The Bridge - Issue 1, 2020 - 10

Donor Profiles

Donor Profiles

Nihal Kularatna

Jim Look

Senior Member

Honoring a Fellow Member
and Future Generations
After meeting many global IEEE members early
in his career as an engineering professional in Sri
Lanka, Nihal Kularatna felt energized. "All of these
encounters inspired me to work closely with IEEE
and to be an active volunteer," he said. That desire
only deepened as he became an Associate Professor
at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and met
IEEE Fellow Dr. Asad M. Madni at the IEEE Sensors
Conference in 2005.
"My association with Dr. Madni as an IEEE Fellow
and friend enabled me to focus my technical
writing within my sixth through ninth books to
help professional engineers fill the gap between

IEEE isn't only a technical
organization, but a great platform
through which to share
your technical expertise and
contribute your goodwill for the
benefit of the pioneers of
the 'knowledge economy'.
NIHAL KULARATNA

academia and the industry," Nihal shared. "When I
was informed of the award established by IEEE-HKN
to honor Dr. Madni-the 'IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni
Outstanding Technical Achievement and Excellence
Award'-I felt immediately that completing my 10th
book would be a good opportunity to support his
generous gesture and set an example for other
IEEE members."
Nihal elected to donate 20 percent of his 65
percent share of the royalties from his upcoming
book (Energy Storage Devices for Electrical Systems,
Second Edition) to the aforementioned initiative,
and his publisher was more than happy to help
facilitate this arrangement. According to Nihal,
"Forty percent of this book's content is based on our
innovative supercapacitor-assisted (SCA) techniques,
culminating in several international patents and
successful commercialization, and truly supports an
award recognizing 'technical excellence.'
Nihal is proud to honor his friend and mentor and to
help nurture future leaders in the field. According to
Nihal, "IEEE isn't only a technical organization, but a
great platform through which to share your technical
expertise and contribute your goodwill for the benefit
of the pioneers of the 'knowledge economy.'"
To honor Dr. Madni by donating to the fund for the
IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni Outstanding Technical
Achievement and Excellence Award fund, please
follow this link.

Eta Chapter
Life Senior Member
Doing Good and Feeling Good
Jim Look can't say enough about the big initiatives,
key people and major world events he's experienced
during his more than 50 years of IEEE membership.
"Early in my career, I worked in the Middle East,
and IEEE publications were my primary source
of leading-edge technical information," said Jim,
current 2020-21 Director of IEEE Region 5.
"Now, volunteering with the IEEE has been an
opportunity to do good and feel good."
Among the initiatives close to his heart, Jim recently
donated to the John Meredith Memorial Fund
(recognizing longtime IEEE member/leader and
2007 IEEE-USA President and IEEE Foundation
Director Emeritus John Meredith, who passed
in September 2018) as well as the IEEE-USA

With IEEE's vast selection
of special-interest groups,
technical societies and
humanitarian programs,
you can find an activity to
support, regardless of
your passion.
JIM LOOK

Community Outreach Vehicle (MOVE). "I wished
to memorialize John because of his tremendous
personal contribution to IEEE overall and to the
Region in particular, while the MOVE truck represents
the physical embodiment of volunteer action
supporting those in need," he said.
Jim chose to donate through Donor Advised Funds
because "they can have significant U.S. Federal
tax advantages, depending on your personal
tax situation," he explained. "A large lump sum
contribution can be made to a Donor Advised fund
in one tax year, possibly qualifying for the Federal
income tax deduction for charitable donations, and
then those same funds can be disbursed tax-free
over many years at your discretion and to your
favorite charity, all the while continuing to earn
investment gains."
"With IEEE's vast selection of special-interest groups,
technical societies and humanitarian programs, you
can find an activity to support, regardless of your
passion," Jim confirmed. "In fact, it's our duty to build
upon the successes of the engineers and scientists
who have preceded us and support the efforts of our
colleagues working to advance the state of the art for
the benefit of humanity."
To support the students and mission of IEEE-HKN,
please follow this link.
https://www.ieeefoundation.org/ieee_hkn

https://www.ieeefoundation.org/Madni

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HKN.ORG

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https://www.ieeefoundation.org/ieee_hkn https://www.ieeefoundation.org/Madni?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVRSa01qYzNOVGhsTVRGbSIsInQiOiJOMklnVkNiUHhSNzZqNENcL2pXeFFDRFZJRWxZbStoUjZCMVVmakNWcTZPVU0zZm5CbkpwRFIzcVk2VWtWVlN0Vmh1djFUell1RWp6bTRqdzJRTzc3TkE9PSJ9 https://www.ieeefoundation.org/ieee_hkn https://www.ieeefoundation.org/Madni https://hkn.ieee.org/ https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 1, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 1, 2020
