplines among students in Latin America.
Furthermore, IEEE piloted a new initiative in Mexico, an IEEE Local Group for Student and Young Professionals (SYPs), designed to connect members from various universities and research labs across the country. Their inaugural two-day seminar, which took place just a week after the regional meeting, was met with great success, further solidifying the commitment to creating strong, interconnected networks of students and young professionals in the region.
Overall, the SBRM in El Salvador was a resounding success. It not only provided valuable learning opportunities and leadership training but also facilitated deeper connections between students from different countries. The event is a testament to the vibrant, growing community of IEEE student leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean, paving the way for even more impactful events and collaborations in the future.
