IEEE Life Members Committee E-Newsletter
E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 2021
Welcoming Remarks
T. Scott Atkinson, Chair, IEEE Life Member Committee
I hope that 2021 turns out to be a better year for you and your family after what we all went through in 2020. This is the first electronic newsletter for 2021, and I am pleased to give a special welcome to our new IEEE Life Members (LMs). We now have 38,332 LMs as of January 2021, an annual increase of just over 10%.
Your Life Member Committee (LMC) held its first virtual meeting of the year on 29 January 2021, working on your behalf. Here are its committee members:
[Note: Those underlined are new to the LMC this year.]
Each committee member's special assignments are listed. Please reach out to them regarding any questions that you might have about Life Membership.
Additionally, there are 10 regional coordinators working closely with the LMC. They are your primary contacts for any questions relating to Life Member Activities, including funding support opportunities.
Each year, the LMC sets out its programs in support of the interests of IEEE, its LMs (including all IEEE retired Members), and the IEEE Foundation.
These programs include:
It is my hope that you will support these projects with your donations to the LMF. I suggest that if you have not donated to the LMF before, you do so this year with a minimum of US$20. For regular donors, please consider a donation equivalent to your past IEEE dues. Our programs, run entirely by LM volunteers, would not be possible without your support. For more details, visit
https://www.ieeefoundation.org/LifeMembers?utm_source=marchenews&utm_medium=email&&utm_campaign=LifeMembers.
As always, we would like to hear your feedback regarding any topic related to our programs, donations, and activities.
Editor's Note
The LMC has decided to continue with the policy of using electronic means for distributing its newsletters to LMs. The limited volume of comments received suggests that most members support this change, which not only greatly reduces the cost but also conserves resources. However, to ensure that every LM has ready access to the newsletters, those members who have opted out of email from IEEE can:
A footnote to this issue announces the introduction of a feedback/correspondence column. The LMC wants to know more about the concerns of LMs, their interests, and their suggestions on how to improve the IEEE membership experience. We will attempt to deal satisfactorily with what we hope will become a fruitful means of exchanging views on any topic related to Life Membership.
The LMC is also aware that LMs in those Sections without an LMAG might feel somewhat disconnected from the mainstream of IEEE activity, lacking essential information about meetings, events, and opportunities to join volunteer groups. The LMC aims to help these members get more engaged locally in their Sections by being put in contact with the Section officers. A letter is being sent to the chairs of all of these Sections (220 out of the total of 330) asking them to review the status of their LMs to make sure that their interests are being served adequately by the Section leadership.
LMAGs Drive Activity
LMAGs are the principal agents driving LM activities in more than 100 Sections in the 10 Regions of IEEE. They each have access to financial support from the LMF for approved activities, such as meetings and other events organized for the benefit of LMs.
David Bondurant, the new LMAG activities coordinator on the LMC, presented an annual report to the LMC on 29 January 2021 based on inputs from the 10 regional coordinators. The 38,332 LMs are supported by 108 active LMAGs. The 10 regional coordinators are currently working to establish new LMAGs in the approximately 150 Sections judged to have a viable number of LMs. To review David's annual report, please visit
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwcngfjai0n0x0f/LMC%202020%20LMAG%20Activities.pdf?dl=0.
LMAG Reports
In each issue of the IEEE Life Members Committee E‐Newsletter, we publish reports of activities from LMAGs. Because of the restrictions imposed by the COVID‐19 pandemic, many of the traditional types of events have been replaced by “virtual” online webinars and other meetings. Here are some recent examples.
