The AESS SYP 2025 was the first in a one of a kind event for the IEEE AESS global community; it was the first ever student and young professionals congress for the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. It was held at Strathmore University, our gracious host, from the 13^th to the 15^th of August

On the first day the AESS president, Maria Sabrina Grecco, the current president of the AESS society, was the first speaker of the first day. I mean, who better than the president herself for an epic start to the event? Maria took the opportunity to share with the audience what the AESS society has to offer for both students and professionals; offering support and enrichment to its members through conferences, publications and technical communities. These opportunities are for anyone with an interest in organization, systems engineering, design, development, integration, and operation of complex systems for space, air, ocean, or ground environments.

Oto – Obong, the representative for one of our partners, the Geospatial and remoting sensing Society Nigeria chapter, walked us through the accomplishments of the section which included various conferences and collaborations such as the NIGERICON 2024 and the IEEE Africa entrepreneurship summit 2025. They look forward to hosting a workshop on Flood Risks and Remote Sensing Approaches with Microwave Monitoring of Water with Applications in West Africa in November of this year.

 The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority also had knowledge to impart upon the audience. Patrick Musyoka explained the use of radar technology in their surveillance systems and how this technology has been developed to meet modern technology standards. Daniel Kazungu highlighted how KCAA uses drones to aid in flight inspection, making sure aircraft navigation aids such as VOR, DME, ILS and GNSS augmentation systems are accurate, reliable and safe.

The end of day 1 was grounded and looking up toward the skies. Dr Igal Bilik gave a talk on radar principles utilised in automotive operation, and how radar sensing data enables cars to visualize and understand their environment. Esther Nyaga then took us through how air traffic control manages aircraft in the sky and on the ground, ensuring safe and seamless movements. This was crowned with the Captain’s show, where captains from various airlines shared their views and experiences of flying. The cherry on top was a live demo.

For the second day of the congress, Zied Bouida kicked it off with a talk on Aerial platforms for disaster and emergency response. We examined how UAVs can provide network and communication solutions across various scenarios to provide coverage and communication in affected areas. These aerial platforms are a combination of drones, air ships and satellites to cover all bases. Still on disasters, Allan Omari revealed what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to aircraft accident investigations and what we can do to learn from these unfortunate events to make the skies safer.

For the mid-morning, Dr. Julien Le Kernec took us through radar signal processing for autonomous systems. This illustrated how signals are processed to give data on the surroundings. He spoke on the utilization of radar sensing technologies for assisted living. This encompassed support in daily activities and health care. He also illustrated why radar was a favourable option, perceived privacy issues and the richness of information provided by the technology.

Last but not least was a panel of women in aerospace. These are ladies who were thriving in their areas in industry, from an engineer, to a drone pilot, an Air traffic controller and cabin crew. Glowing would be an understatement, so in the words of Gen Z, slay. They discussed their journeys and motivations towards the areas of work they are currently involved in, as well as how to manage tough times. In summary, know what you want and keep your eyes on the prize.