On May 28–29, 2026, the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) Broadening Participation Committee (BPC) brought together students, researchers, academics, industry professionals, and IEEE volunteers in Quito, Ecuador, for the IEEE MTT-S BPC Workshop – Bridging Innovation: MHz to THz Technologies in Latin America.
Hosted at Escuela Politécnica Nacional, the workshop was designed to expand access to IEEE MTT-S opportunities across Latin America while strengthening connections between the region’s emerging microwave engineering community and international MTT-S leadership. The program combined technical talks, mentoring, professional development, student competitions, and networking activities.
The event welcomed 210 registered participants, representing three Latin American countries and nine Ecuadorian higher-education institutions, highlighting the growing interest in RF, microwave, millimeter-wave, and related technologies throughout the region.
International and Regional Leadership
The workshop featured prominent IEEE MTT-S leaders and experts, including Anding Zhu, Goutam Chattopadhyay, Debabani Choudhury, Glauco Fontgalland, José Rayas-Sánchez, Olga Boric-Lubecke, Imran Mahdi, Victor Lubecke, and Mohammad Zarifi.
Regional speakers and representatives included Andrés Navarro from Universidad ICESI in Colombia, Raúl Haro from Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas–ESPE, Fernando Urgiles from Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, and Carlos Peñafiel from Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. Their participation transformed the workshop into a meeting point between international MTT-S leadership and Latin American academic communities.
Students at the Center of the Workshop
A key element of the workshop was the active participation of students through three dedicated competitions:
- Three-Minute Presentation Competition (3MPC)
- Proposal Writing Competition
- Student Poster Competition
These activities allowed participants to develop skills beyond technical knowledge, including research communication, proposal development, scientific writing, presentation skills, and professional networking.
The 3MPC challenged students to communicate complex technical ideas clearly within only three minutes. The Proposal Writing Competition introduced participants to the process of transforming technical ideas into structured projects with clearly defined objectives, methodologies, impact, resources, and beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the Student Poster Competition provided an interactive environment where students could present research, prototypes, and technical concepts directly to international speakers, academics, professionals, and fellow students, receiving feedback while building new professional connections.
Building a Stronger MTT-S Community in Latin America
Beyond the technical program, the workshop helped create new connections between Latin American universities and the global IEEE MTT-S community. It increased awareness of MTT-S programs and opportunities while creating pathways for future members, researchers, authors, mentors, volunteers, technical chapter leaders, and Society contributors.
The Quito workshop demonstrated the talent, enthusiasm, and organizational capacity that exists across Latin America and represented an important step toward a more connected and active microwave engineering community in the region.