2007 IEEE News Briefs | 
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Media Relations Contacts: 19 December – Deadlines are approaching for an IEEE-USA online engineering video scholarship competition and mass media fellowship program open to undergraduate college students in the U.S. The online video competition for undergraduate engineering students asks participants to create 90-second video clips, aimed at 11-13 year-olds, that reinforce engineers' contributions to the quality of life and help debunk engineering stereotypes. IEEE-USA will award seven scholarship prizes totaling $10,000 to the most creative and effective video clips highlighting the theme "How Engineers Make a World of Difference." The competition is open to all U.S. undergraduate students in engineering and computer science. All entries must be submitted through YouTube by midnight (Eastern Time) on Friday, 18 January 2008. For more information on how to enter the IEEE-USA Online Engineering Video Scholarship Competition visit the IEEE-USA Web site, or email Pender McCarter at p.mccarter@ieee.org. Since 2000, in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) program, IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows have backed nine U.S. IEEE undergraduate and graduate students who have helped journalists in print and broadcast fields communicate authoritatively to the public about science, engineering and technology. IEEE-USA Mass Media Fellows have been engaged by such media outlets as "Scientific American," the "Chicago Tribune" and WNBC-TV. Mass Media Fellows must be at least a senior in college majoring in mathematics; engineering; or the natural, physical, health, computer or social sciences. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, 15 January 2008. More information can be found on the AAAS Web site. Scitopia.org Adds Four New Societies 17 December – Four new societies – Royal Society, UK; Royal Society of Chemistry, UK; Audio Engineering Society, U.S.; and IMechE, UK. – have recently joined scitopia.org, bringing the number of participating societies to 19. Scitopia.org is a free, federated vertical search portal created by leading science and technology societies, allowing users to scan the entire digital libraries of the participating societies Scitopia.org aims to provide an alternative to other general search engines – helping researchers get the quality content they need through a gateway to the research most cited in scholarly works and patents. Scitopia.org searches the complete digital libraries (over 3.5 million documents spanning more than 350 years of scholarship) of the leading publishers in major science and technology disciplines. As a federated search with no delay for indexing, scitopia.org provides more current access to content than other search engines. 2007 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting to Announce Breakthroughs in Semiconductor Industry 6 December – The 53rd annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) will feature keynote speaker Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, discussing major technical innovations and new business models that have affected the semiconductor industry. In addition to the keynote address, three different plenary sessions, as well as technical programs and short courses are scheduled. IEDM 2007 will take place 10-12 December in Washington, D.C., USA. For more information, visit the IEDM 2007 Web site. Tech Insider Webinar Series from IEEE Spectrum Explores WiMax Standard 29 November – On 5 December, the latest of the IEEE Spectrum Tech Insider Webinar series will feature industry experts discussing some of the hottest issues in WiMAX, including how it will compete with 3G technology and reshape mobile devices and the Internet. Register for the Webinar. Board of Directors Elevates 295 Senior Members to Fellow Grade 20 November – The IEEE Board of Directors named 295 Fellows for the Class of 2008. View the full list. White House Acknowledges 50th Anniversary of IEEE Global Communications Conference 20 November – President George Bush has extended his personal congratulations to the IEEE Global Communications Conference (IEEE GLOBECOM 2007) on its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration in Washington, DC, USA from 26 - 30 November 2007, citing the conference for its international achievement in the “development and advancement of global communications” as well as “promoting achievement and innovation in technology and engineering.” President Bush and other Washington-area officials are acknowledging the conference with public proclamations, declaring the week of 26 November 2007 “IEEE Global Communications Week.” Read the full press release and proclamation. IEEE Xplore® Upgrade Provides New Tools for Researchers 14 November – IEEE recently released several new research options for its IEEE Xplore online delivery platform, which powers IEEE online subscriptions for organizations and individuals. New features available through IEEE Xplore 2.4.2 include:
Additionally, this release includes test features including:
For full information on these and other features, visit IEEE Xplore . 2004 IEEE Medal of Honor Recipient and Life Fellow Tadahiro Sekimoto Passes Away 12 November – 2004 IEEE Medal of Honor recipient and Life Fellow Tadahiro Sekimoto, passed away 11 November in Tokyo. Sekimoto served as both president and chairman during his 54-year tenure at NEC Corporation, one of the world’s leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions. Sekimoto was awarded the 2004 IEEE Medal of Honor for his “pioneering contributions to digital satellite communications, promotion of information technology R&D, and corporate leadership in computers and communications." Read the full press release from NEC Corporation. IEEE Members Select John Vig 2008 IEEE President-Elect 8 November – John Vig, consultant, System Planning Corporation; Colts Neck, New Jersey, USA, has been selected as 2008 IEEE president-elect. Pending acceptance of the Teller's Committee report by the IEEE Board of Directors, Vig will begin serving as IEEE president on 1 Jan. 2009. He will succeed 2008 IEEE President Lewis Terman, IBM Research Emeritus. Read the full press release (PDF, 94.5 KB) and review the complete 2007 IEEE Annual Election results. 