IEEE Life Members Committee Reconnects with Members

As the saying goes, you’re never too old to start over. It holds true for the IEEE Life Members Committee, which has been revitalized after COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.

The committee supports those at least 65 years old who have been members long enough so that their age and years of membership equal or exceed 100. Life members’ dues, regional assessments, and society fees are waived, and some conference registration fees are reduced.

During the pandemic, fewer life members were attending in-person activities and joining local groups, and donations to the Life Members Fund, which supports several programs, dropped off.

“As we rebounded from COVID,” says Howard Wolfman, past chair, “the Life Members Committee took a deep breath and said, ‘Let’s move forward. What are our issues?’” A life senior member, Wolfman has been an active IEEE volunteer for 64 years and a generous donor to the Life Members Fund.

“We re-established connections, developed new goals, and introduced new programs,” he says.

During the past five years, the committee launched several initiatives including an annual conference and a mentoring program. It also worked to reactivate affinity groups that had gone dormant, and it formed new ones. Affinity groups are part of an IEEE section or region.

The committee also ran campaigns to increase donations to the Life Members Fund, which the IEEE Foundation manages. The campaigns showcased how the donations are used to support member activities and IEEE programs.

The number of life members increased from 25,000 in 2019 to nearly 39,000 last year. IEEE now projects a 58 percent increase by 2034. The organization says it wants to make use of its most experienced and knowledgeable engineers.

Tech for an aging population

The inaugural Life Members Conference was held in April 2024 in Austin, Texas. Its theme was “Evolution: Technology, Applications, and Contributions.” Open to all IEEE members, the event focused on providing a better understanding of how emerging technologies and new applications could impact senior citizens. More than 180 people attended.

This year’s conference, “Learning Never Stops,” is scheduled for 11 to 13 June at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. Topics include innovations in health technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics. A session on systems that impact society is expected to discuss the energy grid and telecommunications.

“Life members have the opportunity to share the wisdom they’ve gained through their membership as well as careers in industry or academia.”

According to the World Health Organization, by 2030, one in six people in the world will be 60 or older.

With that in mind, a conference discussion on aging and longevity will cover technologies to enhance the quality of life for older people, Wolfman says, adding that it will touch on independence and overall well-being. The age tech field includes health and wellness monitoring, smart appliances, and home-care robots.

The IEEE Standards Association’s Technology Standards for the Aging activity plans to offer a session to discuss technical standards being developed to ensure such products are interoperable, safe, and secure. The keynote speaker is Rick Robinson, vice president and general manager of AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative, which supports developers in the field. Dean Kamen, an honorary IEEE member who probably is best known for inventing the Segway scooter, is expected to deliver the closing keynote address.

You don’t have to be a member to attend the conference. Registration is still open.

Sharing experiences with younger generations

The concept of mentoring is not new. Traditional mentoring programs typically involve one-on-one sessions. But Wolfman says he had an epiphany for a new type of program the committee should launch: group mentoring.

Introduced last year, the group sessions involve life members meeting with high school students, college students, and young professionals. The members share the ups and downs of their professional and personal lives, lessons learned, and pitfalls to avoid, Wolfman says.

Group sessions have been held in Ottawa; San Marcos, Texas; and Tokyo.

“One thing I learned in talking to the participants is that mentoring works both ways,” Wolfman says. “Life members get mentored as well. We learn about what’s going on in today’s world, so it’s a two-way street.”

He is exploring expanding the mentoring program to other IEEE groups, including Women in Engineering and Young Professionals, so participants can get different perspectives.

Affinity group activities

There are more than 190 life member affinity groups in 66 countries. The Africa Council formed one of the newest. Its members come from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Zambia, and three other countries.

Several affinity groups were reactivated after several years of inactivity, including the Dallas group last year.

The groups hold different types of activities. Last year the IEEE Benelux group visited the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, Netherlands. The members also toured medical equipment company Cochlear’s manufacturing plant in Mechelen, Belgium. In Colorado, the IEEE Denver and Pikes Peak groups visited the U.S. General Services Administration’s Skaggs Research Center, in Boulder.

Affinity groups also organize educational sessions on cybersecurity, electrical safety, spintronics, and similar subjects.

Supporters of 15 programs

Life members are generous. Last year they gave more than US $1.7 million to IEEE’s philanthropic programs, according to the IEEE Foundation. Life members account for 65 percent of the total donations given by individuals to the more than 215 IEEE Foundation accounts.

The IEEE Life Members Fund supports more than 15 programs including awards, conferences, educational outreach, fellowships, and humanitarian projects.

The fund, for example, supports EPICS in IEEE projects around the world. Last year, more than 12,800 students and some 1,600 volunteers participated in the service-learning program in their community.

Another program that receives funding is IEEE MOVE (Mobile Outreach using Volunteer Engagement). In the United States, three MOVE vehicles provide communities with power and communications capabilities in areas affected by widespread outages due to natural disasters. In the past year they have been deployed to assist survivors of floods in Kentucky, hurricanes in Florida, and wildfires in California.

MOVE India conducted several programs last year, including disaster-awareness sessions, STEM workshops, and volunteer training. MOVE India donated solar lanterns and mobile chargers to survivors of the Wayanad landslides who were without power.

“Life members have the opportunity to share the wisdom they’ve gained through their membership as well as careers in industry or academia,” Wolfman says. “We receive the satisfaction of knowing that we are giving back to the next generation of innovators, IEEE in general, and society.”