IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)
Technology for the Benefit of Humanity // Colorado Schools of Mines, USA / October 22-25, 2025

Welcome Reception and Special Sessions 2019

Index: Welcome Reception / Special Sessions: IEEE Sustainable Development Activities / Sunday Unconference Sessions / IEEE Smart Village / Networking Opportunities

Young Professionals & Welcome Reception and Poster Awards

7:00-9:00 PM, Thursday, October 17

Room: Northwest Ballroom

TICKETS REQUIRED

 

Agenda:

Cash bar & Taco Station
GHTC Student Poster Competition Awards
Speaker: Carrie Smith, Physio-Control

Speaker Biography:

Carrie Ann Smith is an Electrical Design Engineer at Physio-Control (now part of Stryker). She works to enhance state-of-the-art medical technology. She completed her undergraduate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in computer science (Magna Cum Laude) from Seattle University, where she served as the chair for Tau Beta Pi the engineering honor society, president and charter member of IEEE HKN honor society, and chair of IEEE.

She served as an Electrical/Computer Engineering advisor for a University of Washington mechanical engineering senior design team to help develop a novel insulin-delivery pump for patients with low acuity, while in her senior year. She has volunteered with KiloWatts for Humanity to help fight energy poverty in rural villages for two years.

Recently she traveled to the Chalokwa and Munyama villages in Zambia, Africa to implement an updated data acquisition system she helped build over the previous year, which provides remote access and monitoring of the power system. She has participated in key research at the University of Arizona centered around autonomous ground vehicles and cognitive radio, where she investigated the implications of millimeter wave high-frequencies particular to automotive radar.

She is currently volunteering on the committee of IEEE YP, pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at Seattle University, and finishing her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-ann-smith-95240899/

 

Special Sessions

Contributing to IEEE Sustainable Development Activities Around the World

Participatory Workshop (Friday 10:30 – 12:00)

Room: Cascade 7&8

This workshop is an opportunity to learn more about opportunities to contribute to Sustainable Development Activities around the world as an IEEE Member.

Prof. Paul Cunningham, Past Chair, IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee will moderate a participatory workshop, providing an opportunity for conference delegates to learn more about and share insight into volunteer opportunities at home and abroad as well as share challenges, success stories and practical insights based on personal experience. If you would like to contribute experiences or suggest topics for discussion, please contact pcunningham@ieee.org

 

SU-PW1/PW2: Unconference Sessions

Sunday 08:30 – Noon

Room: Cascade 9

On Sunday morning, conference delegates will enjoy the opportunity to suggest topics for discussion with colleagues and peers from around the world related to Sustainable Development.

Complementing the Plenary Panels and paper sessions in this year’s program, Unconference Sessions facilitate participant-driven discussion, whether sharing expertise and experiences, answering questions as a subject matter expert or having the opportunity to ask questions of a subject matter expert or experienced practitioner or researcher.

A notice board beside registration will allow conference delegates to propose topics for discussion from Thursday evening until Saturday evening. Conference delegates can confirm if they would like to contribute. Depending on the level of interest, more than one discussion may be scheduled simultaneously, or alternatively specific time slots will be assigned to the most popular topics.

Outputs from these Unconference Sessions will inform Program Design and the Call for Papers for the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of GHTC in 2020.

 
IEEE Smart Village

How to get engaged with IEEE Smart Village (ISV) as a volunteer, ambassador or entrepreneur

Sunday 08:30 – Noon

Room: Cascade 1&2

Moderator: Robin Podmore, Co-Founder IEEE Smart Village

Members of the IEEE Smart Village Steering committee will provide guidance on:

(1) How to volunteer on one of the ISV Committees: Technology, Education, Fund Development, Marketing, Operations
(2) The role of ISV Ambassadors and the application process
(3) How to write a proposal and receive funding as an ISV Entrepreneur

The format will be a workshop with some presentations.

 

Networking Opportunities

Lunches and Social Events (Friday & Saturday Lunches and Saturday Evening)

A number of tables will be dedicated to networking during lunch and social events. Important thematic areas such as Agriculture, Energy, Health and Education will have specific tables dedicated to facilitate knowledge sharing and relationship building.

If there are specific topics for which you would like to propose a networking table, please contact pcuningham@ieee.org, cc to e.perkins@ieee.org