Life Membership in IEEE is granted in recognition of members who have accomplished a full lifetime of professional service. Membership fees are waived, and a variety of senior-oriented activities and volunteer programs are made available.
Life Members must be at least 65 years old and have at least 35 years of IEEE membership (age plus years of IEEE membership must be at least 100). Of the approximately 3,065 members in the Denver Section in 2017, 465 were Life Members, including 114 Senior Members and 37 Fellows. Denver Life Members represent a huge pool of professional experience. Life Members are typically retired or rapidly approaching retirement. Some of these members have the time and a desire to remain active in the profession. Life Member Affinity Groups (LMAG) provide an IEEE-sanctioned organizational structure to collect and apply this resource.
The Denver LMAG was established in 2017. A petition to form the Group was prepared at the initiative of James Sipes and Owen Herman, and the petition was approved by the Denver Section (Ian MacMillan, Chair). The initial officers were James Sipes, Chair; James Fuller, Vice Chair; and Owen Herman, Secretary/Treasurer.
We are actively exploring ideas for activities that will interest Life Members and produce useful results. We are finding there are good opportunities for LMAG to work with the Engineering Schools in the Denver area. Joint activities can include:
- Speakers for Student Chapter meetings
- Professional Experiences
- Career Development
- Technical Topics
- Mentoring, Tutoring, Other (?)
We have had very good participation in get-acquainted and networking meetings with students and members. Meetings for the general membership are held quarterly and typically feature a speaker with a topic of general interest.