1 November – IEEE is one of six scientific publishers who collaborated to create the full complement of the Scientific and Technical Information Exchange (STIX) Fonts. Released as a beta version on 31 October, STIX Fonts is a comprehensive set of special characters – mainly mathematical – that represent a significant breakthrough in scientific, technical, and medical publishing, enabling compatibility with all web browsers, word processors, and other scholarly communications software. One of the most important aspects of the STIX project is that the fonts are freely available to any software vendor or user with the acceptance of the STIX Fonts license, whose terms and conditions are compatible with open source licenses specifically designed for fonts. The five other publishers that collaborated to design, fund and manage the STIX project are the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Physics (AIP), the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the American Physical Society (APS) and Elsevier. Read the full press release or download the STIX Fonts. IEEE Transactions on Robotics is Top Rated Robotics Journal in Re-Issued 2006 Journal Citation Reports 1 November – The IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) is the top ranking journal in the robotics category in the 2006 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) with an impact factor of 1.763, the highest in this category. The impact factor is a calculated figure indicating the average number of times articles published in the previous two years are cited in the current year, 2006, in this case. When the JCR was originally published in June, T-RO appeared to have slipped to third place in this category. After the data was analyzed by Editor-in-Chief Alessandro De Luca, it was determined that a number of 2006 citations were missing. The JCR publisher, Thomson Scientific, confirmed the error and corrected it in the recently re-issued version of the 2006 JCR. JCR includes data for nearly 6,200 highly cited titles in a wide variety of disciplines. The IEEE Transactions on Robotics and the preceding journal, the IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, have ranked number one in the Robotics category for several years and specifically for the five year period 2002 - 2006. The IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine is also in this category which includes a total of 12 journals; it ranks sixth in the 2006 JCR. The 2007 edition of the Journal Citation Reports will be published in June 2008. Scitopia.org Launches Updated Site 1 November – Scitopia.org, the free, federated search portal created by leading science and technology scholarly societies, including IEEE, removed its beta label on 16 October, marking the launch of its official service. Scitopia.org Beta was opened in June 2007, allowing users to test the site and provide feedback for improving the search portal. Since the initial beta release, scitopia.org has refined the cross-file searching that occurs with multiple content partners and modified the interface based on user feedback. The result is a simple and flexible interface, capable of providing reliable retrievals from over three million documents – primarily peer-reviewed journal content and conference proceedings –spanning more than 150 years of scholarship. 29 October – IEEE Societies, Sections, and Chapters offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for courses, workshops, lectures and tutorials being offered at their meetings or conferences must first register the activity with the IEEE Educational Activities Department (EAD) to ensure that the CEUs offered are valid. IEEE is an Authorized CEU Provider through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training. If your organization is offering CEUs but fails to register the course(s) with EAD, the CEUs are not valid. The Educational Activities Department is responsible for maintaining all CEUs offered by the IEEE as well as keeping a registry of students and the CEUs they have earned for up to seven years. Student transcripts are available upon request. For more information on IEEE CEUs and offering them for your continuing professional development events, contact Celeste Torres at c.torres@ieee.org or +1 732 981 3425. IEEE-USA to Host Innovation Forum 29 October – IEEE-USA will host its first Innovation Forum in Falls Church, Va., on 6-8 November. The event is designed to promote the innovation process, highlight new technologies and trends, and help high-tech professionals improve their innovation skills. Current and future leaders from industry, academia and government are among those who should attend. The forum is part of the IEEE-USA Innovation Institute. New Journal Issues Now Available in IEEE Xplore® Digital Library 24 October – Over 70 new journal issues and conference proceedings have recently been added to the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, including:
A full list is posted on the content update webpage. Individuals can sign up for email alerts to learn whenever new titles are posted to IEEE Xplore. Proceedings of the IEEE Takes a Look at T-Rays 24 October – The August 2007 Special Issue of the Proceedings of the IEEE (v.95, no.8), edited by IEEE Fellows Derek Abbot and Xi-Cheng Zhang, focuses on emerging applications and technological advances in T-ray (terahertz) imaging, sensing, and retection. In recent years, as advances in femtosecond laser technology have enabled the technology to emerge as a safe imaging method, T-rays have become an important tool for the noninvasive sensing of materials and structures. Key applications currently driving the technology are in the defense, security, and biosensing industries and span a wide range of hardware and signal processing issues. This special issue contains papers that discuss both the technical and practical applications of T-rays, covering six major themes related to the technology: T-ray imaging and retection; T-ray bio- and chemical sensing; novel T-ray technology; T-rays for material, semiconductor, and IC diagnostics; high power electron-based T-ray sources; and bridging the T-rays to millimeter wave region.
