IEEE WIE Past and upcoming events

Arni Dhar

Past Events: 

Meet and Greet event

2020 was a hectic and long year with online working. Staying at home, meeting people virtually, connecting with long distance friends, the year passed. Finally, IEEE WIE conducted a Meet and Greet event on March 12th, where we introduced ourselves to fellow people. The event was all about getting to know each other with a cup of coffee. Everyone who attended the event received a free coffee! 

Thanks to our Chair Ishita and Vice Chair Simona the event went great and all of us enjoyed it!

Panel Discussion on Engineering and IT Career Aspects

Our first panel discussion for this year was on Engineering and IT Career Aspects. Our guest lecturers were Aram Zaerpour and Mohammad Nafis Ul Islam. Aram is a senior software engineer, and spoke about career opportunities in IT-Engineering. Nafis is a recent graduate who completed his degree at the University of Melbourne in the year 2019. Currently, Nafis is working as a Software and Application Engineer at Teleaus.com. He described how he struggled finding a job in Australia. He spoke about his career and his journey from being an international student to getting a PR. The most important point we all learned from them is to work hard in life and it will always give you good deeds. 

Upcoming Events:

Game Night

Boring studies…boring assignments! Let’s start our Easter break with a Game Night! 

We are conducting an online game event on 1st of April at 6:30pm. Our team is going to conduct different online games for the participants. As many of our team members are not in Melbourne, and still so many students are stuck abroad, an online game event will be fun connecting from all over the world. 

Join us on 1st of April! 

 

STEM Industry Mentoring Program

Simona Karevska

Every year the University of Melbourne organises a program to connect engineering, IT and science students with alumni and industry professional mentors. This is a fantastic opportunity for STEM students to connect with and learn from their seniors.

The program is designed to give students the opportunity to get guidance on the journey to employment or further study. Mentors can answer your questions, share their experiences and give you confidence in career decisions and networking. 

I was privileged to be allocated a mentor last year. We spoke about our relevant life experiences and how to find and approach companies. He helped me strengthen my resume and applications for internships. 

It is a very enriching and valuable experience. I encourage everyone to apply and make the most of what could be a life changing encounter. Applications are now open! Head to this website to find out more and apply: https://mentoring.unimelb.edu.au/p/p9/about.  

 

COVID-19 Mental health & study tips

Ishita Akhter

General tips

General tips during COVID-19 would primarily focus on general well-being approaches to maintain mental health well-being. There are several tips, as described below-

Mindfulness- Activities to relieve stress and/or anxiety, as below:

  • Being aware of surroundings and happenings around oneself
  • Practice calming exercises such as yoga
  • Utilise smartphone apps to maintain mindfulness, such as-calm, headspace, breathe etc.

Mental focus- Approaches to take for increasing concentration on tasks that one can perform, such as:

  • Outside strolls or sitting outdoors
  • Notice the beauty of nature outside
  • Having virtual catch-ups
  • Finding a means of entertainment, e.g. virtual games, watching movie/TV etc.

Lifestyle- Maintain proper lifestyle activities, such as:

  • Eat healthy for better nourishment
  • Exercise properly to maintain energy levels
  • Sleep enough to maintain a refreshed health and mind

Realistic approach- Educate oneself properly on the latest and authentic information regarding the COVID-19 situation and vaccination process.

Gratitude- At the end of every day, reflect on the day’s activities and express gratitude for at least three things to be grateful for.

Study tips

Study space- Have a dedicated study space with all the necessary resources, equipment, computer, etc.

Target setting- Set daily targets of studies to be fulfilled and be accountable to achieve that target.

Study plan- Structure your daily studies within a particular form by documenting class resources, assignments, meetings, examinations, works and times.

Study concentration- To improve study focus, minimise distractions by adding soothing music and turning off loud noises from video/audio sources and turning off phone/distracting websites. 

Active learning- This implies study engagement, as indicated by the following tasks:

  • Rewrite notes/resources by paraphrasing in your own words
  • Test learned concepts through question/answer, problem-solving and revising old examinations 
  • Recall learned notes without observing them, by writing, reading internally or out loud

Networking- Keep tabs on fellow students/staff of the university by creating/joining virtual study groups

Rewarding- Keep oneself motivated by rewarding after every milestone reached in studying.

 

Engineering joke of the month

Ishita Akhter