Saturday mornings on a college campus have come to be synonymous with sleeping in and nursing hangovers. However, at 12 pm on Saturday, September 19, 40 students gathered in Bryan Hall to help save lives across the world and to re-establish their club’s force on campus.

Washington University’s branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) brought these students together to build defibrillator testing kits designed to check the functionality of these vital cardiac tools in developing countries.

Many third-world countries have only one defibrillator per hospital, or less, whereas the United States often has at least one in every operating room and every ambulance. Because of the small number of defibrillators in developing countries, it is crucial to ensure that each one is working effectively. IEEE organized this event to help accomplish this goal. This event also marked the resurgence of the IEEE club at Wash.U.

After a minimal presence on campus for the past several years, IEEE has made its official comeback this semester, thanks to a change in management and a new philosophy.

Senior Jeffrey Feiereisen, Chair of IEEE, said, “I really wanted to make a difference on campus. I want to focus on what each student has to offer and empower them to turn their ideas into realities. I want them to be excited about what we can make possible.”

“Your dreams, our reality” has become the club’s new motto. With all of the participating students contributing program ideas and getting involved in the planning process, so far Feiereisen and his team have turned several dreams into realities.

This October, 12 members of the club will take a trip to a Boeing antenna testing facility, where they will receive a private guided tour of the area and will see a fighter jet being tested. “This is hopefully a sign of similar trips to come,” said junior David Pilla, Vice Chair.

The group is also working on designing and constructing a light-up dance floor. The officers meet at least twice each week to delegate responsibilities and go over their research. The dance floor has been a long-term project among IEEE members for the last four years. However, Feiereisen said, “We really want to take ownership this year and make it our own. We’re building an entirely new floor, instead of just modifying the previous one.” The group anticipates its completion by the end of the academic year.

Feiereisen has also planned a networking dinner available to all Electrical and Systems Engineering students, as well as a President’s Roundtable dinner at the Knight Center. The roundtable dinner is an opportunity for  presidents of select engineering organizations to meet and discuss ways to collaborate with one another. The dinner will be followed by a presentation from the CEO and President of Meryville Technologies.

There is no question that Wash. U.’s branch has gained influence on campus, but it has also become more recognizable throughout St. Louis. A recent IEEE newsletter, distributed to all members in the region, praised the  branch for its efforts: “The Wash. U. students […] are making a comeback, and in the process of rejuvenating the branch.”

At the end of last semester, IEEE had less than ten participating members. Today the club draws between 30-60 people to each of their meetings and communicates regularly with over 300 students through their mailing list.

While Feiereisen has committed a substantial amount of time and energy to reviving IEEE, he finally feels that the club is starting to have a life of its own. Pilla agrees that IEEE has been able to maintain its new momentum thanks to the determination and persistence of the new officers.

But IEEE isn’t all work and no play—in fact, Events Manager, Junior Caroline Fernandez, has the role of ensuring that members are offered just as many fun social outlets as hands-on academic experiences. The club is planning trips to Sky Zone and Demo Ball, as well as group dinners at local restaurants.

One of Feiereisen’s biggest goals is to work in conjunction with as many other student organizations as possible. “I try to go to every lecture, every event on campus, just to see all the kinds of resources and groups there are at Wash. U., then I think about how I can get IEEE involved with them.”

“My goals are dynamically changing every day,” he said. “But we have far exceeded my original goal. I had never anticipated this kind of success, and I never imagined having such a strong team.”

IEEE sophomore Jeremy O’Driscoll said the main message he wants to convey to students is this: “Whatever their ideas are, we will make it happen.” He added, “We’re doing a lot of surprising things already, but I know we’ll do more.”

2 Comments

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  On September 28, 2009 at 4:35 pm Grant Taylor Williams said

  Congrats to IEEE@Wustl! Corinne Pascale and I tried to achieve this level of interest when we were presidents and so we both know how the hard work you all did. Well done.

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  On September 28, 2009 at 10:48 pm Sharon said

  so cool! can’t believe all you’re doing with your club!

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Tags: IEEE, Jeffrey Feiersisen

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