IEEE Hosts
2007 University Partnership Program Leaders Summit The day-long summit included a presentation IEEE Spectrum senior editor Jean Kumagai and photo editor Randi Silberman entitled "Bill & Ed's Excellent Underwater Adventure." Drexel University’s "Engineering a Better World" and Berkeley's HOPE (Hands on Practical Electronics) were both discussed as model student branch programs. 16 October – Registration is now open for the 2008 Formula Hybrid International Competition, a design and engineering challenge for undergraduate and graduate college and university students. Sponsored by IEEE and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, the competition will take place at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, USA, 5-7 May 2008. The event, which challenges college and university students to design, build, and race high-performance hybrid vehicles, also includes a fuel efficiency component. Students with backgrounds in electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering are encouraged to compete. Individuals can register and review the rules online. 16 October – The Electron Devices Society (EDS) is sponsoring a career development strategy session Sunday, 9 December, as part of its flagship conference, the 2007 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, held December 10-12 in Washington, D.C. Designed for graduate students and young professionals who are Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD), the program will include a seminar on career development strategies in today’s globally competitive world and a panel discussion focusing on career options and career path selection featuring experts from academia, research, design, development and manufacturing. Following the event, participants will have an opportunity to meet with EDS Officers and Administrative Committee (AdCom) members at a special networking session where they can learn more about the benefits of joining EDS. The event will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. EST in the Jefferson Room of the Washington Hilton and Towers Hotel. International Conference to Discuss Strategies for Meeting the Demand for Future Engineers and Educators 9 – 11 November 8 October – IEEE, in cooperation with Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE) and several international professional organizations, is looking for individuals to participate in the first of its kind IEEE international conference that will bring together members of industry, academia and government to discuss and offer solutions regarding the future of engineering education and the profession. The conference, “Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their Educators 2010-2020,” to be held 9-11 November in Munich, Germany, encourages attendees to collaborate and offer solutions that will be presented in an action plan on the final day. The meeting will feature four keynote addresses, 12 moderated paper discussion sessions and three breakout sessions, and is designed to open communication channels among the participating organizations. Representatives from top corporations including Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Siemens and Vodafone will take part in the workshop discussions. Sponsored by the IEEE,the IEEE Foundation, and Siemens, Inc., the conference is being held in cooperation with the following international professional organizations: VDE, the European Association for Education in Electrical and Information Engineering, European Commission, and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. For a full list of sponsors and additional information about the conference, visit the conference Web page. Individuals can also register online. For additional details, contact Jessica Czeczuga, Educational Activities, at j.czeczuga@ieee.org or +1 732 562 5496. 8 October – The IEEE Spectrum Autumn 2007 Career Accelerator Forum, a webinar featuring online presentations by career experts in medical and healthcare technology, computer security and career advancement, will take place 11 October. The three sessions will address medical electronics, the fast track management and career paths in computer security. Individuals can register online for the four hour program. IEEE Launches Internet Television 27 September – IEEE is announcing the launch of IEEE.tv – an Internet-based television network that features targeted programming on technology and engineering produced by IEEE members. Featuring a variety of programming options including hot topics in technology, conference highlights and interviews with industry experts, IEEE.tv can be viewed at www.ieee.org/ieeetv. IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. First launched as a Beta site in August 2006, IEEE.tv is a collaborative effort of IEEE volunteers, members and staff. Improved features include “flash” video format, a list of “most viewed” and “recently added” videos and different options for RSS feeds, enabling Internet syndication. Additional features available only to IEEE members include downloadable videos and personalization options. Read the full press release. (PDF, 93.8 KB). First IEEE 802 Wireless Standards Education Workshop to Take Place at IEEE GLOBECOM 26 September – The IEEE Educational Activities Board in cooperation with the IEEE Standards Association is presenting a first of its kind standards education workshop. Through this workshop, attendees can learn about the important role IEEE 802 Wireless Standards play in manufacturing and production processes. In association with IEEE GLOBECOM, the workshop is scheduled to take place 30 November to 1 December 2007 in Washington, DC. The workshop will feature a comprehensive panel discussion on standards history and the standards development process featuring the following speakers:
