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Media Relations Contacts: IEEE Supports India's Need for Power Self Sufficiency 13 October – IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society, today discussed India’s energy scenario and India’s way to self-sufficiency using IEEE’s Power and Energy Society’s (PES) PowerCon 2008 as the backdrop. Experts attending PowerCon 2008 discussed and debated various topics under the theme "Technological advancements for the development of the power sector." Read the full press release. (PDF, 292 KB) IEEE Members Select Pedro Ray 2009 President-Elect 13 October – Pedro Ray, president, Ray Engineers; Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; has been selected as 2009 IEEE president-elect. Pending acceptance of the Teller's Committee report by the IEEE Board of Directors, Ray will begin serving as IEEE president on 1 Jan. 2010. He will succeed 2009 IEEE President John Vig, consultant, System Planning Corporation. Of the 282,198 ballots mailed, 43,051 valid ballots were returned (15.26 percent).This compares to the 2007 return of 15.63 percent. All results are unofficial until the IEEE Board of Directors accepts the report of the Teller's Committee during the November meeting series. The other candidate for 2000 IEEE president-elect was Moshe Kam, Robert G. Quinn Professor and department head, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa. Both candidates were nominated by the IEEE Board of Directors. Of the members who voted, 21,929selected Ray, and 19,420selected Kam. Review the complete 2008 IEEE Annual Election results. IEEE Xplore ® Upgrade Provides New Tools for Researchers 6 October – IEEE recently released several features to its IEEE Xplore® digital library, which powers IEEE online subscriptions for organizations and individuals. Features available through IEEE Xplore 2.5.3 include full-text PDF stamping, full-text PDF banner and integration of medical subject heading (MeSH) terms, all commonly requested by IEEE Xplore customers. Both the PDF stamping and PDF banner make the source of the article more prominent to users. Full-text PDF stamping will produce a stamp on each downloaded PDF containing the date, time and institution name, while full-text PDF banner will produce a Web banner at the top of the PDF including the institution name, enabling users to link back to the IEEE Xplore homepage. Additionally, the new integration of MeSH Terms from Medline—the article index terms created by the National Library of Medicine—will make IEEE biomedical information easier to find for searchers. Read more about these and other features of the IEEE Xplore digital library. IEEE to Present 2008 Medal of Honor to Intel Pioneer Gordon Moore During Honors Ceremony 18 September – IEEE the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, will honor Intel veteran Gordon Moore, leading smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM), and 17 additional global technology leaders during IEEE Honors Ceremony on 20 September 2008 in Quebec City. Moore, co-founder and chairman of the board, emeritus, at Intel Corporation, is being awarded the 2008 IEEE Medal of Honor for his contributions to the advancement of semiconductor technology, both as an engineer and entrepreneur, and for helping to shape the global electronics industry. The award is sponsored by the IEEE Foundation. Research in Motion (RIM), based in Waterloo, Ontario, will receive the Corporate Innovation Recognition, sponsored by IEEE, for developing and promoting the Blackberry, and helping to transform the mobile work environment. This year’s honorees have created many of the technologies and applications that are used by individuals and businesses everyday – innovations to meet the world’s challenges. As a result of their achievements, smartphones allow employees to keep in contact while on the road, computers are equipped with memory that allow us to store and erase documents, 3D imaging is helping healthcare professionals to treat their patients like never before, and the continuing development of advanced computing technologies drives new solutions for a broad spectrum of global concerns. These and the other recipients will be recognized at the event for their contributions to technology, their profession and the IEEE. Read the full press release. (PDF, 125 KB) 11 September – IEEE and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have agreed to extend their existing cooperation agreement, which describes a procedure for submitting and approving existing IEEE standards to IEC, to include a procedure permitting joint, parallel development of a project in both organizations leading to an IEC/IEEE International Standard. The agreement is an addendum to the original IEC-IEEE Dual Logo Agreement, signed in October 2002. It establishes procedures for IEC and IEEE to jointly develop standards, the process of which includes consulting to establish the need for new standards projects, initiating a joint development project, preparing and circulating draft standards, and voting to approve those standards. It also includes processes for maintenance of approved standards to keep them up to date, as well as details on publication, copyright and sales. Read the full press release. 