IEEE Student Professional Awareness Venture (SPAVe) 7.0

On Thursday, June 6, 2024, the IEEE AIUB Student Branch successfully organized the 7th rendition of the IEEE USA & SPAA branded flagship event, the IEEE Student Professional Awareness Venture 7.0 (SPAVe 7.0) at American International University-Bangladesh. The venture was greatly supported by American International University-Bangladesh and technically supported by IEEE, IEEE Bangladesh Section and IEEE Young Professionals Bangladesh. It was also sponsored by Bachar Engineering Ltd, supported by GIGABYTE Bangladesh as the technology partner, and Kishwan Group as the Food Partner. The primary emphasis of the event was a sequence of sessions aimed towards enhancing professional skills and career growth.
The daylong event commenced with an inaugural speech delivered by Prof. Dr. A.B.M Siddique Hossain, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB, who covered the importance of cultivating passion in the present and diligently working to attain career success. Following the inaugural address, Dr. Shameem Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB; Counselor, IEEE AIUB Student Branch, led the first session of the venture. The session was titled “How to Choose Research Projects Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals”. He discussed the topic of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting their significance across various fields and the necessity of their proper understanding. He emphasized the role of research, quality education, and renewable energy in achieving SDGs, particularly in addressing climate change issues, and encouraged participants to implement projects aligned with these goals. The next session was titled “The Mechanics of Power Distribution: Inside Substation Operations” conducted by Eng. SK. Abid Hossain, Deputy General Manager, Bachar Engineering Ltd. This was followed by a short Q&A session by GIGABYTE Bangladesh and lunch break.
Prof. Dr. Celia Shahnaz, 2023-24 IEEE WIE Committee Chair; Professor, Department of EEE, BUET, commenced the next session titled “Diversity and Inclusion for Women Empowerment and Advancement”. She spoke about the opportunities and potential in engineering for female students through WIE, touching on research, innovation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The subsequent session titled “AI Driven Smart Technology for Smart Future” was conducted by Prof. Dr. Shaikh Anwarul Fattah, Professor, Department of EEE, BUET; Director, Institute of Robotics and Automation, BUET (IRAB). He accentuated the transformative impact of AI and smart technologies on industries and daily life, highlighting the need for understanding, planning, skill development, and leveraging these technologies for innovation and automation. Muhammad Abdul Bari, Head of IT (Associate Director), BRAC Enterprises, was the speaker for the latter session titled “Navigating the Workforce: A Guide for STEM Graduates”, where he demonstrated the necessity for engineers to prepare for various career paths by developing both technical and soft skills, gaining relevant experience, and being ready for new challenges. The last session of the venture titled “Innovative Minds: Cultivating Entrepreneurship in the Modern Era” was held by Ghulam Sumdany Don, Chief Inspirational Officer, Don Sumdany Facilation; Managing Director, DS Education. He emphasized the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship by identifying market gaps, maintaining a positive and adaptable mindset, demonstrating persistence, taking risks, and being willing to take action. Following the session, Dr. Shameem Ahmad delivered the closing remarks. The event concluded with a cultural performance by AIUB Performing Arts Club (APAC), an appreciation ceremony, delivering the Best Ambassador Award, and a group photo session.
The initiative highlighted its commitment to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) connects with sessions on how to choose research projects aligned with SDGs, diversity and inclusion in education for women empowerment, and preparing STEM graduates for the workforce. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) ties directly to the discussion on the role of renewable energy in achieving SDGs and the emphasis on addressing climate change issues through research, quality education, and renewable energy. Encouraging entrepreneurship and preparing graduates for diverse career paths align with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) aligns perfectly with the discussions of the transformative impact of AI and smart technologies on industries and daily life.
This mega flagship event featured 170+ participants from various universities around the nation including Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET), Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), Daffodil International University (DIU), North South University (NSU), East West University (EWU), National University (NU), Prime University (PU), University of Asia Pacific (UAP), and Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT). Additionally, the event was attended by several honorable faculty members including Dr. Md Saniat Rahman Zishan, Director, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB, Chowdhury Akram Hossain, Department Head, CoE, Faculty of Engineering, Special Assistant, Office of Student Affairs (OSA), AIUB, Dr. Mohammad Hasan Imam, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB, Dr. Muhibul Haque Bhuyan, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB, Mahamudul Hassan, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB, Md. Shahariar Parvez, Lecturer Faculty of Engineering, Special Assistant, Office of Student Affairs (OSA), AIUB and Tamim Hossain, Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, AIUB.