Electrical Engineering Students' European Association

Last updated
Electrical Engineering STudents' European assoCiation
AbbreviationEESTEC
EstablishedMay 1986(37 years ago) (1986-05)
TypePre-professional organization
FocusStudents
Headquarters Delft, The Netherlands
Region served
Europe
MethodsCongresses, Exchanges, Workshops, Internships
Membership
5000+ [1]
Official language
English
Key people
Board of EESTEC: [2]
  • Anastasia Outziola (Chairperson)
  • Maritina Bizoumi (Treasurer)
  • Julia Jaworska (VC External Affairs)
  • Christos Stampoulidis (VC Internal Affairs)
  • Fotis Diamantidis (VC Administrative Affairs)
Website www.eestec.net

The Electrical Engineering STudents' European assoCiation (EESTEC) [note 1] is a nonprofit apolitical and non-governmental student organization for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) students at universities, institutes and schools of technology in Europe awarding an engineering degree. [3] As of March 2020, there were 48 current locations in EESTEC from 24 countries, [1] although several other locations were active in EESTEC over the years.

Contents

As a pre-professional organization, EESTEC puts a strong emphasis on the development of a general skillset, with soft-skill growth added to the mastery of the academic and professional skillset of the field. The organization aims to promote and develop international contacts and the exchange of ideas among EECS students through professional workshops, cultural student exchanges and publications. [3]

EESTEC was founded in 1986 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The official seat moved several times until finally returning in 2002 to Delft, its current location.

History

Pre-EESTEC

Discussions about the need for an international organization for electrical engineering students are dated back to 1958, when students from France and West Germany met in an attempt to form such a group. It was not, however, until five years later that a European association, called EURIELEC, was formed. [4] [5]

Despite the success in its early years, EURIELEC was dissolved in 1972. Various attempts were made over the next twelve years, but no organization was able to form a sustainable structure to reconnect electrical engineering students in Europe. [6]

In 1984, the boards of three Dutch student guilds from ETV (Delft), Thor (Eindhoven) and Scintilla (Enschede), decided to try and reignite the interest of other European student associations in renewing the international student activities. They exchanged ideas with professional organizations such as IEEE, EUREL and SEFI, and in January 1985 wrote the first letter to all former EURIELEC member universities, inviting them to take part in a new international annual conference for electrical engineering students, which they later named EESTIC (Electrical Engineering STudents International Conference). [6]

The early years

The inaugural gathering was held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, between April 27 and May 3, 1986, and was attended by 50 students from 33 different cities in 17 different countries (Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, England, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, West Germany and Yugoslavia).

A meeting during a visit to the Peace Palace in The Hague on the last day of the conference is considered to be the founding of EESTEC. The delegates agreed on a list of 14 clauses, describing the structure and function of the newly formed organization. The official seat was assigned to Ghent, Belgium, and the concept of NatComs (National Committees) was introduced, as a single point of contact for each country. The resolutions included a change of the name to EESTEC (Electrical Engineering STudents European Conference), as with very minor exceptions, the involved countries were European. The first EESTEC newsletter was printed later that year. [6]

The following years saw a growth in the organization, as countries like Greece, Denmark, Bulgaria, Israel, Malta, GDR, Russia, and Romania were accepted and became active. Successful conferences induced a surge in student exchanges and workshops that filled the year with activity.

Some key changes were made to the statutes during the 4th conference in Budapest in 1989. Although the EESTEC acronym was kept, the full name was changed to Electrical Engineering STudents European association to reflect the year-round activities. The annual meeting was also renamed from “Conference” to “Congress”, and the first international board was elected, consisting of a Chairman (Peter Zijlema from The Netherlands) and one Vice-Chairman (Pawel Karlowski from Poland). [7]

The structure of the international board was changed a year later in Zurich, as the second board was elected, with Filip Van Den Bossche from Belgium as chairman, and two vice-chairmen: Sigmar Lampe from West Germany, and Peter Stieger from Austria. [8]

Two new members for the third international board were elected during the following Congress in Vienna in 1991: Zsolt Berend from Hungary as chairman, and Yoed Nehoran from Israel as vice-chairman. Sigmar Lampe was reconfirmed and kept his vice-chairman position from the prior year. Just before the close of the Vienna Congress, the official seat of EESTEC was moved to Budapest, Hungary. [9]