2007 Annual Report Now Available 9 September – “Fostering Technological Innovation and Excellence for the Benefit of Humanity” is the theme of the IEEE 2007 Annual Report. The print version is being mailed this month to corporate and education leaders around the world, and also is being distributed to IEEE volunteers and staff. For the second year, IEEE members are being offered an electronic version. View the full report. (PDF, 3.81 MB) IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition Offers US$10,000 Top Prize for Humanitarian Endeavors 2 September – IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society, has launched the first IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition. The contest is open to college and university students who demonstrate excellence in the design and implementation of technology that can solve a challenge for the benefit of humanity. Entries will be accepted from 1 September 2008 through 28 February 2009. The competition’s goal is to recognize and reward individual students or teams of students who identify a real-world problem and apply engineering, science, computing and leadership skills to solve it. Individual IEEE student members or teams of college and university students who have selected an IEEE student member as the team lead may compete. Prizes range from a US$10,000 top award to a US$500 people’s choice prize. Read the full press release. The IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition is part of the global celebration of IEEE’s 125th Anniversary. To enter and for complete rules and guidelines, please visit the IEEE 125th Anniversary Web site at www.ieee125.org/ChangeTheWorld. IEEE Educational Activities Launches Academic Porta l 26 August 2008 – IEEE Educational Activities has launched an online portal, www.accreditation.org. This resource, developed as a joint effort by IEEE and IBM, will provide the worldwide public with a comprehensive tool to search for accredited academic programs in the fields of engineering, engineering technology and computing. It will also serve as a valuable one-stop resource to practitioners of engineering, technology and computing; students, teachers and administrators of education programs in these fields; and decision makers in government, industrial and private organizations who are interested in finding out more information on accreditation topics.
IEEE Foundation Awards Close to
US$100,000 in New Grants Planned Service Disruptions 13 August Due to System Maintenance 12 August – From 7:00AM EDT through 7:00PM EDT on Wednesday 13 August, the IEEE Web presence will undergo a maintenance upgrade. During this time, users may experience temporary service disruptions and be unable to access select applications or services that require creating or signing in with an IEEE Web account user name and password. 2008 IEEE Annual Election Period Opens 26 July 25 July – Ballots for the 2008 IEEE Annual Election have been mailed to all eligible voting IEEE members via first class and may be accessed electronically beginning Saturday, 26 July 2008, at 12:00 p.m. CDT. To validate their identity, members may use their IEEE Web Account username/password, or the Control Number and e-signature located on their paper ballot to access the information. To assist all voting members in making an informed decision, audio and video files featuring the two IEEE President-Elect candidates are available for review. The first is a moderated roundtable question and answer session, and the second is the annual President-Elect candidates' debate, hosted by the IEEE Philadelphia Section. Watch and/or listen on the IEEE Annual Election Web site, or directly from IEEE.tv. The IEEE Annual Election will end on Wednesday, 1 October 2008, at 12:00 p.m. CDT. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted. For more information, contact Carrie Loh, IEEE Annual Election, at c.loh@ieee.org or +1 732 562 3934. IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine Wins 2008 Award for Publication Excellence 25 July – IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine received a 2008 Award for Publication Excellence (APEX) in the category of New Magazines and Journals. This is the 20th year of the APEX awards program, an annual competition for writers, editors, publications staff and business and non-profit communicators. APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the ability to achieve overall communications excellence. APEX Grand Awards honor the outstanding works in each main category, while APEX Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries in each of the sub-categories. Learn more about the APEX awards program. Design Squad! Receives Three More Awards 25 July – Design Squad!, the IEEE-funded reality television series that follows two teams of high school students as they participate in challenges to design and build a functional machine, received three more awards last month. Design Squad! airs on PBS stations around the country. On 13 June, Design Squad! director and senior producer Dorothy Dickie received a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series." The show received three additional Daytime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Children's Series, Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Photography (Film or Electronic) and Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing. Design Squad producers also accepted the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, considered to be one of the highest honors in electronic media, on 16 June. The Peabody Board noted “Design Squad is a true delight – educational television in the best sense of the term. This series, directed at