Moderator:
Panelists: Topics that will be covered in the lectures include: wireless LAN Standards for Wi-Fi Solutions, the development of WPAN ecosystem standards, the basis of WiMAX mobile broadband networks, and performance requirements and verification of the IEEE 802 wireless technologies. IEEE Members save $150 (USD) on registration and IEEE GLOBECOM attendees save an additional $50 (USD). IEEE Student Members are encouraged to attend and are offered a significantly reduced registration fee where they save $400 (USD). The preliminary program and a registration form are available online. Conference to Examine Role Technology Can Play in Managing Health Care Costs 19 September – The role technology can play in helping the United States manage health care costs by advancing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease will be examined at a conference at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md., on 25 September. Major technological advances have greatly improved patient care since the 1970s, but have come at a steep price. U.S. health care spending is expected to rise from nearly $2 trillion in 2002 to more than $4 trillion by 2015. The goal of "Economic Strategy for Health Care through Bio and Information Standards and Technologies" is to emphasize the need to develop a long-term economic strategy for implementing bio and health care information technologies into our health care system. By developing breakthrough biomeasurement, bioinformatics, biologically based and health-information technologies, rising health care costs can be reigned in and quality can be improved. To read the full press release, visit the IEEE-USA Web site. IEEE 2006 Annual Report Now Available 11 September – The sense of connection that the IEEE fosters among members is the theme of the 2006 IEEE Annual Report. Titled “Interconnected,” it is being mailed this month to corporate, education and government leaders around the world, and to IEEE volunteers and staff. Also, for the first time, the report is being made available digitally to IEEE members. A special email alert is enabling them to either view the Annual Report in their browsers or to download the PDF version.(PDF, 3,468 KB) 2007 IEEE Annual Election Period Opens 11 September – Ballots for the 2007 IEEE Annual Election have been mailed to all eligible voting IEEE members via first class. Ballot materials may be accessed electronically. The annual election candidate biography booklet was provided to members who are eligible to vote for the first time in the annual election, those who have been elevated to Member or Graduate Student membership grades on/or before 30 June 2007, and those members who voted by paper ballot in the 2006 election. Members who transmitted their ballot electronically or did not vote in the 2006 election, will not receive the candidate biography booklet. However, access to these materials will be available electronically via the IEEE Annual Election Web site. All eligible voting members will receive a paper ballot and postage paid reply envelope in their ballot package. To assist all voting members in making an informed decision, a moderated Roundtable Q&A video/audio session with the three President-Elect candidates answering questions asked by members, and a video/audio of the annual President-Elect candidates' debate, hosted by the IEEE Philadelphia Section, are also available on the IEEE annual election Web site, or directly from IEEE.tv. All ballots must be received by the election vendor by 1 November 2007 at 12 noon, Central Time USA (17:00 Greenwich Mean Time) to be counted. For additional information about the IEEE Annual Election, please contact: corp-election@ieee.org. Symposium Explores Plug-in Hybrid Cars 11 September – A one-day symposium, “Plug-in Hybrids: Accelerating Progress 2007” will address the technology hurdles and policy challenges for commercializing plug-in hybrid vehicles. The symposium, which will be held on 19 September in Washington, D.C, will bring together leaders from manufacturing, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories and nonprofit organizations. Read the full story in The Institute . IEEE Expert Now Pilot Program Enables Members to Earn Free Continuing Education Units 11 September – IEEE Expert Now courses are available for use by IEEE Regions, Sections, and Chapters interested in participating in the IEEE Expert Now Section-Chapter Program. The program, which began as a pilot in 2006, helps local IEEE volunteers organize an event where attendees can view one or more IEEE Expert Now course(s) and discuss the materials with a local expert on that topic. There is no charge for participating in this program in 2007, and IEEE Regions, Sections and Chapters who do participate this year will have the ability to award Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to event participants free of charge. IEEE Regions, Sections and Chapters interested in participating will work directly with IEEE Educational Activities (EA) Staff to organize the event. IEEE EA Staff provides access to the selected course(s), can make recommendations or provide “best practices” for organizing the event, can provide surveys for attendees’ feedback and CEUs to attendees who return completed surveys. For more information visit the IEEE Expert Now Section-Chapter