Other noteworthy milestones

EESTEC was officially incorporated in 1995, and the official seat was moved from Budapest to Zurich to facilitate international financial transactions, though it was moved again seven years later from Zurich to Delft, as part of an attempt to obtain financial support from the European Union. [10]

Also in 1995, the NatComs were eliminated, giving each LC (Local Committee) direct representation at the EESTEC activities, and its own levels of engagement. [10]

Alumni relations functions were added to the organization in 1998. [11]

Official collaboration with IEEE began in 2003, when a memorandum of understanding regarding joint international events was signed between the two organizations. [12]

Although the logo prepared for the conference in Nova Gorica, Yugoslavia was adopted as the EESTEC logo back in 1987, it was only recognized as the organization's official logo in 1996. In 2007, the EESTEC logo was recolored and simplified, removing the background grid and centering the S, to make the official logo what it is today. [13]

Hosts of the EESTEC congress

  • 1986: The Netherlands CIC, Eindhoven
  • 1987: Yugoslavia NatCom, Nova Gorica
  • 1988: Portugal NatCom, Lisbon/Aveiro
  • 1989: Hungary NatCom, Budapest
  • 1990: Switzerland NatCom, Zurich
  • 1991: Austria NatCom, Vienna
  • 1992: Spain NatCom, Madrid
  • 1993: Hungary NatCom, Budapest
  • 1994: Germany NatCom, Aachen
  • 1995: Switzerland NatCom, Zurich
  • 1996: LC Aachen
  • 1997: LC Tampere and LC Helsinki
  • 1998: LC Reggio Emilia
  • 1999: LC Ljubljana
  • 2000: LC Delft
  • 2001: LC London
  • 2002: LC Budapest
  • 2003: LC Cosenza
  • 2004: LC Belgrade
  • 2005: LC Madrid
  • 2006: LC Sofia
  • 2007: LC Budapest
  • 2008: LC Ljubljana and LC Rijeka
  • 2009: LC Belgrade and LC Sarajevo
  • 2010: LC Athens
  • 2011: LC Craiova
  • 2012: LC Riga and LC Tallinn
  • 2013: LC Munich
  • 2014: LC Athens
  • 2015: LC Madrid
  • 2016: LC Belgrade
  • 2016: Autumn Congress: LC Belgrade
  • 2017: Spring Congress: LC Ljubljana
  • 2017: Autumn Congress: LC Zagreb
  • 2018: Spring Congress: LC Krakow
  • 2018: Autumn Congress: LC Budapest
  • 2019: Spring Congress: LC Athens
  • 2019: Autumn Congress: LC Aachen, LC Karlsruhe LC Munich and JLC Duisburg
  • 2020: Spring Congress: LC Novi Sad, conducted remotely due to COVID-19
  • 2021: Autumn Congress: LC Munich, conducted remotely due to COVID-19
  • 2021: Spring Congress: LC Krakow, conducted remotely due to COVID-19
  • 2021: Autumn Congress: LC Zurich
  • 2022: Spring Congress: LC Belgrade

EESTEC locations

Europe blank laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tirana
Red pog.svg
Banja Luka
Red pog.svg
Tuzla
Red pog.svg
Sarajevo
Red pog.svg
East Sarajevo
Red pog.svg
Zagreb
Red pog.svg
Tampere
Red pog.svg
Lille
Red pog.svg
Aachen
Red pog.svg
Hamburg
Red pog.svg
Duisburg
Red pog.svg
Munich
Red pog.svg
Karlsruhe
Red pog.svg
Dublin
Red pog.svg
Athens
Red pog.svg
Patras
Red pog.svg
Xanthi
Red pog.svg
Thessaloniki
Red pog.svg
Delft
Red pog.svg
Budapest
Red pog.svg
Cosenza
Red pog.svg
Milan
Red pog.svg
Trieste
Red pog.svg
Skopje
Red pog.svg
Podgorica
Red pog.svg
Gliwice
Red pog.svg
Krakow
Red pog.svg
Aveiro
Red pog.svg
Bucharest
Red pog.svg
Craiova
Red pog.svg
St. Petersburg
Red pog.svg
Belgrade
Red pog.svg
Nis
Red pog.svg
Novi Sad
Red pog.svg
Ljubljana
Red pog.svg
Madrid
Red pog.svg
Zurich
Red pog.svg
Ankara
Red pog.svg
Bursa
Red pog.svg
Eskisehir
Red pog.svg
Istanbul
Red pog.svg
Izmir
Map of EESTEC Local Committees

Aim

The primary aim of EESTEC is to promote and develop international contacts between students and professionals. The exchange of ideas and experience among Electrical Engineering and Computer Science students is made possible through the activities of the association. EESTEC is also promoting international career and job opportunities for students.

