Industry Track and VTS Panels

Panel 1: VTS Panel –  Embracing Equality: Advancing Women in the Workplace
June 25th, 11:00am – Heliconia Junior Ballroom – 3410 AB

Abstract: This panel discussion brings together a diverse group of women entrepreneurs and professionals from various age groups and backgrounds to explore strategies for creating more equitable and inclusive work environments. The discussion will delve into the key challenges facing women in the workplace, including gender bias and discrimination, and identify effective solutions to address these issues. The panel will also examine the importance of supporting work-life balance, providing equal opportunities for career advancement, and empowering women to take on leadership roles. Furthermore, the discussion will highlight best practices for mentorship and sponsorship, which are critical for fostering a culture of inclusivity and equity.

The panel will cover the following topics:

• Addressing gender bias and discrimination
• Supporting work-life balance for women
• Providing equal opportunities for career advancement
• Empowering women to take on leadership roles
• Implementing best practices for mentorship and sponsorship

By sharing their experiences, insights, and expertise, the panelists will provide actionable advice and inspiration for women of all ages and backgrounds to thrive in their careers and become leaders in their fields. The goal of this panel is to spark a meaningful conversation and inspire change, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture that benefits everyone.

Moderator: Neeli Prasad, CEO & Founder, SmartAvatar B.V., The Netherlands

Panelists:
Sne Prasad Alam, SmartAvatar B.V., The Netherlands
Taimor Abbas, InterDigital Inc., Canada
Joyce Kathleen van Kan, MSc Political Economy, The Netherlands
Lian Zhao, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

 

Panel 2: Beyond Communication Capabilities in 5.5G and 6G
June 26th, 11:00am – Heliconia Junior Ballroom – 3410 AB

Abstract: As the application of 5G becomes widely spread into our daily life, ITU-R has published its Framework Recommendation towards 2030 and beyond, commonly known as the global 6G vision. Six usage scenarios and their associated capabilities are identified, including enhanced communication scenarios and beyond communication scenarios. Together with the vision, cmWave band has also been identified for further investigation, which makes possible of even higher dimension MIMO at both network and user side, bringing multi-fold capacity and spectrum efficiency gain to support immersive communication. Meanwhile, the standardization of 5.5G has been initiated since Release 18 of 3GPP, which is formally called 5G Advanced and will continue its evolution into the following Releases. Along the technology evolution, 5.5G has somehow touched all of the six scenarios defined in the 6G vision. In this panel, we will focus the discussion on the beyond communication aspects that have been studied for 5.5G and 6G such as AI and sensing, including the potential use cases, enabling technologies, and standard progress.

Moderator: Yan Chen, Huawei Technologies, Canada

Panelists:
Takehiro Nakamura, NTT Laboratories, Japan
Zhisheng Niu, Tsinghua University, China
Xianbin Wang, Western University, Canada
Jianmin Lu, Huawei Technologies, China

 

Panel 3: Panel Discussion on “Standards for Advanced Air Mobility”
June 27th, 11:00am – Heliconia Junior Ballroom – 3410 AB

Abstract: Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is becoming a reality now.  As the industry is moving enthusiastically towards bringing air taxis and air ambulances to our neighbourhoods, the federal aviation organizations around the world are working towards establishing the regulations needed for the safety and security of people and infrastructure in the airspace and on the ground.  Innovate28, the AAM implementation plan, released recently by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, calls for a crawl-walk-run approach to introducing AAM services over the next five years [1]. A recent article in IEEE Spectrum lists the challenges involved in bringing AAM services to the communities [2] and highlights need for developing standards. This panel discusses various standardization efforts including IEEE P1920.1, IEEE 1920.2, 3GPP, ASTM, RTCA, and EUROCAE.

[1] Federal Aviation Administration, Advanced Air Mobility Implementation Plan, July 2023, https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis/implementation-plan

[2] Kamesh Namuduri, and Keven Gambold, “3 challenges to solve before we can commute by air taxi,” IEEE Spectrum, July 2023. https://spectrum.ieee.org/evtol-2661135407

 

Moderator:  Qingqing Wu, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Panelists:
Abdellah Chehri, Associate Professor, at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), Kingston, Ontario
Gürkan Gür, senior researcher, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) InIT Information Security Group, Switzerland.
Keven Gambold, CEO, Unmanned Experts, USA
Sastry Kompella, Chief Scientist, Nexcepta Inc, USA,