IEEE WIE Affinity Group of Sri Lanka - Executive Committee Meeting 8
October 11, 2025 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM @ Online event
Description
Commencement of the meeting The eighth Executive Committee Meeting of the IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group of Sri Lanka for 2025 commenced at 9.15 PM. Preliminaries and Announcements by Chair Dr. Prabhani Liyanage, Chair of the IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group of Sri Lanka, welcomed the attendees, and opened the meeting by announcing that the Affinity Group had received the IEEE Region 10 Women in Engineering Affinity Group Award. Confirmation of Minutes of the Previous Meeting The minutes of the sixth and seventh Executive Committee Meetings for 2025 were circulated by the Secretary, Ms. Hiruni, prior to the meeting. - The minutes of the sixth meeting were proposed by Ms. Abarnah and seconded by Dr. Nirthika. - The minutes of the seventh meeting were proposed by Dr. Charithri and seconded by Dr. Prabhani. Project Updates STEM Project Funding The Committee discussed Prof. Maheshi’s request for LKR 15,000 for a STEM initiative already conducted. It was agreed that up to LKR 10,000 may be supported under the WiSTEM project using the WIE budget, instead of the IFS fund, to avoid any publicity requirements. A post-event flyer may be shared to acknowledge the collaboration. Code with WIE Ms. Abarnah confirmed discussions with IIT regarding hosting 75–80 participants at the university, pending confirmation on Monday. Ms. Warunika will check the availability of TRACE Expert City as an alternative venue for the event on the 18th. Judge selection is ongoing; three judges have been contacted and further invitations will be sent. Workshop sessions that were temporarily paused will resume soon. Tech Pulse Ms. Menaka reported that Chani Simms, a co-founder of Meta Defense Labs and CISO executive, agreed to conduct a one-hour session on cybersecurity in late October. The Committee noted the need to improve social media coordination and ensure all materials (Teams links, thank-you posts) are shared promptly. WiSTEM Dates for upcoming WiSTEM sessions are to be finalised by Warunika, who will provide updates at the next meeting. Administrative and Membership Matters The Committee discussed the removal of inactive members who have continuously missed meetings without excuse. An email will be sent to the respective members before formally removing them from the Executive Committee and VTools. Ms. Warunika proposed including an attendance policy in the Operations Manual followed by the Affinity Group. Technical Co-Sponsorship The Committee discussed a university symposium requesting technical co-sponsorship from the Affinity Group. Clarification is needed on whether WIE, as a non-technical entity, can provide technical co-sponsorship. Ms. Warunika will look into confirming the proper procedure. Website Updates Ongoing issues persist with WordPress access despite valid credentials. The Committee plans to follow up with Vishmitha on this issue. A fee is due for continued website use. Financial Updates The team reviewed requirements for updating signatories and KYC information. Only basic personal details are required; no financial details or Power of Attorney. Dr. Prabhani will visit the People’s Bank Peradeniya branch for clarification. Brief discussion took place regarding financial reporting requirements. Editorial Activities A write-up deadline for the IEEE Sri Lanka Section newsletter was missed; steps will be taken to assign responsibility moving forward. The Committee agreed to prepare an article for the upcoming submission. Hiruni will coordinate with Gayashani regarding write-ups and gather content from Warushika. The team will also check if the previous article deadline can be extended. AGM and Election Planning Preparations for the AGM were discussed, including the appointment of election officers and formation of a nominations committee. Past chairpersons were suggested as suitable election officers. The AGM is tentatively planned for the third or fourth week of the month, avoiding the previously considered earlier weeks. Any Other Matters The Volunteer Connect session will shift to an online format due to low volunteer turnout. A volunteer appreciation event at AEM will be explored. T-shirt distributions from a previous event were briefly noted. Adjournment of the meeting The meeting was adjourned at 10.19 PM.
Agenda
Commencement of the Meeting Preliminaries and Announcements Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Meeting Project updates VTools Event Reporting Website Updates Editorial Activities Awards, Grants and Sponsorships Discussion about Volunteer Engagement Finance Updates Any Other Matters Meeting Adjournment