Program Web site or send a message to expertnowinfo@ieee.org. Call For Speakers – IEEE Sections Congress 11 September – The Sections Congress 2008 Program Committee is now accepting nominations for session speakers. Sections Congress 2008 will be held 19 – 22 September at the Quebec City Convention Center in Quebec City, Canada. The theme of the event is "Celebrating Volunteer Achievements Worldwide." The three program tracks are: Membership; Section Management; and Section/Chapter Activities. To nominate a speaker, visit the IEEE Sections Congress 2008 Web site and click on "Nominate a Speaker." The deadline for submitting speaker nominations is 1 November 2007. IEEE Foundation Grants Awarded for 2007 10 September – The IEEE Foundation awarded grants to a variety of initiatives in 2007. Highlights include the creation of a new exhibit at the Women at Work Museum in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA, to showcase the achievements of women engineers throughout history; the production of the pilot episode of "Nerd Girls", a television documentary aimed at encouraging a young female audience to consider entering engineering-related fields; the creation of the "Museum of the Future", a non-profit organization that aims to promote science and engineering among the public, especially those that are victims of the digital divide in Portuguese-speaking countries around the world; and providing resources to launch a Turkey-wide Web site contest in which pre-college students will compete to design and develop the best school website. In total, nearly US$250,000 was presented to support initiatives from IEEE branches around the world. For more information, visit the IEEE Foundation Web site. IEEE Seeks Program Evaluators for Accrediting Engineering And Engineering Technology Programs at U.S. Universities 10 September – IEEE, the largest member of ABET, Inc. (formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), is responsible for the peer-review evaluation of more than 700 college and university programs. To aid IEEE and ABET in its accreditation process, the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) is seeking engineering professionals from industry, government and academe to serve as program evaluators. Applications for the 2007 - 2008 academic year will be accepted through 15 November 2007. In addition to lending their valuable expertise to the accreditation process, program evaluators have the opportunity to keep abreast of the latest engineering and technology teaching methods and can meet individuals who will soon be entering the profession. Additionally, program evaluators will learn how to conduct an objective evaluation of the educational process using established criteria. Selected applicants will attend a training seminar on the IEEE/ABET accreditation process, which will be scheduled in several locations throughout the U.S. in 2008. After training, program evaluators are dispatched in teams to visit engineering and engineering technology departments at colleges and universities across the country on behalf of the IEEE and ABET. Evaluation sessions are held during the fall and usually run two to three days. Information packages, including the application and nomination forms, are available online for engineering programs and engineering technology programs. For more information, contact eab-accred@ieee.org. IEEE Publishes Four New Journals in IEEE Xplore 10 September – Inaugural issues of four new publications have been recently published in IEEE Xplore covering biomedical, signal processing, industrial electronics, and network management technologies. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems focuses on microelectronic issues in a wide variety of applications found in life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing discusses the theories and applications of signals by digital or analog devices and techniques. This includes filtering, coding, transmitting, estimating, detecting, analyzing, recognizing, synthesizing, recording, and reproducing signals. IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine deals with the theory and application of electronics, controls, communications, instrumentation, and computational intelligence to industrial and manufacturing systems and processes. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management publishes peer-reviewed, archival quality papers advancing the state-of-the-art and practical application of network and service management in an online-only format. 10 September – LeaderPoint, a company specializing in executive and management development sessions and newest member to the IEEE Education Partners Program (EPP), is offering members a 10 percent discount on its Executive Experience session. The session, a five-day, comprehensive development program designed to advance leadership and management skills, is held in Kansas City, Mo. The Executive Experience will help participants:
