Filipe Tôrres is an Electronic Engineer with a master’s degree. He has worked in the public sector, has had his own company and currently doing a PhD focused on Biomedical Engineering.
We asked him more about his IEEE experience and this is what he said.
???????? How and when did you start volunteering for IEEE?
In 2013 a friend introduced IEEE to me. In that time, I was doing my internship at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and we decided to start an IEEE Power & Energy Society (IEE PES) student chapter. It was a great success because it was the first IEEE PES chapter of the section where we lived. Then, when I returned to Brazil, I started a chapter at my university, University of Brasilia, which was also the first in the section, one of the first in Brazil and now an award-winning chapter.
????♂️ Why do you volunteer for IEEE?
In the beginning, it was just an extracurricular activity. However, it has evolved to a point where IEEE has helped me to network, to help people in my community and to grow professionally. It has actually given me more credibility opening doors for internships and jobs as well as allowing me to develop as a person by pushing me to learn foreign languages and experience other cultures.
???? What have you done as an IEEE volunteer that you’re most proud of?
I am really proud of being a pioneer by starting an IEEE PES Student Chapter in Brazil because we have been able to start and maintain the growth of IEEE PES here. Today there are more than 20 student chapters and it has a tendency to keep growing.
In addition, many of these chapters have achieved worldwide recognition in the IEEE PES area, with our chapter being placed first in the current IEEE PES student ranking. Currently, I am involved in strategizing key functions of IEEE Centro-Norte Brazil and IEEE Council Brazil.
Finally, I have also invested a lot of time and effort growing the IEEE Young Professional Affinity Group, and I am very excited that I had represented the group in international congresses.
???? What advice would you give to new volunteers?
I would advise a volunteer to understand the structure of IEEE, to use the networking opportunities for meeting new people, to apply for leadership positions and to try and grow within the institute by participating in events and contributing to the existing projects with new ideas.
???? Do you have a favorite IEEE story?
Once I became popular at an international conference because of a funny photo that went viral in several IEEE groups. The picture was me holding an IEEE gel alcohol toast fighting the coronavirus. The photo was shared as – #NoMoreCorona #IEEE #AdvacingTechnologyForHumanity
✌️ We also asked Filipe more about himself:
What is your life philosophy?
Keep happy, keep moving, keep learning…
Career-wise, what are your goals for the future?
I have been standing out more in the academic area so I intend to continue teaching and researching.
Which life achievement are you most proud of?
I am proud to be a university lecturer and to be studying a PhD at a public university with only 29 years old. I am also proud to have passed through 28 countries in my life. These are remarkable achievements for me!
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Article created by Jenniffer Zapata Giraldo, Young Professional Vice-Chair Marketing and Outreach