IEEE Volunteers are dedicated to a variety of engineering outreach initiatives. Specifically, many participate in outreach programs aimed at supporting STEM in pre-university students. Dr. Mousiki Kar was a 2021 IEEE STEM Champion from Region 10 dedicated to teaching and STEM initiatives in India (R10).
“From teaching the native language to her school Principal in her kindergarten days to teaching college students now, her journey has been a pursuit of passion,” was written about Kar in the IEEE Region 10 Connect Newsletter and on her personal profile. “A valedictorian in both her undergraduate and postgraduate classes, she took up her passion as a profession. The joy of beholding the sparkle in a student’s eyes on learning a new concept is what drives her to teach even beyond the walls of her undergraduate classroom. She has reached out to local schools and NGOs to spread her love for STEM and encourage future generations to take science and technology as a career.”
In particular, Kar is fond of a pre-university targeted robotics workshop she once led.
“An autonomous robotics workshop that I had organized for middle school students back in 2019 will always have a special place in my heart,” Kar stated when recently asked about her involvement in STEM programs at the pre-university level. “As I declared the 2-day workshop over, the children adamantly refused to leave and asked for special permission to stay back and introduce advanced features in their newly implemented line follower robot. Instead of being dismayed at their defiance and disobedience, the teacher in me secretly felt proud and happy.
“Personally, I feel alive only when I learn or help others in doing so,” Kar elaborated when asked about the most rewarding part of being engaged in STEM outreach. “Hence, I have taken up my passion as a profession, in the role of an engineering educator. IEEE STEM outreach has enabled me to expand my horizon and go beyond the walls of the college classroom. I reach out to local schools and NGOs to spread my love for STEM. This is indeed a blessing as I can encourage the future generation to take up science and technology as a career. The joy of beholding the sparkle in a student’s eyes on learning a new concept is perhaps the most rewarding part of engaging in STEM outreach. IEEE makes me complete as an educator.”
Dr. Mousiki Kar is an engineering educator and is currently serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology, India. She is the founder and coordinator of the ‘IEEE Electron Devices Society Center of Excellence’ funded by IEEE EDS USA. She has served as the Chair of IEEE Electron Devices Society, Kolkata Chapter and is currently serving as the Chair of IEEE Kolkata Section Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology (SIGHT) Group.
Dr. Mousiki Kar was selected as a 2021 IEEE STEM Ambassador as part of the former IEEE STEM Ambassador Program (now known as the IEEE STEM Champion Program).
Photo courtesy of IEEE Region 10 Connect Newsletter