Electrical engineering students from across the Northeast descended on Stony Brook University April 4-6 for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Region 1 and Region 2 StuCon 2025. The annual conference provided students with the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, compete in technical and professional competitions and network with fellow students, Stony Brook alumni, industry professionals and IEEE leaders.
The majority of the students who attended are pursuing majors or careers in electrical and computer engineering. According to Student Conference organizers, the competitions drew many robotics students, while the workshops were attended by those in different engineering fields such as radio frequency, machine learning and cybersecurity. Computer engineering student and IEEE student chapter president Dylan Wong ’25, along with students within the IEEE student branch at Stony Brook, had a leadership role in coordinating the conference.
The three-day conference kicked off April 4 with a Fireside Chat featuring alumni from Stony Brook’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The themes of the conversation, which was moderated by Andréa Lipack, senior director of Stony Brook University Career Center operations, were workplace power skills, professional development and upward economic mobility. The panel featured American Tower Chief Technology Officer Edward Knapp ’82, Intelligent Product Solutions CEO Robert Wild ’93, ’07, Zebra Technologies VP of Engineering Robert Pang ’95 and North Atlantic Industries President and CEO William Forman. “As students prepare to enter the industry, I can only imagine how many questions they may have,” said Wild. “Participating in events gives students direct access to industry leaders, which provides insight to help them navigate their careers, as well as fosters their passion for entering the workforce.”
The panel, which was standing room only, concluded with a student Q&A followed by an informal networking reception. Students were able to speak directly with those on the panel to get insight into their fields. “Engineering students are hardworking, energetic and inspiring,” said Knapp. “Giving advice, guidance and support is important for the students as well as rewarding for us.”
Pang believes today’s students are future industry contributors and was thrilled to see so many students engaged during the panel discussion. “Receiving feedback from their perspective is invaluable,” Pang said. Forman agreed, adding, “Whether it’s discovering the right job fit or even realizing they might want to pivot in a different direction, these connections and events like this provide a unique opportunity for students to connect with those who have already walked the path they’re about to embark on.”
On April 5, students participated in workshops, lectures and competitions. Lecture topics ranged from sustainable energy and artificial intelligence to project management and intellectual property and patents. Teams competed in the Micromouse competition, where students created autonomous robots with maze-solved algorithms; the Mini Pupper competition, where students built and programmed a MangDang robot to follow a path and perform dance routines synced to music; and the Brown Bag competition, where students completed circuit challenges in a laboratory setting, among other competitions. The day ended with an awards banquet at the Bauman Center, with a keynote speech by 2023 IEEE President and CEO Saifur Rahman ’75. Rahman is the founding director at Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute and the Joseph R. Loring professor of electrical and computer engineering.
During his address, Rahman discussed IEEE’s role in achieving climate resilience. He spoke about the impacts of carbonization, as well as technological solutions to reduce CO2 emissions. Rahman credits a professor at Stony Brook for guiding him to have a successful career. “My energy policy professor worked at Brookhaven National Lab,” said Rahman. “My term paper in the class focused on the unintended consequences of burning coal in power plants. I did very well in the class, which helped me get a summer internship at Brookhaven.” During the internship, Rahman’s work concentrated on deployment of nuclear power plants to minimize land use and the need to build transmission corridors to move the electricity. During his PhD research, he worked on nuclear plant operations. “Later, my work expanded to other types of power plants around the world,” said Rahman. “The experience I had at Brookhaven National Lab helped me focus my attention on not only where I wanted to go in my career, but how to get there.”
Rahman felt it was important to speak at the IEEE StuCon at Stony Brook because he wanted to share how important Stony Brook was in building the foundation of his professional career. “It gave me the opportunity to have one-on-one personal exchanges with students to share how I sought out different opportunities in my own life to become a more impactful person,” he said. “All of these interactions I have with students can help them chart their own paths.”
The IEEE StuCon 2025 concluded on April 6 with two lectures on project management and the future of cybersecurity education. Students who attended the conference said they learned from their peers at other institutions, as well as from Stony Brook alumni and industry professionals. “Students represent the future of our society,” said Knapp. “Giving back in any way that’s beneficial to the next generation of innovators and leaders just feels natural.”
-Christine McGrath
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