SBC is an international event organized by IEEE where more than 400 young engineering students and young professionals from more than 350 universities of Europe, Middle East and Africa meet together to discuss present and future engineering challenges, network and learn more about the IEEE.
The 2012 SBC was one of the most exciting congresses as I was told by the attendees of previous congresses. It was held in the beautiful city of Madrid, and spanned over a period of five days starting from the 25th of July. The five days included a variety of activities, from plenary sessions to technical and non-technical workshops to Gala dinner and city tours.
The primary purpose of the congress is to help engineering students, PhD. students and young professionals gain further insight, enabling exchange of knowledge and skills. The plenary sessions and workshops in the congress will not only put their focus on research and technological developments, but also career issues and the importance of developing the so-called soft skills.
Moreover, attending such congresses can have such a huge impact on students lives and careers, as they get to meet people from different countries and expand the surroundings of their professional and personal networks. It also gives the opportunity to travel to different countries and meet new people, specially from your field of studying. It is truly one of the best benefits of attending such congresses.
As one the UOS IEEE SB Committee members I had the honor to represent my branch in that congress. With the help of different parties including IEEE Region 8, and the University of Sharjah, I got all the help I needed to be in the congress. It was such a wonderful time for me, because it was an opportunity to learn, meet new people, and have fun all in the same time.
The congress was well organized and planned. The first day was all about reception, and then it ended with a lovely welcoming act, where the mayor of the city welcomed all the attendees. In the following morning we all were at the School of Telecommunications of the Technical University of Madrid, where the opening act took place, and for the rest of the day we sat down for some plenary sessions and technical workshops. Later that evening was the Gala Dinner, where everyone was looking fancy and elegant, it was a lovely night with tasty food and exciting announcements.
The third day was a very interesting day. It started with visits to different places, which each person had chosen earlier. There were visits to Barajas Airport, National Institute of Aerospace, European Space Astronomy Center and other research facilities in Madrid. After we got back, lunch was served and then we continued the second part of the technical workshops until six o’clock. Then we went on to prepare for the most exciting night of the congress which was the Multicultural Dinner. It was truly an extraordinary night where all the attendees got to share their country’s food, customs and traditions.
As hard as it was to get up after the multicultural dinner night, on the forth day, we all had to gather up at 8 a.m. and take a trip to a town called San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which is 47 kilometers away from the city of Madrid. There we went to Alfonso XII School part of El Escorial which is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and school. We spent all day there having lots of plenary sessions and non-technical workshops. Three hours before dinner we had the chance to play the game “Gymkhana” - a treasure hunt game which took place all over town. For dinner we had the delicious paella which is rice with either meat, seafood or vegetables. By mid night we all took the buses back to madrid.
Sadly I was not able to attend the closing ceremony in the fifth day, as I had to fly back home that day in the early morning. It was such a wonderful time to spend there in Madrid with the company of amazing people from different countries from all over the world. I was so honored to be there, and I will definitely try my best to participate in the next one, but only that time am confidence that the UOS IEEE SB will have more attendees than before and will be recognized for the work they are doing and will continue to do along the years.
Finally I would like to give another words of thanks for all those who made everything easy and simple for me, from our branch counselor Prof. Ahmed El Wakil and our department secretary Mrs. Ghada Al Tayeb to all the people who were involved from the financial department, and finally my colleagues and fellow committee members who preferred to give me the chance to have this wonderful experience.