viewers ages 12 to 17, works because it recognizes and appreciates the intelligence of its intended audience.” The program also received a 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers for the “Design Squad Educator's Guide,” which provides educators with tools to bring engineering alive in their after-school programs Learn more at the Design Squad Web site. IEEE Women in Engineering Committee Chair Appears on NBC’s Today Show 18 July – Karen Panetta, IEEE Women in Engineering Committee Chair, appeared on NBC’s The Today Show on Friday, 18 July. Karen discussed the nationally acclaimed Nerd Girls program, which she created and founded. Nerd Girls are well rounded, intelligent engineers and scientist that share common popular interests of today's youth. They are showing future generations of engineers and scientists how engineering helps improve the lives of individuals, communities and the environment. Karen was joined by four current and past members of the Nerd Girls program during The Today Show segment. Watch the video of Karen’s NBC appearance and read the accompanying TODAYShow.com article. Read more about Nerd Girls in The Institute and Newsweek, or watch the video clip on IEEE.tv. IEEE Past-President Leah Jamieson to Speak at Fortune Magazine Technology Conference 16 July – As part of its recently launched public visibility initiative, IEEE will have a prominent role at Fortune magazine’s Brainstorm: TECH conference, being held 21-23 July in Half Moon Bay, Calif. IEEE is a program partner at this year’s conference, where leaders and influencers of the digital world look at the future of the tech business. The conference is targeted to business executives who recognize that the success of their companies depends on understanding the trends at the core of technology. Leah Jamieson, 2007 IEEE President, will be a speaker at the conference’s plenary session where she will discuss “Rethinking the Engineer.” Other confirmed speakers include Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com; Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO, Dell, Inc.; and Vinton Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google Inc., an IEEE Fellow. As program partner, IEEE has provided Fortune with insights into technology issues driving the future and advised Fortune’s editors on program/content priorities. The conference, a series of one-on-one interviews with Fortune editors, panel discussions, small-group roundtables, and working-lunch labs will examine the pros and cons of the transformation to an increasingly digital world and explore tech innovations for everything from digital infrastructure to solutions for daily life. Learn more about Fortune Brainstorm: TECH on the conference Web site or read the full press release. The Institute Profiles 2009 IEEE President-Elect Candidates 17 June – Each June The Institute profiles the IEEE President-Elect candidates to introduce them to its readers. Read the full article to find out more about Moshe Kam and Pedro Ray. First Distant Speech Transmission in Canada Recognized as IEEE Milestone 17 June 2008 – Alexander Graham Bell’s first distant speech transmission in Canada was recognized as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing during a ceremony 4 May 2008. Sponsored by the IEEE Hamilton Section, the dedication took place at the same time as the IEEE Region 7 (Canada) meeting and was attended by IEEE President Lewis Terman and IEEE Canada President Ferial El-Hawary. Read more about the ceremony in The Institute . IEEE Approves Standard for Mobile Broadband Wireless Access 12 June – IEEE has approved a new standard for mobile broadband wireless access. IEEE Std 802.20™, "Standard for Local and Metropolitan Area Networks - Standard Air Interface for Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Systems Supporting Vehicular Mobility - Physical and Media Access Control Layer Specification," will enable the worldwide deployment of cost-effective, spectrum-efficient, ubiquitous, always-on and interoperable multi-vendor mobile broadband wireless access networks. Read the full press release. IEEE Lowers Prices on Single Articles Purchased via IEEE Xplore 12 June – IEEE has lowered its single article prices – from US$13 to US$10 for IEEE members and US$35 to US$29 for all others. Designed to make IEEE information more accessible, the new single article prices represent an average decrease of 20 percent. Statistics from an annual journal comparison study recently found:
*Source: IEEE annual journal comparison study, 2008 IEEE memberNet Reaches Milestone 12 June – On 14 May, two months into its beta-release, the number of members who have opted-in their memberNet profile surpassed 1,000. Access to IEEE memberNet is an exclusive benefit of IEEE membership, available at no additional cost to IEEE members. "We're pleased to have reached the first 1,000," said Joe Lillie, Vice President, IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board. "The value of memberNet depends upon member participation, and we're pleased to now offer this new and niche networking platform to our members." While the basic member profile in memberNet contains every member's name and membership grade, each member can indicate by check mark (opt-in) what additional information they would like to make visible. These may include technical interests, local Section, or IEEE Society affiliation. The
memberNet directory, and its opt-in management, is
accessible through myIEEE.