Each session has an assessment component which provides a summary of LeaderPoint’s observations, the participant’s comments, and specific recommendations. Participants can contact LeaderPoint at any time for follow-up work, questions, and concerns. For more information, visit the LeaderPoint Web site. For general information on the IEEE Education Partners Program visit the EPP Web site. IEEE-USA Seeks Award Nominations 22 August – The IEEE-USA Awards and Recognition Committee is seeking nominations for its 2007 awards in professionalism, technical achievement, and literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession. The deadline for nominations has been extended to 14 September 2007. Examples of activities that would qualify individuals for nomination include promoting science and math education in pre-college education, promoting professional awareness with college students, educating members on non-technical skills to advance and maintain their careers, and educating the public on the positive impact of the professions served by the IEEE. For a detailed description of each award and nomination forms, visit the IEEE-USA Web site. IEEE Xplore Toolbar Now Available 22 August – The IEEE Xplore digital library can now be instantly accessed through a customized toolbar, enabling users to easily search IEEE journals, magazines, conference proceedings, standards and books directly from their browser. This feature became available as part of the IEEE Xplore 2.4 Release which went live 4 August. It can be accessed through the tools section of the IEEE Xplore Guide or from the IEEE Xplore Web site. IEEE Applications & Practice Magazine Accepting Submissions for Premiere Issue 20 August – IEEE Applications & Practice Magazine, a new IEEE eZine and print supplement to the IEEE Communications Magazine, is intended to be a source of timely, significant, technically-reviewed articles, application notes, and technical papers for engineering practitioners in all areas of communications technology. A special issue focusing on optical communications is planned for January 2008. Submissions for this special issue should provide information that will be useful to engineering practitioners at all levels of experience. Technical papers, tutorials, application notes, and other formats are welcomed in numerous general areas. Abstract submissions are due 15 September 2007 and final papers are due 1 November 2007. Papers should be no longer than 4,500 words and contain no more than six figures. Please contact Jack Howell at j.howell@comsoc.org with any questions or for additional information. 14 August – The IEEE Professional Communication Society (PCS), celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2007, will host its annual international conference in Seattle, Wash., USA from 1 – 3 October. The conference will address “Engineering the Future of Human Communication” and commemorate the past 50 years of PCS and look toward the future. Featured speakers include Ray Kurzweil, a legendary inventor and futurist, and Chris Linnett, who launched some of the Web’s most popular sites including the MSN homepage and Microsoft Office Online. Topic areas that will be addressed include information design, usability, cross-cultural communication, and visual/multimedia communication. To register for the conference, or for more information, visit the PCS Web site. Members Save US$50 on Teaching Seminar From The American Society of Mechanical Engineers 8 August – Registration is now open for an Essential Teaching Seminar offered by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which will take place 6-8 September, 2007 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Designed for engineering and technology faculty at institutions of higher education, the seminar will enable educators to improve their teaching skills in a collegial, peer-critiqued environment as well as learn from the latest best practices. Participants will prepare and teach actual classes in small group settings. Each seminar is limited to 30 participants. IEEE members can save US$50 on the registration fee, which includes meals. Questions can be directed to Amy Bentow, manager, education, ASME at bentowa@asme.org or +1 212 591 7880. IEEE Journals Rank High in 2006 Journal Citation Reports 3 August – Each year, the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) from Thomson ISI examine the impact of academic journals by determining how often journals' articles are cited by later research. The 2006 study, released in June 2007, shows that IEEE journals maintain a healthy and growing lead in their field. The JCR ranks journals by their impact factor, defined as the average number of times articles published in a specific journal in the previous two years were cited in a particular year. According to the JCR, IEEE publishes:
and high-ranking journals in several additional fields of technology. Upcoming Webinars From IEEE Spectrum Tech Insider Include Autumn 2007 Career Accelerator Forum 3 August – Several IEEE Spectrum Tech Insider webinars are scheduled for the fall. These include:
Additionally, the Autumn 2007 Career Accelerator Forum, a virtual trade show and three-part presentation by career experts focusing on opportunities in medical and healthcare technology, computer security and career advancement is scheduled for 11 October. Planned Service Disruptions 3 - 5 August Due to System Upgrade 31 July – From Friday, 3 August through Sunday, 5 August, the IEEE Web site will be affected by a system upgrade to a new Business Management System (BMS). 