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This event presented a perfect opportunity to promote VTS in the highly active and dynamic Tunisian community, and conduct a series of membership development activities, organized with the invaluable support of the IEEE Tunisia Section, its Chair Prof. Habib Kammoun, Tunisian colleagues and IEEE Student Branches in various institutions.
The trip started on 7 March with a visit to the ENSIT engineering school hosted by Prof. Hassene SEDDIK and the ENSIT IEEE student branch. After meeting with the School’s Director, we attended a seminar organized by ENSIT’s IEEE student branch.
In the seminar, I had the chance to present IEEE and VTS to 100+ students, and give a technical talk (5G and Beyond: from Infrastructure-Centric to Device-Centric Wireless Networks) to introduce 5G technology to ENSIT students.
VTS is heavily involved with the development of 5G through its publications, conferences and educational activities. We are one of the core IEEE societies that participate in the IEEE 5G Initiative. After the seminar, I had the chance to interact and discuss technical topics with ENSIT students and students from other Tunis universities.
Photo courtesy of ENSIT IEEE Student Branch.
The next day, a second seminar was hosted by Prof. Farouk Kamoun and Prof. Soumaya Hamouda at Sesame University). Prof. Kamoun is President of the University and chairs the VTS chapter in Tunisia.
The seminar began with an introduction to IEEE and VTS and the talk ‘How to Write a Quality Technical Paper and Where to Publish within IEEE and VTS’ that was attended by the Sesame community and researchers from other institutions in Tunis.
This is a very popular presentation that provides tips and advice on preparing an IEEE journal paper. As usual, the talk was followed by a dynamic Q&A session. The seminar was followed by the 5G technical seminar.
On 9 March I had the pleasure to participate in the International School on “Toward an Intelligent World,” delivering the talk ‘Heterogeneous V2X Networks for Connected and Automated Vehicles’. The event was organized in Sousse by Sup’Com, and was chaired by Professors Soumaya Hamouda and Sami Tabanne. The School was a great success: well attended by researchers and students from Tunisia, and very well organized by colleagues from Sup’Com.
It was an excellent opportunity to present and discuss research developments and ideas of 5G-related technologies and verticals with the students. The speakers included Dr. Afif Osseiran (Ericsson, Sweden), Prof. Muhammad Imran (University of Glasgow, UK), Prof. Robert Schober (Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany) and Prof. Sunil B.T. Maharaj (University of Pretoria, South Africa).
Speakers and organizers of the International School. Photo courtesy of Mediatron Lab. at Sup’Com.
The final event was Forum ENET'Com Etudiants-Entreprises FEEE 4.0: Global Digital Transformation & Innovation, organized by ENET’Com on 10 March. We got the chance to learn and interact with the vibrant Sfax community and the students at ENET’Com, who organized a superb event that included participation from many companies and local institutions, stands from student organizations (including IEEE) and technical workshops.
The presentation on IEEE and the Vehicular Technology Society reached over 150 participants, and I gave a technical seminar on 5G and connected and automated vehicles. The visit ended with a wonderful meeting with ENET’Com’s IEEE Student Branch at a traditional tea and coffee house.
We shared our experiences with a group of bright and dedicated students that are heavily involved in developing their local communities and professional careers with the support of IEEE. I would like to particularly thank students Abdelmalek Adel and Neji Mkawar for their wonderful support!
Photo courtesy of ENET’Com IEEE Student Branch.
Overall, it was a very rewarding experience and a great occasion to promote IEEE and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. I was impressed with the dynamism, motivation and engagement of the Tunisian community and its students.
This community that has a great deal of potential, and we at IEEE VTS are very proud to support them. We look forward to continuing our work and close interaction with the Tunisian community. | 
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