In December 2018, IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) held its annual Standards Exchange (SE) program, giving participants from multiple national and regional standards bodies a chance to learn about the open standards process of IEEE and providing an opportunity for networking with individuals and organizations from around the world.
“The Standards Exchange program is an excellent way to build on our existing MOUs, learn about the standards development processes of other organizations, and find additional opportunities for engagement,” said Mary Lynne Nielsen, global operations and outreach program director for the IEEE SA.
This year’s participants are employees of the national standards bodies of Ghana, India, and Mexico, as well as an employee from a pan-African organization. All of the organizations have signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with IEEE. The participants were Afua Akyaa from the Ghana Standards Authority, Meghna Mudgal from the Bureau of Indian Standards, Serafin San Juan Vera from the Mexican Directorate General of Standards, and Nadine Umutoni from the African Organisation for Standardisation.
“In my opinion IEEE is not only the largest electrotechnical professional organization, I think that it is the best,” said San Juan. “It not only increased my knowledge about several subjects; I also met excellent, professional people.”
The SE participants attended the IEEE SA Standards Board (IEEE SASB) meeting series in early December, learning how IEEE oversees and coordinates the development and revision of IEEE standards. Attending the SASB meeting series, as well as specific presentations on technical topics of interest to the SE participants, fostered understanding of IEEE and its scope of work.
“The IEEE Standards Exchange program was the best event I ever experienced in relation to my field of work,” said Umutoni. “This will now allow me to overcome the challenges my organization faces, including expert participation in standards development.”
“The IEEE SA Standards Exchange Fellowship program allowed me to learn more about how the IEEE standardization process works and how we can participate and be part of the process of standards formulation at IEEE,” said Mudgal. “I am really impressed with the level of passion and energy that the volunteers and staff dedicate to the standard process,” noted Akyaa.
