The 82nd IEEE Ottawa Section Annual General Meeting & Awards Banquet
We are pleased to invite you to IEEE Ottawa Section's 82nd Annual General Meeting (AGM), Awards Ceremony, and Banquet, to be held immediately following the Student Professional Awareness Conference(SPAC). (A separate registration is required for SPAC: SPAC 2026 Registration. )
Keynote
Dr. Somto Mbelu
"Designing AI for Society: Values, Trust, and Our Shared Future"
AGM
The AGM is an annual forum for Members of the IEEE Ottawa Section to attend and learn about the Section activities over the past year as well as the plan for the upcoming year. It is also where the IEEE Ottawa Section Nominations and Appointments Committee will propose and present to the members the nominees for the 2027 IEEE Ottawa Officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary).
Awards Ceremony
The Awards Ceremony is an annual event that provides an opportunity for recognizing and honouring outstanding local industry, individuals from academia and industry, and IEEE groups from the IEEE Ottawa Section.
Banquet
The dinner portion of this event offers an opportunity to meet and share ideas with academia and industry leaders, and gain inspiration from our keynote speaker.
This event sells out every year and attracts 120+ people from academia, industry, and government. In addition to a great agenda, there will be plenty of time allotted for socializing, networking and enjoying a night of entertainment.
It is open for IEEE members, guests, and public (registration is needed - please see below)
Detailed program in the agenda below.
Dinner Menu
A three course buffet dinner will be served as part of this banquet, with options for vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten free diets. Please indicate any dietary restrictions as part of your registration.
Parking is provided at the hotel venue.
📸 Pictures will be taken during the event. By registering to this event, you are consenting to the use of your portrait, picture or photograph taken during this event to be used by IEEE Ottawa in promotional material, including printed and electronic material as well as the IEEE Ottawa section website and social media.
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
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- Starts 20 October 2026 03:30 PM UTC
- Ends 13 November 2026 10:45 PM UTC
- 5 in-person spaces left!
- Admission fee ?
Speakers
Dr. Somto Mbelu
Designing AI for Society: Values, Trust, and Our Shared Future
As AI reshapes how we live, work, and make decisions, how do we ensure that it serves people responsibly and earns public trust?
This keynote will reflect on the relationship between AI design and its wider effects on society. It will explore the choices we make about whose needs technology serves, whose values inform its development, and who takes responsibility for its outcomes. Central to this conversation is the need to align AI design with cultural differences and lived experiences, recognizing that people and communities may understand fairness, trust, and meaningful benefit differently.
Drawing on experiences in digital health, AI ethics, and community engagement, Dr. Mbelu will discuss how we can embed human values into design from the outset and ensure that the systems we build deliver value for the people who use them and those affected by them. This includes creating space for communities to shape design decisions and translating fairness, accountability, and human agency into practice.
Dr. Mbelu will also highlight the importance of collaboration across engineering, government, industry, academia, and communities. Building a responsible AI future is a shared responsibility, and each of us has a role in ensuring that technological progress translates into meaningful benefits for society.
Biography:
Dr. Somto Mbelu is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Ontario Tech University’s Mindful Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, where he explores openness, trustworthiness, and value in open-source AI. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a focus on AI ethics and governance.
He is also the Founder and Program Lead of the Ottawa Responsible AI Hub and Convener of the Ottawa Responsible AI Summit. His experience spans Europe, Africa, and Canada, including work on USAID-funded programmes supporting health systems strengthening and digital innovation. Across his research and community engagement, he brings together perspectives from government, industry, academia, and civil society to advance responsible AI adoption that reflects people’s needs, cultural contexts, and lived experiences.
Agenda
5:15 - Registration opens
5:30 - Reception starts
6:00 - Business Meeting
6:30 - Opening Remarks
7:00 - Dinner
7:30 - Keynote Speaker
8:15 - Awards
10:15 - Closing