Published on June 16, 2025

The IEEE Madras SIGHT Summit 2025 was successfully held on 8 February 2025, at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai. The event saw an enthusiastic participation of over 250 attendees representing 30+ IEEE Student Branches across the IEEE Madras Section. This summit provided a valuable platform for young engineers to explore the intersection of technology, humanitarian impact, and public policy.

The event reaffirmed IEEE’s commitment to humanitarian engineering. It equipped young minds to engineer change aligned with public policy and sustainability. A heartfelt thanks to Thiagarajar College of Engineering for being a gracious host and ensuring the smooth coordination of the event. Special appreciation to “Dr. G. Ananthi, Associate Professor, Department of ECE, and The IEEE Student Branch of Thiagarajar College of Engineering “, for their dedicated support in making the summit a seamless and successful experience. We also extend our sincere gratitude to some of the volunteers from the core organizing team whose tireless efforts made this event a grand success: Mr. Abdul Halik M I (Secretary, IEEE Madras Young Professionals), Mr. S. Vinish (Project Coordinator, MAS SIGHT AG), Mr. R. Arunan (Design Coordinator, MAS SIGHT AG), Mr. B. Sibhiraj (Hubs Coordinator, MAS SIGHT AG). Your commitment and teamwork with all other teams were instrumental in bringing the vision of this summit to life.

The IEEE Professional Communication Society supported Mr. Aravindhan Anbazhagan, a Board of Governors member, as a Chief Guest for the summit. During his session, he emphasized the importance of effective communication skills in humanitarian technology, ensuring that innovations reach the communities that need them the most.

Aravindan Anbazhagan, a member of Board of Governors, sharing his invaluable insights on the importance of effective communication in humanitarian technology. He emphasized the approach of “Think Global, Act Local,” encouraging students to align their technical innovations with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while exploring equivalent national and state-level government schemes. The session stood out for its high level of interactivity, as participants engaged in meaningful discussions, posed insightful questions, and explored how they could apply engineering solutions to real-world challenges in their own communities.

A key highlight of his talk was the discussion on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their implementation at a local level. He elaborated on how young engineers can leverage technology to drive social change, aligning their work with both global goals and regional priorities. Additionally, he provided an in-depth overview of Government of India schemes, demonstrating how IEEE volunteers and student branches could align their projects with existing policy frameworks to maximize impact. His insights into central and state-level initiatives helped participants understand the broader ecosystem of technology-driven development.

At the event, participants were provided with some gifts. These custom shells are created for us from the local vendors from Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of India. Aravindhan Anbazhagan, Board of Governors Member, IEEE Professional Communication Society, especially requested that volunteers to curate and ship it to the event to promote local livelihood (SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth, and SDG 10 - Reducing inequalities). We are already promoting sustainability!

The session was highly interactive, with engaging Q&A discussions, where students actively participated and received goodies as a token of appreciation. The audience responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback, recognizing the session’s relevance in bridging technology with real-world challenges.

The participants actively engaged in vibrant Q&A sessions and discussions and were encouraged with curated goodies for their enthusiastic interaction. The response from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, and their high level of involvement contributed to a truly memorable and impactful session.

The event was a resounding success, reinforcing IEEE’s commitment to leveraging engineering expertise for humanitarian advancements.

The Principal of Thiagarajar College of Engineering presents a memento to Mr. Aravindhan, honoring his valuable contributions and presence at the IEEE Madras SIGHT Summit 2024 as a token of appreciation.
The panel of chief guests comprised esteemed IEEE members, each contributing tirelessly to the betterment of society in their respective domains. From left to right: Mr. Aravindhan Anbazhagan, Board of Governors Member, IEEE Professional Communication Society Mr. M. Arun, Chairman, IEEE Madras SIGHT AG Dr. L. Ashok Kumar, Principal, Thiagarajar College of Engineering Mr. Harikrishnan MM, Director, Antano & Harini Evolution Scientists, Co-founder, A&H Trajectory Acceleration Mr. Niranjan Kumar S, Lead, IEEE Madras SIGHT AG, ExCom, IEEE Madras WIE AG Ms. Indhumathi Gunasekaran, Treasurer, IEEE Madras Young Professionals