In 2025, the IEEE ComSoc Colombia ComSoc Chapter participated in the organization of two highly relevant events in the country, dedicated to gathering both professional and Student Members: the IEEE Colombian Conference on Communications and Computing 2025 (IEEE ColCom 2025), and the National Meeting of Student Branches 2025 (RNR 2025, by its abbreviation in Spanish).
Event Facts and Statistics
The IEEE Colombia Section hosts two annual events that bring together the two main target audiences of IEEE: Professional Members and Student Members. On the one hand, the IEEE ColCom conference can be considered the flagship event of the ComSoc Colombia Chapter, gathering academic members from Colombia and other countries in Latin America, North America, and Europe. On the other hand, the National Meeting of Student Branches (Reunión Nacional de Ramas - RNR in Spanish) brings together representatives from the student branches and chapters of all universities in Colombia.
IEEE COLCOM, the main sponsor of which was the IEEE ComSoc Colombia Chapter, was held in Popayán and received a total of 76 submissions. With an international TPC Committee led by Professor Nelson Fonseca and Professor Carlos Astudillo (Unicamp, Brazil), 34 papers were selected from presentations in the main track and the graduate student symposium track. 60 people participated in the technical sessions and keynote speeches presented by world-class researchers who attended the conference.
IEEE RNR gathered 120 student members from 17 different Universities in Colombia. This was an immersive event, developed in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and led by Professor Diana Briceño from Universidad Santo Tomás, who is the ViceChair of IEEE ComSoc Colombia Chapter and leader of the IEEE Colombia Section Student Activities Committee.
Keynotes and Tutorials
COLCOM 2025 featured an outstanding set of keynote speakers who shared their knowledge and the results of their current research with attendees. The opening keynote was presented by Professor Carlos Astudillo from UNICAMP, Brazil, addressing the topic of space communications.
The second keynote was presented by Professor Lisandro Granville from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and the current CEO of the Brazilian National Network of Teaching and Research - RNR, as abbreviated in Portuguese. Professor Granville presented the perspectives on digital sovereignty and internet centralization. On the second day, world-class researcher Professor Raouf Boutaba from the University of Waterloo presented his keynote on Network Slicing.
Also on the second day, Professor Sandra Rueda from the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia presented her talk on privacy-preserving. Finally, on the third day, Professor Luiz Bittencourt, also from Unicamp in Brazil, presented his talk on edge computing.
On the other hand, RNR 2025, being an event for students, is primarily focused on career and professional development rather than technical aspects. Student members received keynotes and conferences on coaching, time management, leadership, and various aspects relevant to incorporation and career development within IEEE. Nevertheless, the event also included technical activities, consisting of a Cybersecurity challenge developed by Aligo Defensores Informáticos, a Colombian company specializing in penetration testing, information security, and ethical hacking. ComSoc sponsored this particular activity.
Social Activities
Networking and Social activities are always an essential activity during these events. Networking activities represent the spaces where relationships among people are created, and collaborative work is engaged. IEEE ColCom 2025 hosted a reception cocktail on the first day at the conference venue. During this cocktail, a group of autochthonous dancers presenting rhythms from the Cauca Region (where Popayán is located) had an exhibition, which ultimately generated the interaction among the attendees of the conference.
The gala dinner of IEEE COLCOM 2025 was held at Don Hidalgo restaurant, one of the most well-known restaurants in Popayán. The gala dinner featured a Salsa Show that was particularly attractive, especially for attendees from abroad.
In its turn, the RNR had the society’s fair and the region’s fair. The society’s chair engaged the interaction of student members with representatives of the different professional societies present at the event. The Regional Fair proposed that students present shows of the culture and gastronomy of the corresponding regions in Colombia, from which they originated. This was an interesting exercise that contributed to building links between colleagues from different cities and regions.
Conclusion
IEEE ComSoc Colombia Chapter is deeply engaged with fostering technical activities that benefit both professional members and especially student members, who are the future of the institute. That is why the chapter strongly supported two events developed by the IEEE Colombia Section. On the one hand, the flagship of the Colombian community in telecommunications, COLCOM, which the chapter aims to promote as a relevant venue in the regional community, attracting high-quality works and speakers.
On the other hand, the National Meeting of Student Branches is a valuable venue where student members receive training in various aspects that can contribute to their career development and have the opportunity to interact with professional members to seek advice and inspiration.