For more information, contact Brian Pratz,
Member and Geographic Activities, at
b.pratz@ieee.org
. Submit Questions for IEEE President-Elect Candidates 12 June – Members will have an opportunity to submit questions to the candidates running for IEEE President-Elect and listen to their responses online. If you have a question about an IEEE issue that you would like to ask the candidates, contact corp-election@ieee.org. The candidates will answer selected questions, and their responses will be posted as audio and video files on the IEEE Election Web site during the voting period. 12 June – Two IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows, Wendy Hansen and Maddalena Jackson, will be writing news stories on science, engineering and technology as part of a 10-week internship from June to August at the Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee, respectively. Wendy Hansen is a biophysics Ph.D. candidate at the University of California-Berkeley; and Maddalena Jackson is a 2008 graduate of Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, Calif., with a B.S. in engineering. Since 2000, nine U.S. IEEE undergraduate and graduate students have been chosen as IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows and have helped journalists in print and broadcast fields communicate authoritatively to the public about science, engineering and technology. IEEE-USA is the only engineering organization engaged in the Mass Media Fellows program, which is administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). IEEE to Host Free Workshop on Lowering Greenhouse Emissions Through Technology Standards 13 June 16 May – The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) will host a free workshop on the use of technology standards to help lower greenhouse gases and fight global warming. The event, "IEEE Workshop on Standards to Help Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Global Warming, and their Impact on the Environment," will be held Friday, 13 June 2008 at the IEEE Operations Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. It will take place from 8:30am - 2:30pm EDT. The objectives of this workshop include developing an understanding of the current standards environment relative to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and related issues, and determining the structure and goals for an IEEE-SA study group to explore further actions in collaboration with other key organizations within and outside of IEEE. These actions may include but are not limited to definition of future standards projects. Read more about the workshop or Register online. Submit Questions for IEEE President-Elect Candidates 16 May – Members will have an opportunity to submit questions to the candidates running for IEEE President-Elect and listen to their responses online. If you have a question about an IEEE issue that you would like to ask the candidates, send it to corp-election@ieee.org. The candidates will answer selected questions, and their responses will be posted as audio and video files on the IEEE Election Web site during the voting period. IEEE Spectrum Profiles 2008 Medal of Honor Recipient Gordon Moore 20 May – Gordon Moore, 2008 IEEE Medal of Honor recipient, discusses his recent work tackling biodiversity, the future of engineering education, the secrets of the galaxies and his thoughts on the “Moore’s law” he developed, in an interview with IEEE Spectrum. Read the full article. IEEE Power Engineering Society Officially Changes Name to IEEE Power & Energy Society 6 May – After a final vote from the Society membership, the IEEE Power Engineering Society has officially changed its name to the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES), effective 22 April. In an announcement at the 2008 IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference in Chicago, Ill., 2008 PES President Wanda Reder outlined the benefits of the name change:
The name change also:
The Society’s mission will remain “to be the leading provider of scientific and engineering information on electric power and energy for the betterment of society and the preferred professional development source for [our] members.” The IEEE PES is the oldest IEEE Society, and will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2009, along with the IEEE itself. For full coverage of the PES Transmission and Distribution conference, read the official blog. Formula Hybrid International Competition Challenges Students to Build Racecars 6 May – The 2008 Formula Hybrid™ International Competition, which challenges engineering undergraduate and graduate students to design and build a racecar, is being held at Dartmouth University 5 – 7 May. IEEE is a primary sponsor of the competition, that requires students to design cars that must conform to a formula which emphasizes drive train innovation and fuel efficiency in a high-performance application. This year, 16 teams are registered to compete, including entries from Russia, Taiwan and Canada. The Formula Hybrid student automotive design competition is based on the highly successful Formula SAE program. All of the racecar entries will sport large versions of the IEEE Master Brand this year. First, second and third place trophies will be awarded for hybrid vehicles. There will be a first-in-class award for a hybrid in progress and participation awards for all other teams. Teams with cars that are still under design and construction or who are just considering entering in 2009 are encouraged to attend, gain knowledge, ask questions and discuss their progress. Read more at the Formula Hybrid International Competition Web site. IEEE Seeks Recommendations for Officers and Standing Committee Members 6 May – The IEEE Nominations and Appointments (N&A) Committee is seeking recommendations for several positions including standing committee chairs and members and IEEE Assembly-elected officers. Each position has specific job requirements and qualifications on which the N&A Committee evaluates potential