Awards

Marconi Award for Outstanding Section Contribution

Established in 2003, this award recognizes outstanding long-term contributions to the IEEE Newfoundland & Labrador Section. The recipient must have made significant contribution to the section over a period of at least 10 years. The award, to be presented to at most one recipient annually at NECEC, includes a plaque for the recipient and recognition on a perpetual plaque displayed in the S. J. Carew building of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The IEEE Scholarships - Term 3 and Term 6

These two scholarships, valued at $1,000 each annually, are supported by a fund established by the members of the Newfoundland and Labrador section of the IEEE. The scholarships are awarded annually to one full-time undergraduate student in each of Terms 3 and 6 of either the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering Programmes at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The recipients must be student members of the IEEE and possess scholarship standing as defined by the University. In addition to the students’ academic achievement, contributions to the IEEE student branch will be considered. The scholarships will be awarded by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Scholarships and Financial Aid upon recommendation of the Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, acting on the advice of the IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section.

IEEE Graduate Scholarship

The IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Graduate Scholarship has been established to recognize Graduate Students at Memorial University that have achieved high academic standing and made contributions to the IEEE. The scholarship will be awarded annually in the Winter semester. The recipient will be awarded a scholarship of $1000 and presented with a certificate. Graduate students must be IEEE members and full-time graduate students at least one year into their program at Memorial University and be of high academic standing. The scholarship can be awarded to students in any field of study if it falls into one of the IEEE fields of interest. Any previous awards or scholarships received from the IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section will not affect eligibility. This scholarship can only be awarded once to a student during their program of study.

IEEE Night Project Awards

These awards, which consist of a certificate and cash prize, are presented at the annual IEEE Night to students in term 8 of the Electrical or Computer Engineering Programme. Three awards are presented to the students who are judged to have given the best overall presentation of their senior project and three to the students who are judged to have given the best overall demonstration of their senior project. These awards are awarded by the executive of the IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section, acting on the advice of a panel of judges from the local electrical and computer engineering community.

The IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section Award

This award, which consists of a certificate and cash prize, is presented at the Spring Convocation to a graduating student in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Electrical Engineering Programme) who has had a consistently good academic record in the professional courses required for the degree and who has made a significant contribution to the Faculty and to the IEEE student branch. It is awarded annually by the Senate Committee on Scholarships on the recommendation of the Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

NECEC Wally Read Best Paper Awards

These two awards, established in 2002 through generous contribution from REMAS Inc., recognize the best papers presented at NECEC that are primarily authored by, respectively, a student or GOLD member of the IEEE. The awards each consist of a certificate and $250.

National and International Awards

The IEEE sponsors many other recognition awards for students, members, and organizations at the national and international level. Information about these awards can be found at the following web pages:

In addition, other organizations and societies in the IEEE have their own awards. Please check their web pages for information.

In Memoriam: Neil P. Riggs, P. Eng. (1948–2023)

Co-Founder of IEEE NL OES Chapter and Former IEEE NL Executive Member, Neil Riggs passes away at 74

The IEEE NL community is grieving the passing of Neil P. Riggs at the age of 74. A pioneering figure in oceanic research and engineering in Newfoundland and Labrador, Neil was part of the beginnings of the Newfoundland Oceans Research and Development Corporation (NORDCO) and an integral part of the development of commercial underwater acoustics projects in Newfoundland.

Neil was a dedicated volunteer of the IEEE NL Section, being one of the two founders of the NL chapter of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, serving multiple times as its chair between 2010 and 2019. Neil was also a member of the executive committee in the IEEE International Oceans 2014 conference, held in St. John’s. He was also a keynote speaker in the 2018 edition of the annual Newfoundland Electrical and Computer Engineering Conference (NECEC).

Funeral arrangements and memorial service details can be found at Carnell’s website. The engineering community is invited to pay their respects and share their memories of Neil P. Riggs, a true pioneer and advocate of innovation in oceanic engineering.

Applications to the 2023 IEEE NL Term 4 Scholarship are now open

Active IEEE student members in term 4 can compete for a one-time $1000 scholarship. Deadline is June 11, 2023.

The Awards committee of the NL Section has released the call for applications to the Term 4 Scholarship for IEEE Student Members. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 11, 2023. For more information on eligibility criteria and application procedures, click here to read the call for applications.

Holy Trinity Student Receives IEEE Award at the 2023 Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair

Honourable mention given to intermediate student at St. Bonaventure's College.

Ryan Cullen, a senior student at the Holy Trinity High School, received the IEEE Award in the 2023 Cenovus Energy Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair. The IEEE Award at the Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair is given to the best senior project in an Electrical and Computer Engineering-related field, selected by a judge for the IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section.

Ryan’s project, entitled “Equilibrium - it goes both ways. Simulating Le Chatelier’s Principle,” is a software for educational use that demonstrates the Le Chatelier’s Principle, written using Rust, Tauri, and SvelteKit.

Congratulations to Ryan, winner of the @ieeenlca Award for the Best Senior Electrical and Computer Engineering project in the 2023 Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair! https://t.co/dFGwlToXzK
— IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador (@ieeenlca) April 4, 2023

In Memoriam: James Paul Thorburn (1946–2022)

Longstanding IEEE NL volunteer and Former Section Chair, Paul Thorburn Passes Away at 76

The IEEE NL Section is deeply saddened to hear the news of passing of Paul Thorburn, at the age of 76. Paul assumed various roles within the IEEE NL section executive over the years, being chair of the IEEE NL Section in 1992 and chair of the Newfoundland Electrical and Computer Engineering Conference (NECEC) in 1995. For his “outstanding and longtime contributions to section and regional activities,” Paul received the J.J. Archambault Eastern Canada Merit Award in 2013.