Ramakrishna Garine

What advice would you give to young technologists on how to get the most out of the IEEE membership experience?

My advice centers on three principles: engage actively, contribute meaningfully and build across boundaries. First, don’t treat IEEE as just a credential, treat it as a community. Join the committees and working groups that align with your interests. Second, volunteer for roles that stretch you. I started as a paper reviewer which taught me how to evaluate research critically. That led to becoming a Technical Committee Chair for IEEE conferences, then a Senior Member Evaluator. Now as Vice Chair of the IEEE Central Illinois Section, I’m helping shape regional programming. Third, leverage IEEE’s advocacy platforms. Young technologists should understand that IEEE gives you a voice in policy conversations that shape our industry. Finally, publish and present your work through IEEE channels. The credibility IEEE provides accelerates your professional reputation in ways that are hard to replicate elsewhere.

What intrigues you right now?

What intrigues me most right now is agentic AI and its application to supply chain decision-making. We’re moving beyond AI that provides recommendations to AI that can autonomously execute multi-step problem-solving under uncertainty. The implications for real-time supply chain orchestration are profound. Imagine systems that can not only predict a port congestion event but automatically reroute shipments, adjust inventory buffers and communicate with suppliers without human intervention.