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Richard Sam and Paul Mérisier, two of the co-founders of IEEE Haiti, traveled to Monterrey, Mexico to attend the IEEE Region 9 Meeting from March 11-14th. They were asked to present IEEE Haitis recent accomplishments. This was the first time Haiti was represented at the meeting that includes IEEE organizations from Latin American and Caribbean countries. We didnt know what to expect when we got to the conference. Amazingly, we were welcomed with open arms and there was an emotional response to our arrival. It was the first time the Haitian flag was hung in the room, Richard shared.
IEEE is an international organization that stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Richard and Paul, along with co-founder Michele Boisrond, first became involved in the organization through their honors society as undergraduate students at CCNY. Soon, they began to realize that their native country of Haiti needed an organization that would mobilize engineers to solve challenges from infrastructure to cutting edge technology development. So they brought IEEE to Haiti, motivated, in part, by the Zahn Social Innovation Challenge last year. They wanted to create an organization that would focus on Haitis problems from a STEM perspective.
At the regional meeting, Richard and Paul presented the challenges Haiti faces in regards to energy. Haiti has resources, but we dont know how to use them. They said that the feedback from the presentation was valuable, and many professionals offered advice and services to help them through these challenges. Haiti isnt known for technological advancement. We want to change that. Twenty years from now we hope that IEEE Haiti holds patents in several fields, they said.
IEEE Haiti is growing quickly and its influence in the country is already being felt at the major universities. Building on their success in Haiti, Richard and Paul are now working with professionals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to implement IEEE there.
Like true entrepreneurs, the IEEE Haiti team recognizes that every day offers an opportunity to grow. They are grateful to the CCNY Education and Electronic Engineering Departments, IEEE Region 9, and the Zahn Center for support and guidance.