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. Additionally, on 4 August 2007, IEEE Xplore is expected to be off-line beginning at 9 a.m. EDT until midnight (12:00 AM EDT on 5 Aug). IEEE Life Fellow Leslie Geddes Awarded National Medal of Technology 27 July – Leslie Geddes, an IEEE Life Fellow and Purdue University professor, was presented with the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony on Friday, 27 July. The National Medal of Technology is the nation’s highest honor for technological innovation. Geddes is recognized for more than 50 years of research that has spawned innovations ranging from burn treatments to miniature defibrillators to ligament repair to tiny blood pressure monitors for premature infants. His most recent discovery, which will be described in an upcoming research journal, is a new method for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation that he says will be more effective than standard CPR, according to a Purdue University press release. A member of the IEEE since 1947 and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society since 1973, Geddes was awarded the IEEE Edison Medal in 1994 “for fundamental contributions to applied biomedical instrumentation and the understanding of the electrical properties of the cardiovascular system." The National Medal of Technology program is administered by the Technology Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The program was established by Congress in 1980, and medals were first issued in 1985.The medal is given annually to individuals, teams and companies for accomplishments in the innovation, development and commercialization of technology. 13 July – Moshe Kam, IEEE vice president, Educational Activities, and Robert Quinn Professor at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, has been named the new head of Drexel’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE). An IEEE Fellow, Kam also currently serves as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The ECE Department at Drexel is one of the oldest engineering departments in the United States (established in 1893 as a Department of Applied Electricity). The department has 35 full time faculty members and it educates about 1,000 students (750 undergraduates and 250 graduates). Its annual research expenditures are approximately US$15M with primary research support coming from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin, and the National Science Foundation. Kam received his Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronics engineering in 1977 from Tel Aviv University, and the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Drexel University in 1985 and 1987, respectively. Trial of IEEE Spectrum Digital Delivery Debuts with July Issue 10 July – IEEE Spectrum debuted an all-digital version in July which will be offered as an optional IEEE member benefit in 2008. The digital version of the magazine will be sent to current IEEE members via a monthly email alert in an introductory trial that will run through December 2007. Members will continue to receive IEEE Spectrum in both print and digital formats until the end of the year. This trial will also be applied to the September and December print issues of The Institute. At any point during the trial, subscribers can elect to opt into digital delivery only in 2008 by checking the opt-in link provided in the email alert. IEEE members who choose this option will no longer receive print copies of the publications. Those who do not opt into digital delivery for 2008 will continue to receive a print subscription. There are no plans to suspend the print edition, and members can elect to stop the introductory trial period at any time. Members can view the digital publication by either downloading a PDF file or using the enhanced, browser-based edition. The browser-based edition includes a navigation bar to easily sort through content, a settings bar to customize the publication’s display, an enhanced search feature and the ability to forward an article or the entire issue to a friend or colleague via email. IEEE UCE/Spam Filtering Service Policy to Change from "Opt-In" to "Opt-Out" 10 July – To help reduce the increasingly large volume of unsolicited commercial email messages – commonly known as spam – being sent to ieee.org email addresses from outside sources, the IEEE UCE/spam filtering service will be changing from the current “opt-in” policy to an “op-out” policy.” On 20 August 2007, a default spam filtering level, expected to reduce the volume of email sent to ieee.org addresses by 30 percent, will be applied to all IEEE email aliases. It is designed to filter out email that is extremely likely to be UCE/spam. In the past, this filtering service had to be individually activated by each user. Those who do not wish to have the default spam filtering level applied to their IEEE email alias can select to “opt-out” at https://uce.ieee.org and choose the “No UCE/Spam filtering” option, or select a more aggressive filter level. After choosing this option, click on “Set UCE/Spam Filtering Level” button to save the changes. If no action is taken by 20 August, the default spam filtering level will be activated. Subscribers can opt-out of the filtering service at any time. For more details on why the new policy was implemented, how the policy will improve email delivery through internet service providers and the aggressiveness of the service, visit https://uce.ieee.org/opt-out-info.html. Questions can be directed to member-services@ieee.org. 10 July – Nominations are being accepted for the IEEE Fellows class of 2009. The rank of IEEE Fellow is the Institute’s highest member grade, bestowed on IEEE senior members who have contributed “to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology.” The deadline for nominations is 1 March 2008. Senior members can be nominated in one of four categories: application engineer/practitioner, research engineer/scientist, educator or technical leader. The Fellows Web site contains additional information on the nomination process including access to the Fellows Nomination Kit, lists of Fellows who may be available as references as well as the history of the IEEE Fellows program. For more information visit the Fellows Web site. IEEE Approves Six New Publications for 2008 10
