During the 2024–2025 biennium, several activities of the Distinguished Lecturer Program were organized by different ComSoc chapters in Latin America. The main goal of the Distinguished Lecturer Program is to offer the benefits of world-class lectures to IEEE members around the globe. Particularly in Latin America, due to limited access to in-person high-level presentations and courses, as well as the high costs of traveling to and attending major international conferences outside the region, the Distinguished Lecturer Program is a vital initiative for attracting new student and professional members to ComSoc. It also serves as a strong retention tool by highlighting the technical and professional value of being an IEEE ComSoc member.

A total of 13 Distinguished Lecturer Tours were approved and presented in Latin America by renowned speakers in 2024 and 2025, directly impacting ComSoc members and non-members in 7 different countries. The countries visited were Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama, and the outreach reached undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, researchers, industry professionals, and local government representatives.

The wide range of themes presented by the renowned speakers was a perfect match for the diversity of the Latin American region and its local interests. Latin America Communications Society members were attracted by the experience, knowledge, and insights into the future of communications technology offered by the Distinguished Lecturers. Cutting-edge technologies such as wireless communications, 5G, 6G, the Internet of Things (IoT), communication networks, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, non-terrestrial networks, and many other innovative areas were presented brilliantly by 12 ComSoc Distinguished Lecturers.

In 2024, the following DL tours were held in Region 9.

• Dr. Maxime Guillaud presented a tour in Brazil in July, visiting three cities (São José dos Campos, Fortaleza, and Rio de Janeiro) and discussing wireless channel charting and massive random access.

• The second tour of the year was conducted by Dr. Sudhir Dixit, who visited Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras in July, presenting on the Internet of Senses and how 6G is integrating with the human mind and body.

• Dr. Michele Nogueira presented a tour in October, offering lectures in Ecuador and Panama focused on machine learning and deep learning applied to cybersecurity and DDoS attack prediction.

• Dr. Fabrizio Granelli visited three cities in Brazil (Campinas, Rio de Janeiro, and Natal) between October and November, tackling themes such as automating network management in 5G networks, SDN and NFV in future communication networks, and digital twins in 6G.

• Colombia was visited by Dr. Sinem Coleri in November, who presented lectures in Medellin and Bogota focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on 6G. Finally, Dr. Michele Nogueira concluded the year’s tours by visiting three cities in Brazil (Rio Branco, Palmas, and Brasilia) in November to discuss data science for cybersecurity.

In 2025, the following Distinguished Lecturer tours were organized in Latin America.

• Dr. Carlos Cordeiro presented the first tour of the year in April, visiting two cities in Mexico (Cuernavaca and Monterrey) and discussing the evolution of Wi-Fi technology.

• Between September and October, Dr. Mischa Dohler visited Brazil and Colombia, offering three lectures on exciting topics involving the immersive internet, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other advancements contributing to 6G development.

• Dr. Majid Butt visited Brazil in September as part of a DL tour that included lectures in the United States; he discussed radio technologies for 6G.

• Dr. Baek-Young Choi presented lectures on the Internet of Things and related topics in Colombia and Panama in October.

• Dr. Ender Ayanoglou presented lectures in two Mexican cities (Monterrey and Puebla), also in October, where local members learned about the Shannon limit and related topics.

• In November, Dr. Gunes Kurt offered lectures in three cities in Mexico and Guatemala, concentrating on secure and sustainable non-terrestrial networks.

• Finally, in November and December, three cities in Colombia (Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellin) hosted Dr. Fatima Hussein, who highlighted emerging trends in cybersecurity and evolving threats in modern digital systems.

In addition to the talks, the Distinguished Lecturers also had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with local students, faculty members, and industry representatives, and to visit important laboratories and universities in Latin America. The close interaction enabled by the Distinguished Lecturer Program has the potential to extend the frontiers of cooperation between these renowned speakers and the technical community in Latin America. Furthermore, the contact between these lecturers and IEEE student branches and local chapter volunteers motivates new activities and inspires the next generation.

The Virtual Distinguished Lecturer (VDL) Program is also of paramount importance to ComSoc. It serves as a valuable alternative when in-person lectures are not feasible due to logistical constraints. A key advantage of the VDL Program is the potential to reach a larger audience, as the lectures are offered free of charge to both IEEE members and non-members.

Four virtual lectures were organized by local chapters in 2025:

• Dr. Damla Turgut presented on the participation of women and minorities in STEM (hosted by the Ecuador Chapter in March);

• Dr. David López-Perez presented on the fundamentals and impact of 6G (hosted by the Ecuador Chapter in May);

• Dr. Ertugrul Basar lectured on noise-driven communication (hosted by Brazilian chapters in November);

• Dr. Kai-Kit Wong presented on enormous fluid antenna systems (E-FAS) (hosted by Brazilian chapters in November).

These selected virtual lectures reflected how IEEE Region 9 members aim to stay connected to new technologies and developments in communications and networks.

The lectures presented in-person and virtually in 2024 and 2025 were acclaimed by the IEEE ComSoc community in Latin America, providing inspiration to organize future DL tours and to apply the presented concepts within the regional context. Feedback from the lecturers was also very positive, citing the interest, motivation, and active participation of attendees. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the Distinguished Lecturer Program for local communities and for the experts who volunteered to share their knowledge and time. The IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer Program in Region 9 aims to build on the success of the 2024–2025 period in the years ahead.