WBEC is now a 'Student Club of the IEEE'

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has officially designated our club as the Central Pennsylvania Section West Branch High School Student Club of the IEEE.

The IEEE recognizes and supports many student groups, most of which are at the university level. The Central Pennsylvania Section has chosen to recognize and provide assistance to our club because we share a common goal: introducing young adults to the field of engineering.

The effort to establish the West Branch HS Student Club of the IEEE was spearheaded by Mr. Ron Matchock, a former West Branch HS principal, and Mr. Amarjeet Basra, Ron's father-in-law. Amarjeet is a member of the IEEE who also started an engineering club at a high school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Mr. Basra and Mr. Matchock spent many hours drawing up our club charter and submitting it to our regional IEEE section for approval. It is worth noting that Mr. Matchock continued to work on this even after announcing that he would be leaving our school district.

What does IEEE recognition mean for our club?

• Funding for contests - the Central PA IEEE often provides funding in the range of $300 - $500 per event to help defray the costs of engineering competitions held by student groups. If our club were to host some type of competition, the IEEE would consider our request for financial assistance with the event. This money could be used for materials or for prizes.
• Attendance at IEEE events - the Central PA Section of the IEEE has monthly meetings which often feature a guest speaker or a tour of an engineering or manufacturing facility. Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Snyder are now on the IEEE mailing list so that we will learn about these events in a timely fashion. As an IEEE student club, our engineering club is permitted to attend these IEEE events. This could provide students with valuable exposure to engineers and engineering in the central PA region.
• Guest speakers - we can submit requests for guest speakers to the regional and national IEEE organizations. These groups are very concerned about what they perceive to be a growing shortage of engineers in America, and they would be happy to canvas their members to find professional engineers who would be willing to visit West Branch and talk about engineering-related topics.

Many thanks to Mr. Basra and Mr. Matchock for establishing this valuable relationship between our club and the IEEE.

Mr. Amarjeet Basra

Mr. Ron Matchock

Here are some links to other IEEE student chapters in our region:

Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA

Penn State Harrisburg Campus, Harrisburg, PA

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

This story was contributed by Mr. Bob Snyder.