candidates. They can be reviewed on the N&A Web site. Self-nominations are encouraged. An individual does not need to be nominated by a colleague in order to be considered. Nominations can be submitted online. The deadline is 1 June for all nominations. The nomination period for standing committee chairs and student member of IEEE Women in Engineering has been extended from the original deadline of 1 May. Read more in The Institute . IEEE Foundation Awards Over US$170,000 in Grants 6 May – Nine initiatives were awarded over US$170,000 in grant funds during the March 2008 IEEE Foundation Board meeting. The grants support pre-university activities, preserving history, using technology to address societal needs, exploring alternate sources of energy, participating in robotics competitions, and improving technological literacy. Through the awarding of these and other project grants, the IEEE Foundation supports a cross-section of programs that seek to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. Learn more about the IEEE Foundation. IEEE Computer Society to Host First Technology Summit 13 May 10 April – The IEEE Computer Society is launching a one-day Technology Summit designed to bring executives and technologists together to discuss and learn more about the latest issues, strategies, and advances affecting today’s high-technology businesses. The inaugural event will be held Tuesday, 13 May at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, in conjunction with the Computer Society’s annual meeting. The summit will feature world-class experts and speakers, with concurrent tracks on CyberSecurity, Electronic Game Development, and Software and Systems Engineering and Standardization. The one-day event is designed for development and strategy executives, CTOs, CIOs, senior-level managers, and technology leaders. Early registration is US$250 until 19 April. For more information, read the full press release or visit the Technology Summit Web site. IEEE-Supported Design Squad Wins Peabody Award 8 April – Design Squad, a reality television series that follows two teams of high school students as they participate in challenges to design and build a functional machine, has been named a 2007 Peabody Award Winner. Presented annually since 1941 by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, the Peabody Awards are the premiere international prize in electronic media. Design Squad was one of 35 recipients recognized for “the best in electronic media” in 2007. IEEE is one of several organizations that provide funding for this series. The first episode of the new season of Design Squad aired last week on local PBS stations. Learn more at the Design Squad Web site. First Corporate Sponsored IEEE University Consortium Established in Uruguay 8 April – Four Uruguay universities have come together to form IEEE’s first corporate-sponsored university consortium. The consortium, funded by Uruguay’s telecommunications giant ANTEL, includes four schools, both private and public. ANTEL, which has its own corporate subscription to IEEE, provided funding for the venture with hopes of furthering engineering education and technological growth within the Latin American country and surrounding regions. Read the full story in What's New @ IEEE in Libraries. History of Volunteer Committee Service Now Available Online 2 April – For several years, the IEEE Nominations and Appointments Committee has maintained a printed manual containing a listing of the annual rosters for the IEEE Board of Directors, as well as all of its standing committees and boards. Most rosters date back to 1963, or to the year when the committee or board was first formed. An online version of this manual is now available, via members’ IEEE Web accounts. Historical rosters of the individual committees are also available for download in PDF format, and a link to a listing of all past IEEE Award recipients is included at the bottom of the page. Contact Tamara Seeley, t.a.seeley@ieee.org or Julie Cozin, j.cozin@ieee.org, Corporate Activities, for more information. IEEE Quick Facts Have Been Updated for 2008 2 April – The list of IEEE “quick facts” – including the number of IEEE members, publications and sponsored conferences – has been updated for 2008. The list is based on 2007 year-end numbers, and can be incorporated into presentations, background materials, etc. The information is located online at the bottom of the About IEEE Web page. Conference and Custom Publishing Becomes eXpress Conference Publishing 2 April – IEEE Conference and Custom Publishing Services is now eXpress Conference Publishing. The change comes as the department adds a wide array of new services and expands existing services. Current initiatives include new links to free author tools such as Xplore-compliant Microsoft Word and LaTeX templates on each PDF eXpress entry page, and the development of a new digital-only version of Conference eXpress. For further information, contact Gordon MacPherson, Publications, at g.macpherson@ieee.org. Find out more about IEEE eXpress Conference Publishing. Educational Activities Board Presents Workshop in Beijing 2 April – On 22 March, the Educational Activities Board conducted a half-day workshop in Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST). The workshop was part of the Engineering Education Accreditation Training Conference which brought together 240 accreditation experts from China's provinces in preparation for pilot accreditation visits by CAST in 2008 and 2009. CAST plans to apply for provisional membership in the Washington Accord (a mutual recognition international agreement between accrediting bodies) in 2009. The workshop was conducted the workshop in two parts: (1) The Fundamentals of Accreditation; (2) Experience with Existing Outcome-based Accreditation Approaches and fielded a large number of questions from the audience, most of which focused on the applicability of experience gathered in the U.S. and Western Europe to accreditation in China. CAST