July – IEEE has approved six new
publications for 2008. The list of new journal
titles, which cover a wide variety of engineering
and computer science topics, include:
IEEE
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ON HAPTICS What's New Newsletters Now Available in New Format 10 July – IEEE recently launched a new HTML format for all eight of its WHAT’S NEW@IEEE newsletters. The updated format, which debuted with the May 2007 issues, features a more polished layout including embedded hyperlinks making it easy to navigate through the different stories. To view a recent issue, visit http://newsletters.ieee.org/ieeelibr/issues/2007-06-21.html. To subscribe to any of the WHAT’S NEW@IEEE newsletters, visit http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/subscription_form.cfm?user_id=IEEE IEEE Mentoring Connection™ Seeks New Members 5 July – The IEEE Mentoring Connection is seeking additional “online” mentors to help guide younger professionals in career planning and professional development. Mentor participation is open to all higher grade IEEE members. The program is connecting members around the world. For example, currently a mentor in Florida is partnered with members in Hong Kong and China, and a mentor in Ireland is partnered with a member in Saudi Arabia. Other mentors in the United States are currently matched with individuals in Japan, Nigeria and India. A total of 854 mentees and 379 mentors have registered for the program to date. Since its inception, 166 mentor/mentee pairs have been established, with several other partnerships in the process of being finalized. Potential mentors are asked to review the time and effort commitment to the program necessary to ensure a successful mentoring partnership. Currently, mentors are asked to dedicate a minimum of two hours a month. To join the program, visit the Mentoring Connection Web site and use the IEEE Group ID “IEEE2006” to open the site, followed by a Password and User ID set-up process. Members with questions can contact Cathy Downer, Regional Activities, at c.downer@ieee.org. 5 July – IEEE members are now eligible for a 10 percent tuition discount on courses offered by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) by enrolling through the IEEE Education Partners program. RIT currently offers more than 45 certificate and degrees online, and has an office dedicated to supporting students enrolled in online programs. Students taking RIT online courses are afforded all of the same functions of a traditional university including admissions, financial aid services, registration, tuition payment, a comprehensive library and a bookstore. Consistently ranked as one of the United States’ leading comprehensive universities by U.S. News & World Report, RIT is recognized as a world leader in career-oriented and professional education. With more than 20 years of experience in distance learning, RIT offers advanced certificates and masters degrees online in areas such as imaging science, information technology, microelectronics, networking and systems administration, software development and management and telecommunications. 13 June – The IEEE, the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, announced that Dr. Thomas Kailath, a respected leader in digital signal processing and systems theory, has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 IEEE Medal of Honor. Dr. Kailath’s invaluable contributions have led to fundamental breakthroughs and technology upgrades in a wide range of areas including multi-path smart cellular phones, wireless text and video messaging, credit card transactions, image resolution and environmental sampling. A professor of engineering at Stanford University, Kailath will be presented with the award at the annual IEEE Honors Ceremony on 16 June 2007 in Philadelphia. The award is sponsored by the IEEE Foundation. Read the full press release. (PDF, 94 KB) 2007 IEEE Presidents' Scholarship Awarded for 3-D Display Device 12 June – The IEEE Presidents' Scholarship, sponsored by the IEEE Foundation, was awarded to George Francis Hotz, a 17 year-old senior at the Bergen County Academies in Glen Rock, N.J, USA, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held last month in Albuquerque, N.M, USA. The US$10,000 Presidents’ Scholarship is awarded annually for “outstanding achievement in creating a project that demonstrates an understanding of electrical engineering, information technology, or other IEEE fields of interest.” More than 1,500 students qualified for the competition. For his winning project, entitled "I Want a Holodeck", Hotz designed and built a full color, high resolution, 360 degree viewable volumetric display, which displays 3-D objects in a hologram-type format. Hotz mounted a screen and a DLP projector on a spinning platform, and by spinning the projector quickly while displaying different cross sections of a particular image, it tricks the eye into seeing the image in three dimensions. These objects will be valuable in a variety of applications including CAT scans, MRIs, protein-folding visualizations and video games. Hotz said the project was inspired by watching the movie STAR WARS and seeing the hologram that R2D2 projected of Princess Leia. Scitopia.org Research Site Now Live 12 June – Scitopia.org, the free, federated search portal created by leading science and technology scholarly societies, officially launched 3 June at the Special |