Based on Strategic Plan 2018 - 2023, EESTEC's aim is: The aim is to promote and develop international contacts and the exchange of ideas among the students of EECS. The Association shall try to achieve its aim through the following principal activities:

Organizational structure

EESTEC is composed of the following bodies: [14]

General Assembly

The general assembly (GA) is the convergence of all congress participants, with the right to make governing decisions regarding EESTEC. It serves as the supreme decision-making body of the association and convenes at least once during the Congress, where each attending LC is granted one vote.

The Board of the Association

The EESTEC Board takes care of the administration of EESTEC throughout the year and is elected by the GA. There are five positions on the board: Chairperson, Treasurer, Vice-Chairperson for External Affairs, Vice-Chairperson for Internal Affairs, and Vice-Chairperson for Administrative Affairs. The concept of a Board of the Association was first introduced during the annual congress in 1989, with only a chairperson and a vice-chairperson. The composition of the board kept evolving through the years, first adding a second vice-chairperson (1990), then a treasurer (1995), and finally a webmaster (2001), a position which was subsequently transformed into the vice-chairperson for publications & administration (2004). In 2016, based on archetypes of every position, instead of the position of vice-chairperson for publications & administration, the position of Vice-Chairperson of Administrative Affairs is introduced. [11]

Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board (SB) is an independent advisory committee responsible for overseeing the work and financial actions taken by the Board. The Supervisory Board reports its observations to the Congress general assembly. The term Supervisory Board was introduced during the Autumn Congress in Essen in 2019. The previous term was Oversight Committee.

International Bureau

The international bureau (IB) serves as the record keeper of EESTEC and is responsible for archiving all the material data of the organization.

Spring and Autumn Congress Organizing Committee

The congress organizing committee (COC) is appointed at the end of the Congress and is tasked to organize the following Congress, including the responsibility to host the attendees, preside over the general meetings, and issue the congress guide and congress report. There are Spring Congress Organizing Committee (SCOC) and Autumn Congress Organizing Committee (ACOC). On each, the next is elected by the GA.

Membership

As a supraorganization, the membership in EESTEC is open to electrical engineering and computer science student groups in universities, institutes, and schools of technology. Most of the groups seeking membership are existing student organizations in such programs, yet in many cases, students form a new group specifically to gain membership in EESTEC. There are three gradual engagement levels in EESTEC: [15]

Activities

Workshops

The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science aspects of EESTEC are expressed through workshops, the most important activity of the association. During a project week, lectures are presented by specialists from the industry and universities. Discussions are also held in small group sessions. Topics for workshops are mainly chosen based on technologies in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, economics or soft-skills. An EESTEC Workshop is a professional event combined with social activities.

Exchanges

During an exchange student can visit another city for a week. During these multilateral meetings the participants gain awareness of the foreign university life, industry and cultural aspects.

Lykeion

Lykeion was an EESTEC online portal, connecting students, companies, and universities directly. Its aim is to give students the opportunity to easily search for internships, jobs, Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. study programs.

Training

EESTEC has its own training system aiming at developing the skills of its members. For this, members are trained in becoming EESTEC Trainers.

ECM (EESTEC Chairpersons' Meeting)

ECM was a meeting where the chairpersons of all LCs, JLCs, and Observers participate in order to share experiences, contribute to the future development of EESTEC, and be coached on how to run a Local Committee. ECM lasts for five days, offering working sessions and discussions about organizing events and cooperation on the international level. The meeting has around 50 participants. The first one happened in 2006 in Istanbul and the last one was held in Sarajevo, in 2015. ECM was succeeded by the Autumn Congress.

