HKN Connection E11: Alumni Experience

The HKN Connection

In the the eleventh episode of the HKN Connection, join us as we speak with Alumni Engagement Committee Chair Dr. Hulya Kirkici and Young Alumni Task Force member Amy Jones about how alumni impact, engage and shape HKN. We will also discuss the future initiatives HKN is developing for alumni as well as how chapters can effectively engage with alumni. Any interested alumni can reconnect with HKN though our reconnect form: https://hkn.ieee.org/ieee-hkn-alumni-reconnect-form/

Bios:

Dr. Hulya Kirkici is Professor and the Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of South Alabama. She received B.S. and M.S. in physics from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey; and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University (currently NYU). Previously, Dr. Kirkici was Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Auburn University (1992-2016), visiting scholar / consultant and Summer Faculty Fellow at the Air Force Research Laboratory – Wright Patterson Air Force Base, (2014-2015), and visiting scientist/engineer at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL (1999-2000). Dr. Kirkici is a well recognized scientific field leader in IEEE, winning the IEEE Eri O. Forester Distinguished Service Award (the highest honor given by the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society, IEEE William G. Dunbar Award, IEEE Sol Scheider Award and is an IEEE Fellow for “contributions to high frequency, high field dielectric breakdown and electrical insulation for space and aerospace power systems”. Dr. Kirkici’s has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles and given plenary and invited talks nationally and internationally in this field. Dr. Kirkici is a member of the IEEE-HKN Bridge Magazine Editorial Board (2020 - present) and a Governor –at-Large of the IEEE-HKN Board, member of IEEE N&A Committee, and Chair of the PSPB N&A (2020, 2021), and have served on the IEEE Access Editorial Board (2014 - 2019). Dr. Kirkici was the IEEE Vice President – Publications (2019); President of IEEE DEIS (2009-2010), Vice President of IEEE Sensors Council (2014-2015), Treasurer/Finance Chair of Publication Services and Products Board (PSPB) and a member of IEEE Finance Committee, among other volunteer services.

Amy Jones graduated from Missouri University of Science & Technology in 2003 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and minors in Business, Mathematics, and Psychology of Leadership. She received her Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 2014 and a certificate in Systems Design and Management from MIT in 2018. Amy currently serves as the Operator Station Systems and Module team supervisor at John Deer, where she has held a number of technical and leadership roles since 2010. Over her career, she has come to hold three patents and one enterprise innovation award for her work for the Excavators Outside production line. In her current position, Amy is responsible for supporting factory production of cabs as well as leading new development of common components and systems for the Construction division. Amy has a driving passion for STEM outreach, which began during her undergraduate education where she completed an honors project on the adaptation of interdisciplinary engineering concepts to elementary science classes. Since then, Amy has dedicated herself to creating opportunities for thousands of students in eastern Iowa. In 2014, Amy was chosedn as IEEE-USA's New Face of Engineering for her professional growth and outstanding efforts to improve public welfare and in 2017 was selected as SAE/AEM's Outstanding Young Engineer.