MSOE’s chapter of IEEE—The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers—hosted this year’s Region Four Nexus Conference in November in Diercks Hall. The event brought together students from universities in region four which include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

At the Nexus, students gathered to hear from a variety of industry professionals and network with their peers from throughout the Midwest. Speakers included IEEE members from industry as well as members of the MSOE community including:

• Eric Waydick ’03, ’16
• Dr. Jeremy Kedziora, associate professor, PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence
• Dr. Donovan Brocker, associate professor
• Dr. Russ Meier, computer engineering professor and program director
• Dr. George Kroeninger, executive director of professional education

Topics ranged from artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, electromagnetic compatibility and coding to post-grad subjects like resume refinement, mock interviews, how to find a job and opportunities in graduate school or research.

MSOE’s IEEE chapter president Nathan Seefeld, a junior electrical engineering major, along with support from IEEE national members and the MSOE IEEE executive board organized the three-day event on campus.

“Hosting the Nexus at MSOE was one of the coolest things I’ve done since coming to MSOE,” said Seefeld. “I’m happy that we were able to showcase all the fantastic opportunities we have as MSOE students and position our IEEE chapter as one of the leaders in the Midwest. Everyone loved seeing ROSIE and we got many compliments on our supercomputer. It was such an awesome opportunity and it was truly an unforgettable experience.”

Another member of MSOE’s IEEE executive board Lily Schellenbach, a sophomore electrical engineering major, also reflected on the experience to act as the host school and attend the conference.

“I enjoyed getting to speak with students from other schools and learning about how other chapters are run,” said Schellenbach. “The conference was a great opportunity for me to expand my personal knowledge on upcoming technology (like AI), as well as for me to learn how to better our own MSOE IEEE chapter.”