has expressed interest in future joint activities. Listen to Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s Final Interview on Spectrum Radio 20 March – In the last interview before his death, science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke discussed terraforming planets, space elevators and the search for extraterrestrials with IEEE Spectrum Radio’s Saswato Das. Clarke, author of 2001 A Space Odyssey, spoke with Das from a Sri Lankan hospital in January. He died 18 March at the age of 90. Listen to the audio clip or read the IEEE Spectrum article. IEEE Files Comment with U.S. National Institutes of Health Regarding Public Access Policy 18 March – The IEEE Publication Services and Products board has filed a comment with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding its new program to mandate that authors whose research was supported by the NIH post their journal articles on a NIH Web site for free public access. The IEEE Statement raises concerns that the NIH plan does not conform with IEEE's Principles of Scholarly Publishing (PDF, 31.5 KB), especially in the area of preserving the copyright protection of authors and publishers, and objects to the hasty manner in which the NIH is handling implementation. Read the letter (PDF, 69 KB). IEEE Communications Society Launches New Certification Program 17 March – A new program to certify the competency, practical knowledge and skills of practicing communications engineers has been launched by the IEEE Communications Society. The IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies (IEEE WCET) Certification program has been designed to address the worldwide wireless industry’s growing need for qualified communications professionals. The program will help wireless professionals advance in their field, develop new opportunities in a global marketplace and certify their expertise with real-world applications. The IEEE WCET Certification exam is administered online, and has a program fee of US$450 for IEEE members and US$500 for non-members. The first testing period is scheduled for late September 2008 at more than 500 testing sites located in 75 countries. The next testing period is slated for March 2009. Wireless areas including RF engineering, propagation and antennas; access technologies; network and service architecture; network management and security; facilities infrastructure; agreements, standards, policies and regulations; and fundamental knowledge are covered in the exam. For specific program details read the full press release. (PDF, 50.3 KB). Read more about IEEE WCET Certification. IEEE Electron Devices Society Seeks Nominations for Ph.D. Student Fellowship Program 17 March – The IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) invites the submission of nominations for the 2008 Ph.D. Student Fellowship Program. The award is presented annually to promote, recognize and support Ph.D. level study and research within the EDS' fields of interest. At least one fellowship is awarded to a student in each of the following geographical regions every year; Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia & Pacific. The award is a check for US$7,000 and a plaque presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM). The deadline is 15 May 2008. Read more about the 2008 IEEE EDS Ph.D. Student Fellowship Program. IEEE Computer Society Presents Webinar on Standardizing Software Process Improvement Initiatives 14 March – The IEEE Computer Society is presenting a free Webinar Thursday 27 March, 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT / 19:00 GMT. "Standardizing Your Software Process Improvement Initiatives" will present several process methodologies — the CMMI, ISO 9001, and Lean Six Sigma. Presenter Susan K. (Kathy) Land, CSDP, Principal Software and Systems Engineer, MITRE Corporation, will discuss how international process and IEEE Systems and Software Engineering Standards might be best applied in support of each of these models. Part of the Computing Now Webinar series, the program will also address how these standards might be used to ensure compliance and improve existing processes and practices. Register online.
IEEE Launches memberNet Online Directory
11 March – The IEEE launched today its online member directory which connects its 375,000 members worldwide. Access to IEEE memberNet is an exclusive benefit of IEEE membership, available at no additional cost to IEEE members. “IEEE memberNet will fundamentally transform peer-to-peer networking within the IEEE membership,” says Joseph Lillie, Vice President, IEEE Member and Geographic Activities. “This is the first step in a series of next-generation capabilities to enable our members to connect and collaborate virtually. In this way, members can discover other members with similar technical and engineering interests – regardless of geography.” IEEE memberNet is driven by member participation, according to Lillie. “The full benefit is dependent upon the scope and degree of our members’ opt-in participation.” While the basic member profile in memberNet contains every member’s name and membership grade, each member can indicate by check mark what additional information they would like to also have appear. These may include technical interests, local Section, or IEEE Society affiliation. “The check mark approach saves time for our members,” said Lillie, “as they do not need to re-key information to create their memberNet profiles.” The memberNet directory, and its opt-in management, is accessible from myIEEE. For more information, contact Brian Pratz, Member and Geographic Activities, at b.pratz@ieee.org. Read more about IEEE memberNet Free Webinar to Address Advancements in Photonic Integrated Circuits 6 March – The latest advancements in photonic integrated circuits will be discussed in an IEEE webinar taught by IEEE Fellow Christopher R. Doerr. “InP Photonic Integrated Circuits for Fiber-Optic Communications,” scheduled for Wednesday, 9 April 2008 at 2:00 pm EDT, will