Congress

EESTEC has an annual meeting with approximately 110-150 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science students representing their local EESTEC group. It's the most important event in the year. Its main purpose is the discussion of current internal and external affairs, as well as the goals and plans for the upcoming year. An important part of the Congress is the election of the new board and bodies of the organization. Aside from the general meeting, workshops and training sessions are also held. Since 2016, the 1st Autumn Congress was held in Belgrade with an idea to more closely work on the education of members by providing as many working sessions. From 2017, when the first Spring Congress was organized in Ljubljana, Spring Congress was bigger Congress with the main part - the election of the new Board. The Board-in-Office would follow the work of the Board-Elect from Spring until the end of Autumn Congress.

Open Day

Since 2009 an important part of Congress has been the Open Day event. It's a fair where students represent their own city and give information on the Master and Ph.D. study programs at their university. Companies have their own booth with information on jobs, internships, and technology, which they are offering.

See also

Notes

  1. The EESTEC acronym stands for "Electrical Engineering STudents' European assoCiation"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eindhoven University of Technology</span> University in Eindhoven, Netherlands

The Eindhoven University of Technology, abbr. TU/e, is a public technical university in the Netherlands, situated at Eindhoven. In 2020–21, around 14,000 students were enrolled in its BSc and MSc programs and around 1350 students were enrolled in its PhD and PDEng programs. In 2021, the TU/e employed around 3900 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Twente</span> University in The Netherlands

The University of Twente is a public technical university located in Enschede, Netherlands. The university has been placed in the top 170 universities in the world by multiple central ranking tables. In addition, the UT was ranked the best technical university in The Netherlands by Keuzegids Universiteiten, the most significant national university ranking. The UT collaborates with Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and the Wageningen University and Research Centre under the umbrella of 4TU and is also a partner in the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delft University of Technology</span> Dutch university

The Delft University of Technology is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among the top 10 engineering and technology universities in the world. In 2023 it was ranked 2nd in the world in civil engineering, 3rd in the world in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and 3rd in the world in architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RWTH Aachen University</span> Public university in Aachen, Germany

RWTH Aachen University, in German Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, is a German public research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With more than 47,000 students enrolled in 144 study programs, it is the largest technical university in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Belgrade</span> University in Belgrade, Serbia

The University of Belgrade is a public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.

The International Commission for Optics (ICO) was created in 1947 with the objective to contribute, on an international basis, to the progress and dissemination of the science of optics and photonics and their applications. It emphasises the unity of the crossdisciplinary field of optics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budapest University of Technology and Economics</span> University in Hungary

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics, official abbreviation BME, is a public research university located in Budapest, Hungary. It is the most significant university of technology in the country and is considered the world's oldest institute of technology which has university rank and structure. It was founded in 1782.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience</span>

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience commonly referred to as IAESTE is an international organization exchanging students for technical work experience abroad. Students gain relevant technical training lasting from 4 weeks to 52 weeks. IAESTE includes committees representing more than 80 countries, with the potential of accepting new countries into the organization every year. At the general conference 2005 held in Cartagena, Colombia, the statute and by-laws of IAESTE a.s.b.l. were established, making IAESTE a registered "associacion sans but lucratif", with the centre in Luxembourg. The current President is Thomas Faltner from Austria. IAESTE's motto is "Work, Experience, Discover". IAESTE's aims are to connect students with employers in foreign countries, provide university students with technical experience and culturally enrich students and their host communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Centre for Democratic Transition</span>

The International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 based in Budapest, Hungary which collects the experiences of recent democratic transitions and shares them with those who are determined to follow that same path.

The European Society for Engineering Education an organisation for engineering education in Europe. Commonly known as SEFI, an acronym for its French name, Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs, it is also known in German as the Europäische Gesellschaft für Ingenieur-Ausbildung. SEFI was founded in Brussels in 1973 and has more than 300 members in 40 countries. It promotes information exchange about current developments in the field of engineering education, between teachers, researchers and students in the various European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Dietz</span> Dutch computer scientist

Jean Leonardus Gerardus (Jan) Dietz is a Dutch Information Systems researcher, Professor Emeritus of Information Systems Design at the Delft University of Technology, known for the development of the Design & Engineering Methodology for Organisations. and his work on Enterprise Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Tournament for Dancing Students</span>

The European Tournament for Dancing Students or ETDS is a recurring tournament for ballroom and Latin-American dancing for students from Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Pharmaceutical Students' Association</span>

