New EPICS in IEEE Chair Dr. Pedro Wightman shares his goals and vision for the renowned EPICS in IEEE program in the year(s) ahead
Following EPICS in IEEE’s landmark 15th-anniversary celebration in 2024 and the completion of outgoing EPICS in IEEE Committee Chair Dr. Stephanie Gillespie’s term in December, Pedro Wightman, Ph.D. is excited to carry the torch as the new Committee Chair for EPICS in IEEE, effective January 2025. And according to Dr. Wightman, an IEEE Senior Member and Associate Professor in the School of Engineering, Science and Technology at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia, he can’t wait to get started.
In the following interview, Dr. Wightman shares his vision and hopes for EPICS in IEEE, some of the challenges and opportunities he expects the program will see in the future, and the aspects of the unique global initiative he loves the most.
What’s your background and connection to EPICS in IEEE?
Dr. Wightman: I earned my BS in Systems Engineering at the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, and then my Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 2010. I’ve been a professor for nearly 15 years, first at the Universidad del Norte for 11 years and currently at the Universidad del Rosario for the past 3.5 years.
I’ve been an IEEE member since 2004, but I wasn’t an active volunteer until 2016-2017, when a colleague, now my wife, who’s also an IEEE Member, encouraged me to apply for the role of Chair of IEEE’s Colombian/Caribbean Subsection. At that time, I realized that so much of the value of IEEE membership is in contributing and having an impact on people and communities. After first learning about EPICS in IEEE in 2018, another faculty member and I proposed a project and successfully received funding. Even though the project was impacted by the pandemic, the experience was very positive for the students involved and I was able to grasp the potential impact of this initiative. I joined the EPICS in IEEE Committee in 2023 and enjoyed the experience very much; I then served two full years as a committee member before being appointed to the role of Committee Chair for 2025.
What’s your vision and plan for EPICS in IEEE in 2025 and beyond?
Dr. Wightman: Our previous Committee Chair, Dr. Stephanie Gillespie, was a great leader who worked hard to strengthen the program, find more support, and help it grow, and I hope to keep that momentum going by continuing to engage greater participation from IEEE Societies and expanding overall support for the program. Some of the ideas I plan to discuss with our Committee include recognizing academic institutions or groups that have consistently driven high-quality EPICS in IEEE projects in the last few years in order to both acknowledge the outstanding efforts of their students and faculty and motivate them to keep thinking, creating, and generating more projects. I’d also love to see student groups pursuing EPICS at Purdue’s multi-year project model, which engages ongoing teams of students in addressing a problem (because many community problems can’t be solved in one year) and helps forge deeper relationships with the community.
What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for EPICS in IEEE?
Dr. Wightman: Because this program relies entirely on contributions from donors and support by IEEE Technical Societies, the program’s growth is limited by financial contributions. In partnership with the IEEE Foundation, we will continue introducing EPICS in IEEE to those looking to support the next generation of engineers through humanitarian projects. We will also continue to partner with IEEE Societies and encourage them to use their affiliation with EPICS in IEEE to promote their society and their specific discipline to new generations of students. Our Partners take advantage of the very well-defined EPICS in IEEE program to manage calls for proposals, budgets, team communications, etc. Any support or partnership from the IEEE Societies is welcomed and appreciated.
In terms of bright spots for the program, we see great opportunities for industry to play a bigger role in EPICS in IEEE projects. Currently, we have many committee members, mentors, and project reviewers who come from industry and offer valuable insights that help us identify strong proposals and guide project teams to completion. These insights could also help project teams think out of the box and take ownership of the long-term success and viability of their projects rather than just engaging in project activities for the short-term purposes of a class; this might even help students consider an entrepreneurial path that could extend their outstanding tech-based solutions to even more communities in need.
What do you love most about EPICS in IEEE?
Dr. Wightman: EPICS in IEEE teaches students that they need to fully understand a problem and all its complex dimensions and make it their own in order to develop a solution that’s feasible for the community. I love that students get to venture outside the classroom armed with all the knowledge they’ve acquired over the years and learn that engineering isn’t just a focus on equipment/technology but ultimately about solving real problems for actual people; sometimes, classroom lessons lack that humanity aspect. Witnessing their impact on people’s lives changes students, and they learn many other invaluable skills from EPICS projects, such as teamwork, social sensitivity, and how to communicate effectively with people who don’t necessarily understand technology but have a need.
Finally, what’s your hope for EPICS in IEEE and why would you encourage anyone to get involved?
Dr. Wightman: EPICS in IEEE represents a bridge between engineering theory and community need; it brings these two realities together for humanitarian purposes and helps polish an engineering student’s academic experience so that they’re not only technology experts but humans first. Looking ahead, we hope to engage more local resources and industry supporters to continue building on the program’s sustainability, resilience, and financial decentralization. I hope the program continues to grow and strengthen because there’s so much need out there, but also so many young engineers around the world willing to put their energy and knowledge towards improving the well-being of people.
For More Information
For more information on EPICS in IEEE or the opportunity to participate in service-learning projects, visit https://epics.ieee.org/. “EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) in IEEE” is an initiative which provides opportunities for students to work proactively with both engineering professionals, technological innovation, and local organizations/partners to develop solutions that address global community challenges.
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