provide an overview of the technology behind InP PICs, focusing on devices for fiber-optic communications that monolithically integrate two or more functions. Ideal for telecommunications design engineers, research and development engineers and engineering managers, the webinar will highlight how InP-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) can simplify system designs, reduce space and power consumption, improve reliability and reduce the cost of deploying optical networks. Christopher R. Doerr, editor-in-chief of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters,earned a B.S. in aeronautical engineering and a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Since joining Bell Labs in 1995, Doerr’s research has focused on integrated devices for optical communication. He was promoted to Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 2000, received the Optical Society of America’s Engineering Excellence Award in 2002, and became an IEEE Fellow in 2006. Sign up today and receive a complimentary package of IEEE journals and conference proceedings for attending. IEEE Awards Board Seeking Medals and Recognitions Nominations 6 March –The IEEE Awards Board is seeking nominations for IEEE Medals and Recognitions and encourages the use of its online Potential Nominee Form. This form allows a preliminary review of a nominee by the selection committee and an opportunity to obtain feedback prior to submitting a full nomination. The Potential Nominee Form is available on the IEEE Awards Web Page. The deadline for submission of complete nominations for IEEE Medals and Recognitions is 1 July 2008. For questions concerning the Potential Nominee Form, please contact awards@ieee.org. Web Team Communications Section Launched to Report IEEE Web Presence Developments 6 March – The IEEE Web Team has launched a Web section designed to provide updates on IEEE Web-related plans and activities. The newly-formed IEEE Web strategy is a greater push toward user-centered design, so that users can accomplish their tasks faster and with less frustration. The section will include project descriptions, updates and deliverables, as well as a feedback mechanism and contact information. The Web team will also issue a quarterly eNewsletter that will provide an overview of recently completed projects. Access the IEEE Web Team Communications Web section using your IEEE Web account. Contact Candace Beach, Web Presence Manager, with any questions at c.beach@ieee.org. Call for 2008 IEEE Educational Activities Board Award Nominations 6 March – The IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) is seeking nominations to recognize and honor individuals, companies and IEEE Sections for their contributions to engineering and technical education. The deadline for 2008 nominations is 30 April 2008. Review award descriptions and nomination details. Contact eab-awards@ieee.org with any questions. IEEE-USA Recognizes Winners of Online Engineering Video Scholarship Competition for Undergraduates 5 March – Undergraduate engineering students from three universities have been recognized by IEEE-USA for their winning entries in the organization's first "How Engineers Make a World of Difference" online engineering video scholarship competition. On 21 February, during Engineers Week, IEEE-USA Communications Vice President Paul Kostek announced the winners of US$6,000 in scholarship awards: first prize (US$2,500) to Ben Toler and Emile Frey of Louisiana Tech University, Ruston; second prize (US$2,000) to Yilin Pei of the University of Florida, Gainesville; and third prize (US$1,500) to Samuel Chanjaplammootil, Kevin Hooper and Michael Jaco of Texas Tech University, Lubbock. The three winning entries were deemed most effective in reinforcing for an 11-to-13-year-old audience how engineers are "cool" and improve the quality of life. The three-judge panel included: Andrew Quecan and Suzette Presas, electrical engineering graduate students and IEEE student members at the University of South Florida, Tampa; and Nate Ball, a mechanical engineer and host of PBS' "Design Squad." IEEE-USA will launch its '08-'09 online engineering video scholarship competition in September. View the winning entries. Future City Competition Winners Announced 5 March – Queen of Angels Catholic School of Roswell, Ga., won the Best Essay Award at the National Engineers Week Future City Competition National Finals held last week in Washington, D.C. IEEE sponsored the essay competition, which featured the 36 Future City regional-winning middle school teams that advanced to the finals. This year’s essay topic was "Keeping Our Future City's Infrastructure Healthy: Using Nanotechnology to Monitor City Structures and Systems." Read the entire Queen of Angels’ essay. Other winners included:
The Future City Competition debuted during Engineers Week in 1993. Conceived in part by IEEE-USA, the competition is designed to encourage the future generation of engineers. More than 1,100 schools and 30,000 students from across the United States competed during the 2007-08 season; pilot programs are also underway in Egypt, Sweden and Japan. A spin-off, “Future Cities 2020,” has started in India. More information is at the Future City Web site. Application Notes Now Available Through IEEE Xplore 5 March – More than a million documents containing practical and applied information on engineering topics are now available through the IEEE Xplore digital library. Known as application notes, the documents have been published by organizations to explain, illustrate or promote their technologies and products. While the documents are not peer-reviewed or created by the IEEE, the application notes provide relevant articles, product specifications and other technical information. Links to the application notes are displayed alongside Xplore search results. For more details, read The Institute article. Sales of IEEE Press Books Up in 2008 5 March – The Wiley Publishing sales team reports that IEEE Press books posted sales 24 percent over forecast in January 2008. Additionally, book sales at the International Solid States Circuits Conference, Feb. 3-8 were more than double that of last year’s conference, reaching US$28,000. Read more about IEEE Press. 