The European Pharmaceutical Students' Association (EPSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental, non-political and non-religious umbrella association of 41 Pharmaceutical Students' Associations from 35 countries, representing over 100.000 pharmaceutical students across Europe. Its main objective is 'to develop the interests and opinions of European pharmaceutical students and to encourage contact and collaboration between them'. EPSA's motto '"Bringing Pharmacy, Knowledge and Students Together" reflects its will to promote the ideas and opinions of all European pharmaceutical students in order to improve the Education, the Pharmaceutical Profession and the Scientific Advances regarding Pharmacy. EPSA has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in PGEU's offices. The Vice President of European Affairs works permanently there, collaborating with the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union in the promotion of the role of the pharmacist as the key actor in public health. Before being settled in Brussels, EPSA had its headquarters in Leiden, The Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Federation for Structural Concrete</span>

The Fédération internationale du béton – International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib) is a not-for-profit association committed to advancing the technical, economic, aesthetic and environmental performances of concrete structures worldwide. The organization depends on the voluntary contributions of international experts to achieve its mission and plays a role in stimulating research and promoting the use and development of concrete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czech Technical University in Prague</span> University in Czechia

Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical university in Europe.

4TU is the federation of the four Dutch universities of technology :

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivaint Conference of Belgium</span> Organization

The Royal Olivaint Conference of Belgium NPO is a Belgian independent, multilingual leadership organisation and debating union for students founded in 1954. It is the only student organisation in Belgium operating in both official languages. The slogan of the association is 'Teaching governance today, growing leaders for tomorrow'. Its aim is to educate its members for public life. Its focus is on training in public speaking, debating, writing and leading conferences with top politicians, academics and business executives. The Olivaint Conference of Belgium was founded on the model of the Conférence Olivaint in France. Candidate members must submit a written application and undergo an interview by the Conference's board of directors. The Conference limit its membership to 50 persons per academic term. Membership is limited to two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National University of Public Service</span> College in Budapest, Hungary

The University of Public Service is a higher educational institution in Budapest, Hungary. Established in 2012, it is one of the youngest universities in Central and Eastern Europe; however, its faculties as former independent colleges look back much earlier.

EURIELEC was a nonprofit pre-professional apolitical association for electrical engineering students that operated in Europe from 1964 to 1972. It incorporated member organizations from 13 European countries.

The European Association of Aerospace Students (EUROAVIA) is a European-based students' initiative and its main fields of activity are aerospace, engineering and the adjacent fields. EUROAVIA was founded in 1959 and is governed by Dutch law. At this moment, the association comprises 42 Local Groups in 18 countries from all over Europe, counting over 2000 members in total.

References

  1. 1 2 "Homepage - About Us". EESTEC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  2. "EESTEC International Board". EESTEC. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Statutes of EESTEC" (PDF). EESTEC. September 11, 2002.
  4. Wittebrood, Kees (May 1966). "EURIELEC". ETV Yearbook. Electrotechnische Vereeniging, Delft.
  5. "Organizational Matters". Report of the Fifth Congress of EURIELEC. Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven. July 1969.
  6. 1 2 3 "Conference Report". EESTIC Report 1986. Eindhoven, The Netherlands: e.t.s.v. Thor. May 1986.
  7. "Conference Report". EESTEC Report 1989. Budapest, Hungary: EESTEC Hungarian NatCom. April 1989.
  8. "Conference Report". EESTEC Report 1990. Zurich, Switzerland: EESTEC Swiss NatCom. April 1990.
  9. "The Vienna Congress". EESTEC Newsletter. Vol. 4, no. 1. Aachen, Germany: EESTEC NatCom Germany. May 1991.
  10. 1 2 Suter, Olivier (May 1995). "The New Face of EESTEC". EESTEC Newsletter. EESTEC.
  11. 1 2 "Short History of EESTEC". EESTEC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  12. "Conference Report". EESTEC Report 2003. Cosenza, Italy: EESTEC LC Cosenza. April 2003.
  13. "Conference Report". EESTEC Report 2007. Budapest, Hungary: EESTEC LC Budapest. April 2007.
  14. "EESTEC Rules of Procedure" (PDF). EESTEC. November 21, 2015. pp. 9–15.
  15. "EESTEC Rules of Procedure" (PDF). EESTEC. November 21, 2015. pp. 5–8.