IEEE-USA Conference 2026

Dr. Tracy Fanara, aka "Inspector Planet," an environmental engineer, scientist, and science communicator known for her work on harmful algae blooms, coastal resilience, and public science education. With appearances on Shark Week, Mythbusters, and National Geographic, Dr. Fanara brings a dynamic, interdisciplinary perspective to environmental challenges and innovation.

Maxim Jago, an award-winning filmmaker, consultant futurist, best selling author and Founder of The Creativity Conference. His work explores the intersection of creativity, technology, and human potential. Maxim is well-known as a media technology trainer and presenter, and author of many books and training series for Adobe and Avid, as well as the IEEE-USA E-Book, What Will Our World Be Like in 10 Years?.

His TED talk on combining art and engineering has drawn over a million views. He’s one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” He’s the former head of Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. And he has designed concert visual effects for the likes of Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, REM, Rush and David Bowie.

Engineers need to take leadership roles: this idea is often cited as the way to improve the future of engineering in the United States. These leadership roles are diverse, everything from getting more engineers into public office to encouraging engineers who are successful in their technical fields to aspire to leadership in national organizations (such as IEEE). The problem remains, however, that engineers in general may feel less prepared to follow these career directions because of their lack of confidence in their communication abilities. One way to target your communication skills is to consider “difficult conversations,” a term developed by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen in their book Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. In this presentation, Dr. Julia Williams will introduce you to the principles that can help engineers negotiate through difficult conversations, resulting in better listening and communication. She also give examples of how the principles can be applied to real world situations you may face in the workplace or in the public sector.

Rocket scientist and advocate for women in tech. Works on next generation of Canadian space robotics and space exploration programs, including the Rosalind Franklin/ExoMars rover.

Only American engineer to work on Solar Impulse 2, the first solar-powered airplane to circumnavigate the globe. Recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2017.