29 February – The IEEE announced that it will participate in the SCOAP3 initiative, a global effort to develop an open access publishing model that will make peer-reviewed research articles in the high energy physics field available to online users at no cost. The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. The IEEE agreed that relevant articles from one of its journals, the IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, may be used to develop the new publishing model proposed by SCOAP3 (the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics). A letter signed by the IEEE expressed interest in the initiative, provided it will result in “sustainable” funding and business arrangements to support open access publishing. Read the full press release. (PDF, 47 KB) IEEEXtreme 24-Hour Student Online Competition to Take Place 8 March 25 February – IEEEXtreme, a 24-hour online programming contest for IEEE student branches worldwide, will be held on 8 March 2008. The contest features teams of IEEE student members, supported by a Student Branch and advised by an IEEE Member, competing against each other to solve a set of programming problems within the time limit. The problems focus on the computer, programming and information technology fields. For more information, visit the IEEEXtreme Web page. IEEE.tv Launches New Series Addressing Environmental Concerns 25 February – IEEE.tv has produced an “Energy Innovations” series of programs that explore how solar, renewable and coal energy are being implemented to meet growing energy needs. All three videos in the Energy Innovations series will be available free to the viewing public. The first program, “The Hydrogen House,” profiles Mike Stritzki, an engineer who designed and built a house run entirely by solar energy. “The Hydrogen House,” can currently be viewed at http://www.ieee.org/ieeetv. The other programs in the series will be added at a later date. Full descriptions of the upcoming programs appear below:
New IEEE Annual Election Deadlines Announced 19 February – The IEEE Board of Directors approved several deadline changes related to the IEEE annual election, beginning in 2008. Most, but not all, of the annual election deadlines have been moved up by one month. All ballots will be mailed to eligible voting members by 1 August and completed ballots must now be received by the election vendor by 1 October, 12:00 noon Central Daylight Time USA (17:00 GMT). Review the new IEEE Annual election deadlines. For more information, contact Carrie Loh, Corporate Activities, at c.loh@ieee.org. Celebrate Engineers Week 17 – 23 February 11 February – As part of this year’s official Engineers Week events, IEEE-USA is holding its first online engineering video competition on “How Engineers Make a World of Difference”. Undergraduate students were asked to develop videos for YouTube that will make engineering “cool and meaningful” to 11- to 13-year-olds. Seven scholarships totaling US $10 000 will be handed out for those entries that best reinforce engineers’ contributions to the quality of life. On Monday, 18 February, the U.S. version of the popular television program Jeopardy! will feature a category devoted entirely to Design Squad – the reality television show funded by IEEE and other groups – as part of its Teen Tournament Week. Footage from Design Squad’s first season will be used to test contestants' knowledge of basic engineering concepts through a series of questions co-developed by Design Squad and Jeopardy! producers. Other EWeek activities supported by IEEE-USA include:
Additionally, EWeek planning kits are available for IEEE members who would like to plan local events. The kits include posters, and suggestions for in-class activities. To request a kit, contact Bernadette Concepcion, IEEE-USA, at b.concepcion@ieee.org. Read more about EWeek in The Institute or on the EWeek Web site. Inauguration of IEEE China Office in Beijing Attended by Local Dignitaries 11 February – The official inauguration of the IEEE China office in Beijing took place 21 January with more than 150 representatives from industry, academe, government and the IEEE in attendance. Local dignitaries who attended the ceremony included: *Kai-Fu
Lee, Vice President, Google (IEEE Fellow) Lew Terman, 2008 IEEE President, delivered opening remarks to the attendees which also included IEEE Section chairs and representatives from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Harbin Chengdu, Wuhan and Nanjing, as well as former region 10 director Seiichi Takeuchi. "It is our hope that through our presence here we will enhance the visibility of IEEE members in China as they link more easily to the global technical community," Terman said. IEEE Mission and Vision Updated as Part of IEEE Envisioned Future 11 February – As part of the “IEEE Envisioned Future”, a synopsis of the new enterprise-wide, long-range strategic plan that was approved by the IEEE Board of Directors in June 2007, the IEEE mission and vision have been updated. The “IEEE Envisioned Future” is based on the balance between the timeless principles of IEEE and what IEEE seeks to become within 10 to 30 years. The updated IEEE mission and vision, as well as more details about the IEEE Envisioned Future can be viewed on at http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/visionmission.html. Any Web sites/pages that currently state the IEEE mission and vision should be updated with the new link. For more information on the IEEE Envisioned Future, contact John Keaton or Providence More, Corporate Strategy and Communications at j.c.keaton@ieee.org or p.more@ieee.org. Patent Bar Review Course Available to IEEE Members at a 10 Percent Discount 11 February – The Practising Law Institute Patent Bar Review course – the top |