Ananya Muralidhar
IEEE
Embarking on various leadership roles within IEEE RITB, I contributed to fostering a diverse and technologically enriched environment. I am proud to have served as an Executive Committee Member, the Women In Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group Chairperson, and the Computer Society Chairperson, where my initiatives were driven by a commitment to technological excellence, social responsibility, and diversity in STEM. (below line in reverse chronology with link)
COMPUTER SOCIETY CHAIR
Duration: August 2021 – July 2022
ESTABLISHED the Computer Society under IEEE Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore.
I served as the student chair during its inaugural year, and focused on cultivating a culture of innovation and technical exploration within the society, securing grants from IEEE Bangalore section to help execute my vision.
Inaugurated on 24th August, 2021
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PRIMARY GOALS
Inclusivity
Growing up in India's tech hub, Bangalore, I witnessed the relevance and importance of technology in our daily lives, with digitization taking over every aspect, it was imperative to pick up new skills which were slowly becoming a necessity in our changing world.
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Being a competent computer science engineer myself, I often found it difficult to approach my seniors or even compatriots for help and aid.
I only wondered the challenge those without a background in it would face.
Hub
Dropbox
Everyone is Welcome
I created a hub that is both inclusive and accessible, inviting individuals from every department regardless of skill level and background to acquire computer science-related skills.
To ensure every member had a voice and ensure they can learn skills relevant to them on a need basis, I created a monthly dropbox where people could provide suggestions about the topics they wanted to learn and what activities they wanted to see conducted by the society.
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Curated events ranging from beginner to advanced level where people of all skill levels and branches were motivated to take part and learn. Often hosted tech events in a fun way to get people interested! some of them included tech treasure hunt, fun quizzes, tech aircrash, tech JAM, etc.
I organized various events ranging from, hackathons, industry trainings, bootcamps and workshops, we also held fun events to attract people and help them see that tech had a fun side too and was not limited to a select few.
Innovation
Having worked on interdisciplinary concepts in my projects at MSRIT, involving the intersection of healthcare and computer science. I kept wishing I knew certain skills to help extend the features of my projects to drive significant change specifically with my work on an automated depression detector and fog-based system for smart healthcare applications.
Having the opportunity to work with my friends from different branches would have made the research process easier and fun and would have allowed me to gain deeper insights into aspects related the requirements and intricacies of healthcare systems.
Collaborative Platform
Interdisciplinary Research
I envisioned a collaborative platform, facilitating easy knowledge transfer and interdisciplinary projects among those with parallel research interests, harnessing the power of 'Technology for Good'.
This made it possible for students from different courses to come together, combine what they know, and work on exciting topics that can make a real difference where each student could complement their peers’ skills and showcase their area of expertise. It allowed everyone to dive into different things they’re interested in, without feeling held back by what they don’t know. To aid them in their endeavours, I held workshops related to writing research papers and the importance of technical documentation in any endeavour, academic or professional.
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This has led to increased participation in research and even the exploration of new areas like Computational Biology, Health Informatics, Robotics.
Growth
The pandemic brought forth a new paradigm for everybody on the planet. As people welcomed the idea of working from home, it led to a lot of them having to stay there at its end as well. For companies to stay afloat, only those who were indispensable were retained due to budget cuts.
To be so, it was imperative to keep up to date with the latest trends in technology, and stay ahead of the curve, to be able to adapt to any situation. Being an upcoming graduate myself, I learnt the importance of building and maintaining connections within industry, which were essential in helping me gain opportunities to grow myself professionally, especially scarce in such challenging time.
Strategic Partnerships
I worked to build partnerships with tech giants like AWS, IBM, and SAP to help introduce specialized industry co-operative programs into the college curriculum. This development not only kept our learning modules relevant and aligned with industry advancements but also enabled my peers to expand their professional networks and stay updated on the latest technological innovations.
Industry Partners
Orientation Session for the Newly-Formed Chapter: Outlining the Society's Vision and Aspirations
Women In Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group Chair
Duration: January 2021 – February 2022
Vision
Devoted to empowering women in STEM, I, as the Chair of Women in Engineering, formulated a strategic vision aimed at fostering representation, inclusion, and advancement of women in engineering fields. My endeavours have been instrumental in creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, ensuring that aspiring women engineers feel encouraged and valued.
Initiatives & Outreach:
Mentoring Sessions & Workshops:
Curated and facilitated mentoring sessions and professional development workshops, serving as a bridge between aspiring women engineers and seasoned professionals in the field. These platforms were crucial for knowledge sharing and professional growth.
Networking Events:
Organized a series of networking events, connecting enthusiastic participants with industry veterans, opening avenues for meaningful dialogues, collaboration, and opportunities in the engineering domain.
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Community Empowerment:
Spearheaded campaigns focused on highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion in engineering, acting as an advocate for gender equality and raising awareness about the significant contributions of women in the field.
Chief coordinator WIE Technodium 2021, a landmark inter-college fest emphasizing the theme “Leveraging Women Leaders for Managing Paradigm Shifts,” fostering awareness and discussions on pivotal societal and technological aspects.
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Collaboration & Partnership: (social good slot?)I further spearheaded a range of events addressing crucial societal issues, conducting multi-day workshops on applying AI and ML to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and arranging seminars on health and hygiene for adolescent girls, in association with MS Ramaiah Hospital.
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With IEEE Advisors, Dr. Annapurna Patil(L) and Dr. Shobha .. (R)
Inspiring Future Generations:
With a passionate commitment to equality and a deep belief in the transformative power of diversity in innovation, my work has been consistently aimed at inspiring and nurturing the upcoming generations of women engineers, shaping an equitable future in engineering.
I further led a Technical Literacy Program, targeting school and junior college students, especially women, to encourage them towards careers in STEM fields.
In addition to overseeing the comprehensive organization of the event, I also assumed the role of a tutor, imparting knowledge on pivotal computer science subjects like Data Structures and Python programming.
Technical Literacy Program
The following is a list of the events I have led in Women In Engineering (excel link basically)
Below are a few of the diverse programs I had the privilege to initiate during my tenure as the Chair of Women in Engineering and the Computer Society. These initiatives were aimed at fostering technical literacy, promoting inclusion, and driving innovation, embodying the commitment to empower and uplift the community through technology and education.
Webinars
Events
Workshops
Executive Committee Member
Duration: February 2020 – December 2020
Introduction & Overview:
During my tenure as an Executive Committee Member at IEEE RITB, I took a significant stride in establishing a foundation of progressive dialogues and transformative leadership. I played a pivotal role in orchestrating the first-ever Webinar Series by IEEE-RIT's WIE Chapter, contributing to the society being distinguished as “IEEE Bangalore-Outstanding Large Chapter/Affinity group 2021.”
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Key Contributions & Impact:
- Pioneering Initiatives:
Conceptualized and successfully pitched IEEE-RIT's inaugural online symposium, focusing on the theme "Women Leading Change." This initiative marked a milestone in promoting inclusive discussions and empowering perspectives within the society.
- Coordination & Leadership:
I was the sole Executive Committee member chosen to coordinate this groundbreaking event, a testament to my commitment and leadership in steering transformative conversations.
Reflection:
The experience as an Executive Committee Member endowed me with a profound understanding of the importance of inclusive dialogues and the impact of collaborative initiatives. It allowed me to hone my leadership and coordination skills and reinforced my resolve to take a more active role in creating platforms that amplify diverse voices in STEM.
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Visuals & Links:
[Insert any relevant images or links related to your initiatives, if available and permissible.]
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WLC and award snippets
WIE TECHNODIUM
Flagship Event of WIE
Women's Day
Largest fest
