What is a Student Professional Awareness Venture (S-PAVe)?

Engineers must be proficient, professionally astute, and clearly aware of their responsibility to society. Student Professional Awareness Ventures (S-PAVes, pronounced "ess-paves") are projects or activities conceived, planned and implemented by IEEE Student Branches to develop an awareness of engineering professionalism. 

The Venture should address these S-PAVe goals: 

• develop activities or materials that would enhance Student Member awareness or professional concerns
• strive to increase IEEE Student Membership with focus on Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors
• provide new services for the Student Branch Membership 
• enable Student Branches to gain experience in project planning and organization.

IEEE provides financial support for S-PAVes (S-PAVE Funds) and organizational assistance through its volunteers and staff. 

The Venture may be anything except a duplication of the Student Professional Awareness Conference (S-PAC) program. It may be an activity that spans days, weeks, or months, but generally should not exceed one school semester. Some example ventures are: making a video tape depicting ethical dilemmas; developing an in-house training program for learning how to run a meeting; a resume evaluation service; creating a computer package that gives basic ideas for setting up your own company. 

Who Organizes and Participates in S-PAVes?

S-PAVes are completely organized by IEEE Student Branches. Running an S-PAVe allows students to gain valuable management experience and self-confidence. The initial suggestion for an S-PAVe may come from the students themselves or from other IEEE members; e.g. a school professor or a Section representative. IEEE volunteers can provide advice and encouragement. 

Electrical engineering students are the primary participants in S-PAVes, although students in other engineering disciplines or societies may be invited. Also, it may be appropriate to involve non-engineering students. Multiple 

Student Branches can collaborate to run an S-PAVe. 

One of the benefits of an S-PAVe comes from the actual planning of the event.  The value gained is in creating the major elements of the project:  the event format, the proposal, the budget, the milestones, the timeline, the event response forms, and the final event summary and expense report. 

Professional Awareness Topics for S-PAVes.
Six categories represent the professional awareness issues of concern to IEEE Student Members: 

Career Growth
Professional registration and certification, continuing education (including post-graduate degrees), changes in job responsibility (e.g., technical to management), intellectual property rights (trade secrets, patents, copyrights), oral and written communication methods, and other career maintenance and development issues. 

Working
The realities of getting a job and being successful in the working environment, including job hunting, resume-writing and job interview skills, creating one's own company, consulting careers, role models and mentors, and office climate and working conditions. 

Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility
Ethical standards and conduct of engineers in dealing with employees, colleagues, clients, and the public, professional integrity versus corporate loyalty, whistle blowing, product liability litigation, the engineer as "expert witness",the relationship between technology and society, and promoting public understanding of the engineering profession. 

Self-Management
Developing personal management skills, including financial planning for the future, insurance, pensions, investments, time management skills, and managing committees and meetings. 

Engineers and Public Policy
Shaping and directing public policy by interacting with government and regulatory agencies, drafting and introducing legislation, lobbying, being technologically competitive, and creating technical policies. 

Role of the Professional Society
How professional societies, such as IEEE, conduct volunteer activities, provide opportunities for professional development and personal growth, and report on the state of the art and practice of engineering. 

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Last Update: 25 February 2008

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