Backgrounder:

IEEE Region 6 is one of the ten geographical regions of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and covers the Western United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and all states in between. It spans a vast area, from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains and includes states like California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and more. Within Region 6, there are 35 Sections and 2 sub-sections, organized into 5 Areas: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southern, and Southwest. The region also has a strong volunteer base and offers various activities, including conferences, workshops, and awards programs, to its members.

IEEE Region 6 Director Joseph Wei (photo below) a very good friend of this author, has requested bi-monthly posting of Region 6 events that might be of interest to IEEE Techblog readers.

Please contact Joseph Wei at [email protected] for volunteer opportunities in IEEE Region 6.

Upcoming Region 6 Events:

Forecasting and Planning for Grid Evolution with LoadSEER: A Spatial Approach to Electric Expansion and Risk | Seattle Section Chapter, Date: 15 July 2025 Event Format: Virtual. Register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/489844

Abstract: As distribution systems grow more complex due to electrification, distributed energy resources (DERs), and climate-driven volatility, utilities need advanced tools to plan effectively at the local level. LoadSEER — Spatial Electric Expansion and Risk — is a powerful spatial analytics platform developed by Integral Analytics to support long-term electric system planning under uncertainty.  This presentation will explore how LoadSEER enables utilities to model localized growth, assess risk, and test investment strategies under a wide range of future scenarios. With capabilities including circuit-level forecasting, geospatial scenario analysis, and integrated risk scoring, LoadSEER helps planners prioritize infrastructure upgrades, integrate DERs, and align with regulatory and decarbonization goals.  The session will include use cases and lessons learned from utilities deploying LoadSEER to improve capital efficiency, system resilience, and planning transparency in rapidly changing environments.

Agentic AI themed 4th International Conference on Applied Data Science (ICADS) 2025 | Santa Clara Valley (SCV) Section,  Date: 17 July 2025 Event Format: Virtual. Register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/487442

Abstract – In this talk, Kamer Ali Yuksel (Head of Agentic AI @ aiXplain) describes how LLM-driven agents are transforming autonomy across research, enterprise, and design. He shows that today’s agents aren’t just “smart autocomplete” but self-directed ideators, experimenters, analysts, and creators. Drawing on his recent publications, he argues that AI agents already deliver end-to-end autonomy: how aiXplain autonomously refine Agentic AI workflows via continuous LLM-driven feedback loops, ideate and implement enterprise Agentic AI use-cases, and derive actionable business insights from enterprise data—producing executive-ready reports without human intervention.

Brew with the Crew: Representation & Impact of Hydrological Conditions of Power System Planning and Operations | Eastern Idaho Section Date: 17 July 2025 Event Format: Virtual. Register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/489811

Abstract: As inverter-based resources grow and synchronous generators retire, the grid loses not only inertia but also essential ancillary services. Hydropower can help fill this gap, but accurate planning requires utilities to understand and model its capabilities. Currently, gaps exist in how hydropower plants are represented—many units lack modeled frequency response or omit governor data, and hydrological constraints are often excluded. This talk highlights efforts to address two key gaps: (a) incorporating hydrological data, and (b) accurately modeling response capabilities in steady-state and dynamic simulations. The impact of these improvements on system planning and reliability will be discussed, with contributions from PNNL and V&R Energy.

Technologies for a Circular Economy Webinar Series | IEEE SusTech and IEEE Future Directions.  This webinar series follows the successful workshop on the same topic at the IEEE SusTech 2025 conference in Santa Ana, CA. Date: 17 July 2025 Event Format: Virtual. Register at https://sustech.ieee.org/circular-economy/webinar-series

IEEE Milestone dedication at the Intel Jones Farm Conference Center |IEEE Region 6 Milestones -Dedication and Unveiling of the IEEE Milestones for the Universal Serial Bus (USB), 1996 on July 30th. Date: 30 July 2025 (12:30pm check-in in the JFCC lobby, main program from 1:30pm – 3pm). Event Format: in-person at 2111 NE 25th Avenue, Hillsboro, Oregon, Building: Jones Farm Conference Center.  Register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/event/register/491146

IEEE at SeattleCon: Digital Preservation and Biomedical Technologies | Seattle Section Date: 13 – 17 August 2025. Event Format: In-person. Register at https://seattlein2025.org/

More IEEE Region 6 events can be found at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/events/search/advanced

IEEE SCV events are listed at https://egrid.ieeesfbac.org/

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IEEE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

IEEE New Initiatives Program:

The New Initiatives Program is designed to support potential new IEEE programs, products, or services that will provide significant benefit to IEEE members, the public, the technical community, and customers, or which could have lasting impact on the IEEE or its business processes. Initiatives must be of strategic importance to IEEE.

Details on specific procedures for the submission are at https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/initiatives

IEEE Future Directions:

The IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC) seeks to identify, develop, and promote projects that are value-added for IEEE and its members, bringing together multiple Societies and Councils to provide broad and deep perspectives on a particular topic, application, or technology. These projects range from short term activities to reach a specific goal to Future Directions Initiatives seeking longer-term cross-collaborative engagement among industry, academia, and government striving to develop and deploy
various future technologies.

Details information can be found at https://cmte.ieee.org/futuredirections/projects/

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Again, please contact Joseph Wei at [email protected] for volunteer opportunities in IEEE Region 6.

References:

IEEE SCV March 28th Event: A Conversation with IEEE President and IEEE Region 6 Director Elect

IEEE President’s Priorities and Strategic Direction for 2024

IEEE President Elect: IEEE Overview, 2024 Priorities and Strategic Plan