Join Us for the IEEE Thompson Okanagan Section Life Members Affinity Group Inauguration
This event marks a significant milestone for our IEEE community in the Thompson-Okanagan region, and we look forward to celebrating with you.
IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members Affinity Group Inauguration
Date: Thursday, July 10th, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: HS 101 and in Zoom, Okanagan College
Register here to access Zoom: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/489172.
Agenda:
- The IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members (LM) Affinity Group (LMAG) Introduction (5:00 pm – 5:30 pm)
- S. Carl Zanon, IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Life Members Affinity Group Chair
- Y. Khmelevsky, IEEE Thompson-Okanagan Section (IEEE TOK) Chair
- Student Branch Mentor Proposal – Skills Rubric (http://www.okanagan.ieee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PastedGraphic-1-scaled.jpg)
- Proposal for the IEEE Life Members Committee’s Consideration – John Day, 31 March 2025 (http://www.okanagan.ieee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Proposal-IEEE-Student-Branch-Mentors-conv.pdf)
- Guest Speaker, Wolfram Lunscher, R7 LM Coordinator (5:30 pm – 6:00 pm)
- Introducing the benefits and goals of LMAG formation to the life members of the TOK section.
- Guest Speaker, Ljiljana Trajkovic, Ph.D., P.Eng., FIEEE (6:00 pm – 6:30 pm)
- Mentoring session for IEEE LM, IEEE Student and Graduate Members, Young Professionals and Consultants.
- A coffee break and light supper (6:30 pm – 6:45 pm)
- IEEE TOK Student Branches (Okanagan College, UBC Okanagan and TRU) introduction and mentoring (6:45 pm – 7:15 pm).
- Kristina Cormier, Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch and IEEE Western Region Student Representative
- Dylan Huitema, Secretary of the Okanagan College SB: IEEE Student grants and future grant applications (Cybersecurity, Algorithmic Trading, new applications to NSERC, IEEE Societies, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and other funds) and how they relate to Industry in our region. And how mentorship is essential to success.
- Open Discussion (7:15 pm – 7:30 pm).
This is an excellent opportunity to connect with IEEE members, learn more about IEEE benefits, and participate in discussions about the section’s future.
Bios:
Wolfram Lunscher (https://life.ieee.org/meet-lm-committee-member-wolfram-lunscher/):
Wolfram has been an IEEE member since his engineering undergraduate years in the late 1970s. However, his father was a member before him. So, IEEE has been a part of his life, and he’s been reading Spectrum for almost as long as he can remember. Since his retirement, he has been involved as a volunteer with the Ottawa, Canada section, assisting with local conference organizations, leading STEM Outreach, and serving as a Life Member. Professionally, Wolfram is a retired spacecraft instrumentation engineer with a B.Sc. in physics (’74) from the University of Toronto and a B.A.Sc (’80) and M.A.Sc. (’83) in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia. He first joined the Canadian space industry in 1987, pursuing a diverse range of projects with companies such as Com Dev, EMS Technologies and Canadian Astronautics Ltd. These include data communication hardware flying on the International Space Station, a patented tracking algorithm developed for optical satellite communication that has been adapted to control the James Webb Space Telescope, and a radio science instrument aboard Canada’s CASSIOPE spacecraft.
He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Life Senior Member of the IEEE (currently serving as the Canada-wide coordinator of the IEEE life members), a PMI Project Management Professional, and currently a mentor for the Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation.
S. Carl Zanon:
In November 2019, Carl Zanon joined the Vancouver Section and the Thompson Okanagan Section in 2025 as its new Chair of the Life Member Affinity Groups. Carl graduated from UBC’s Class of 1959 in Engineering. He has an extensive background in electrical engineering, consulting, and senior management. Throughout his career, Carl held positions in five provinces and worked abroad in Massachusetts. His leadership experience makes him well-suited for his new role in the IEEE Vancouver Section.
In 1990, he co-authored a book, “Advancing Production Management with Standard Cost and Operational Analysis. After Carl retired from Western Star Trucks in 2001, he entered the consulting field with the Business Development Bank of Canada. He instructed the Situational Leadership Series at Okanagan College from 2002 to 2016.
He attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953, representing BC (Nelson) in the 12 Sea Cadet Contingent. The young cadets sailed from Halifax on carrier HMCS Magnificent. He enrolled in the UNTD Navy program at UBC and was commissioned in 1958.
Ljiljana Trajkovic:
Ljiljana Trajkovic received the Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of Pristina, Yugoslavia, the M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is currently a professor in the School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Her research interests include communication networks and dynamical systems. Dr. Trajkovic served as IEEE Division X Delegate/Director, President of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, and President of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems. She is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society and was a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. She is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Kristina Cormier:
Kristina Cormier is a fourth-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has always been curious about science and technology. Recently, she has discovered a passion for data analysis and machine learning algorithms. Kristina is the Chair of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She coordinates with her team to help organize events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys mentoring, meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.
Dylan Huitema:
Dylan is a third-year Computer Science student with an enthusiasm for cybersecurity. An active IEEE member, Dylan is passionate about bridging technology and education and is currently working toward developing and researching engaging educational cybersecurity games. His research aims to increase cybersecurity awareness and build critical thinking skills through interactive, immersive learning experiences.
For further information, please get in touch with us
Youry Khmelevsky (email: tok-section [at] ieee.org) and
Subscribe to the news at NEWS-THOMPSONOKANAGAN@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments and a light supper will be provided
During the meeting:
Forteen people participated, five of whom were online (UBCO, TRU, SFU, OC, and guests, as well as IEEE members).
Ajitesh Parihar, Computer Science Department
