The Tomsk Student branch Сhair took a trip to Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where the 2nd Student Branch Congress took place 15–19 of May 2000. SBC 2000 provided students a great view of how Student Branches are governed. It also gave the opportunity to get more for our membership, learn new leadership skills and network with people from all over the world.

The structure of the Congress also provided several opportunities for networking with the other participants. The interactive activities, lectures, breaks, lunch, and cultural activities all combined to help communication and cooperation between those involved. The participation of more than 30 different countries in the SBC 2000 was representative of a growing non-U.S. IEEE membership, and this also allowed participants to experience certain cultural aspects inherent in each country.

There were several events where students were divided into small groups and asked to come up with possible solutions to some Student Branch problems. These activities provided different views on how to solve the most basic problems in governing a Student Branch, and they were extremely interactive, bringing a multicultural view to the problem-solving process. Learning new leadership skills and networking with others were the most important benefits of this travel.

The SB congress is an ideal opportunity for engineering students from around the world to meet, make new friends, have fun, and at the same time promote the spirit of co-operation. The Congress provide us an opportunity to share resources and network around IEEE. It also teach the critical leadership skills and promote IEEE membership. Indeed, SBC brings Student Branches together.

Finally, this experience highlighted the benefits of being an active IEEE member. Some photos from the SBC is in photogallery.