Day & time: 26 April 9:30 AM Central
Speaker 1: Dr. Farrukh I. Ahmad
Bio: Currently a semi-retired Geophysical Consultant with 44 years of oil; gas exploration and production experience that included working for Gulf, Texaco, Total and Maersk oil companies in many roles. He worked in more than 15 worldwide areas. He received his Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Massachusetts and has published more than 25 publications and major company reports. Dr. Ahmad has been heavily involved in the SEG, GSH, and OTC for years. He was also very active in developing courses for companies, and coaching and mentoring young professionals. On the social activities level, he served in Toastmasters International as a Club and District officer and won several public speaking awards. He participated In India Culture Center, and Pakistan Association, and worked with Youth Committees for years. He was also a co-host of a radio program and host of a community TV program.
Dr Ahmad is retired but still engaged in consulting activities and teaching technical courses.
Title: Will They Listen to Me?-Speaking More Effectively
Abstract: This presentation focuses on how a message can be presented to the audience that grabs their attention, keeps them involved, and what they can learn to be effective presenters. It starts with overcoming the nervousness, assessing what the audience expects, and tailoring the presentation to make it attractive. It deals with tips and points that make the audience feel inclusive, and they may feel that they are learning and teaching both. In addition to general ways of creating a good presentation, it adds many tips that can make it spiced up and hence make the presenter an outstanding speaker.
Speaker 2: Sabia Abidi
Bio: Sabia Abidi is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the bioengineering department at Rice University and has taught courses in Systems Physiology, Troubleshooting of Clinical Lab Equipment, and Senior Design. Abidi has a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the
University of Texas, Austin. Her investigations utilized in vitro 3-D polymer scaffolds and notch ligand functionalized microbeads to scale up the production of T cells for therapeutic use. Abidi also completed postdoctoral research at NYU School of Medicine utilizing microbiological techniques for malaria research to characterize a unique Plasmodium phenotype – a triggering of parasite death at high densities. Before her appointment at Rice, Abidi worked as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT where she researched using microfluidics for the diagnosis and treatment of red blood cell-related diseases. Abidi has 10 journal publications and 3 patent applications and has been awarded funding from NASA, Brown Foundation, and Kern Family Foundation to pursue teaching-based initiatives. She is committed to mentorship and STEM outreach through the IEEE WIE, Big Brother/Big Sister, serving as a judge for Rice-related and Future City competitions.”
She is currently the Women in Engineering (WIE) chapter chair, Vice Chair of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMBS) chapter, and vice chair of the Biometric Council chapter of the Galveston Bay Section. She is the recipient of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University.
Title: Time Management
Abstract: The presentation will focus on the time management process and how it affects our professional productivity.
What is one thing we never have enough of? Time! In this talk, the speaker will review some commonfail-proof strategies to manage your time and be more productive. We will discuss strategies focused on time blocking, prioritization, goal setting, the importance of the environment, and assessment and reflection.
Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/479948
