¶ Electrical Engineering Students' European Association
|
|
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | EESTEC |
| Established | May 1986 (37 years ago) |
| Type | Pre-professional organization |
| Focus | Students |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Region served | Europe |
| Methods | Congresses, Exchanges, Workshops, Internships |
| Membership | 5000+ |
| Official language | English |
| Key people |
Board of EESTEC:
|
| Website | www.eestec.net |
The Electrical Engineering STudents' European assoCiation (EESTEC) 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. Currently, there are 40+ branches across Europe from 24 countries, although several other locations were active in EESTEC over the years.
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.
EESTEC was founded in 1986 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The official seat moved several times until returning to Delft in 2002. Due to several reasons, the seat moved to Zurich in 2021.
¶ Aim of EESTEC
According to the Statutes of EESTEC, the aim of EESTEC 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:
● Professional workshops on topics in the field of EECS
● Cultural student exchanges
● Publication and distribution of articles on technical subjects
● Other activities directed at achieving the aim
¶ Mission
Fostering growth and community for EECS students in Europe through knowledge sharing, cultural exchange, and collaboration.
¶ Vision
Empowering EECS students in Europe to reach their full potential through a diverse, recognizable and supportive network that values personal growth, professionalism, and collaboration.
¶ Values
- Cultivating community and personal growth: We create a welcoming and safe environment where everyone feels they belong to a community and are committed to continuous personal, academic, and professional development.
- Empowering collaboration: We encourage open communication and collaboration within our network.
- Encouraging travel and cultural discovery: We provide opportunities for traveling and discovering different cultures throughout our network.
- Sharing knowledge: We create a learning environment that inspires the exchange and transfer of knowledge to ensure the development and continuity of our association.
- Delivering quality: We are committed to providing high-quality events and services to both our members and partners.
- Nourishing creativity and engagement: We believe in creating an atmosphere that encourages creativity and engagement, where everyone takes pride in the work we do and the impact we make together.
¶ 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.
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.
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).
¶ 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.
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).
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.
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.
¶ 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
Also in 1995, the NatComs were eliminated, giving each LC (Local Committee) direct representation at the EESTEC activities, and its own levels of engagement.
Alumni relations functions were added to the organization in 1998.
Official collaboration with IEEE began in 2003, when a memorandum of understanding regarding joint international events was signed between the two organizations.
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.