On December 5th, 2024, the ‘Engineering Across Borders: Grad Bites & Global Flavors’ event brought together a vibrant audience in the Lehman Auditorium to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in engineering. Sponsored by the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) and supported by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), this event was part of the IEEE DEI Week, a week that focused on promoting cultural exchange within the engineering community through various activities and discussions.
This exciting event was organized by the GW SmartGrid Lab and led by Nazneen Ahmed, a Ph.D. candidate in the ECE Department, under the supervision of the lab's director, Dr. Payman Dehghanian. After beginning with a warm welcome, it featured insightful talks from an esteemed panel and a dynamic Q&A session, allowing the approximately 55 in-person and seven virtual attendees to engage directly with panelists. The panel featured the following speakers and their presentations:
- Dr. Payman Dehghanian, Professor in the ECE Department and Founder and Advisor of the IEEE PES student branch chapter at GW: Importance of DEI in Professional Organizations like IEEE PES.
- Dr. Niloofar Pourghaderi, Postdoctoral Fellow at the GW SmartGrid Lab: My Journey as an International Female Engineer.
- Dr. Nan Wu, Professor in the ECE Department: Advancing DEI Principles and Promoting Female Participation in Academia and Industry.
- Dr. Tarek El-Ghazawi, Chair of the ECE Department: Insights on DEI in Academia and Engineering.
The celebration continued with seven cultural food stations representing Bangladesh, China, Iran, Turkey, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Doctoral students from the lab proudly showcased authentic dishes from their home countries, offering guests a taste of their rich cultural heritage. Dressed in traditional attire, the students engaged in meaningful conversations and shared stories about their academic journeys and the traditions that shaped their identities. This unique blend of food, culture, and dialogue added a personal and immersive dimension to the event that fostered a deeper appreciation for diversity.
Overall, the event received widespread praise from attendees, including the GW Engineering faculty, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, IEEE regional chairs, and other guests. It successfully showcased how DEI values enrich academia and industry to cultivate deeper connections across borders.
Dehghanian would like to thank the speakers, attendees, and organizers for making this event a truly memorable celebration of diversity and inclusion. Building on this success, they are thrilled to announce that a series of similar events are already in the works. Stay tuned for more opportunities to connect, learn, and celebrate diversity!