Indian-origin engineers inaugurate Innovation hub in Chicago

December 23, 2021

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The American Association of Engineers of India Origin (AAEIO) held a holiday party for members in Chicagoland where it announced the launch of an Innovation Center. Here members and important guests pose for the ribbon-cutting. Photo: AAEIO

The American Association of Engineers of India Origin (AAEIO) held a holiday party for members at Kennedy Hall, Bolingbrook Golf Course December 19, 2021. Several members, including leading CEOs, academicians, fellow engineers with their spouses were present, a press release from the organization said.

3. Congressman Bill Foster, D-Illinois, speaking at the Dec. 19, 2021, holiday party event organized by the AAEIO where an Innovation Center was inaugurated. Photo: AAEIO

Congressman Bill Foster, D-IL, along with AAEIO President, Gladson Varghese, President-Elect Ajit Pant, and Vice President Nitin Maheshwari and other board members inaugurated the AAEIO Innovation Hub.

The new endeavor is an AAEIO partnership with leading institutions (India and U.S Governments, Purdue University, Northwestern University among others) to commercialize key technologies.

Dr. Deepak Vyas, CEO Redberri Group, talked about need to drive innovation and how AAEIO platform can help. He emphasized that there are over 16,000 technologies that NASA has which need to be commercialized.

As part of the innovation center, AAEIO will set up a fund where state and other grants can be used in conjunction with AAEIO’s start-up, corporate and regular members can use these funds for growing select technologies. Many AAEIO members present expressed excitement about the idea.

Pramod Vohra speaking at the Dec. 19, 2021, event organized by the AAEIO where an Innovation Center was inaugurated. Photo: AAEIO

Dr. Promod Vohra, former Dean of engineering at Northern Illinois University and current president of ProBys, emphasized the need for engineers to work together to solve current challenges and pledged to further the AAEIO board’s mission to engage, innovate, and educate engineers of Indian origin.

President of AAEIO Gladson Varghese, speaking at the Dec. 19, 2021 holiday party of the organization. Photo: AAEIO

Varghese and Pant, thanked all members and gave an account of how AAEIO has quickly became a major force in the last 4 months since its inauguration on Sept. 26, 2021. They hope to grow the membership to more than 10,000 members in next 10 year, driving innovation.

AAEIO has also partnered with Pan IIT Midwest Group to bring joint programming to both associations’ members.

Ray Mehra, president Pan-IIT Midwest group, called for increased partnership between the two groups to solve some of the challenges that engineers and larger community face.

Nag Jaiswal, chair of Membership, asked all present to work together to bring in more members for AAEIO’s mission. He also announced the recent partnership with Indian Consulate to reach out to all Indian Student Associations and its engineering community. All student members will get complimentary membership, and encouraged those interested to visit membership@aaeiousa.org .

Madura Sane, AAEIO Board Member, along with Praveen Jaligama, a great singer and Saregama finalist along with Ranjit Gopal made the event festive with their perfomances, singing popular songs.

Vice President Maheshwari, detailed future AAEIO plans including a Job Fair on March 9, 2022, for which Vinoz Chanamolu, CEO, Mall of America, noted that more than 20 employers are already registered; A Spring Start-Up Event for Chicagoland businesses; Bi-Monthly Business Networking Event starting in January 2022; A Fall Gala with a keynote speaker to bring the AAEIO and other sister communities together.