LMAG–Tokyo Section: Celebrations held in Tokyo
LMAG–Tokyo held its 10th Anniversary Symposium and IEEE Day celebrations online on 8 October 2020 with 70 participants. The event was chaired by Dr. Imai, LMAG–Tokyo vice chair, and started with sponsors' addresses by Dr. Tokuda, Tokyo Section chair, and Dr. Takano, LMAG–Tokyo chair. Congratulatory speeches by Dr. Fukuda, IEEE president, and other important guests followed. Then, the founding chair, Dr. Habara, gave the talk “Dawn of LMAG‐Tokyo.” The subsequent panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Ohta, LMAG–Tokyo secretary, and raised various suggestions about LMAG activity. After a short break, a variety of congratulatory messages were introduced. A champagne bottle was uncorked, and Dr. Takano led a toast for celebrating IEEE Day and LMAG–Tokyo's 10th anniversary. Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, the event was unusual compared with conventional ones. However, thanks to the strong support of the LMAGs and their members, this event was considered to be a great success.
LMAG–Tokyo 10th Anniversary Symposium and IEEE Day participants celebrate a virtual toast (via Zoom).
U.K. and Ireland Section LMAG: Soft Robots Webinar
The U.K. and Ireland Section LMAG sponsored a webinar on 25 November 2020 featuring some unusual types of robots and applications. Under the title “Soft robots interacting with humans and other fragile objects,” a talk was given by Prof. Kaspar Althoefer.
Professor Althoefer demonstrated that specially designed robots can deal with the type of “soft” materials commonly encountered in medical and industrial applications, and where the handling of soft objects must be carried out with minimal damage, as in the agri‐food area. The development of soft tactile sensors, enabling soft robots to perceive their environments and achieve object manipulation in a closed‐loop control scheme, has been a major goal of this technology. The webinar is available to view on the UK and Ireland Section website (www.ieee-ukandireland.org).
Professor Althoefer is professor of Robotics Engineering at the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary University of London, U.K.
U.K. and Ireland Section LMAG: History Activities
LMs in the U.K. and Ireland Section have been actively involved with the organization of the series of history conferences known as HISTELCON. The first HISTELCON was in 2008 and held in the prestigious Cercle National des Armées in Paris, France. The theme was History of Telecommunications, and it was an initiative of Jacob Baal‐Schem, Life Senior Member, Israel. Its success led to a second HISTELCON in Madrid, Spain, in 2010 followed by Pavia, Italy, in 2012 and Tel‐Aviv, Israel, in 2015. The next event was in Region 10 in Kobe, Japan, in 2017, and the most recent HISTELCON was held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2019. Over this time, the event developed the status of an “R8 Flagship Conference.” The 2021 HISTELCON is planned for 18–20 August 2021 in Moscow, Russia, the format being uncertain due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Conferences on the history of technology present a particular problem: museum curators and academics in history‐related departments can expect to receive financial support for travel and attendance from their employers or research grants. However, for academics and industry members working in engineering and technology, this is unlikely, and they may be expected to pay their own costs and attend as part of their holiday entitlements. It is also difficult for an important “target”—engineering students and early career professional engineers. They need knowledge of the past to enable them to “invent the future.” Therefore, organizers of HISTELCONs try to set affordable registration fees to encourage larger attendances than is usually achieved for IEEE history meetings.
IEEE Milestone projects are the main type of history activity for the LMAG Committee: one will be dedicated later this year, three are currently being reviewed by the IEEE History Committee, and another three are in preparation (one of which will be a joint venture with Region 1). At a recent IEEE Milestone dedication in Italy (for Gallileo Ferraris’ realization of a rotating electromagnetic field), an interesting quotation was stated: “History of Technology is important to connect the already dead to the not yet born by means of the present.”
Pikes Peak LMAG: Learning About the New U.S. Space Force
Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the current headquarters of the newly formed U.S. Space Force. On 22 October 2020, David Fitzgerald (U.S. Air Force colonel, retired) presented the talk, “Satellite Information Communications Influence on the Formation of the U.S. Space Force.” Col. Fitzgerald started as a U.S. Air Force communications technician in Vietnam and became an Air Force officer. He received electrical engineering and management degrees, worked in troposcatter radio, and ended his career as deputy chief information officer for Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs. He described the decision process for creating the Space Force as a separate unit in the United States.
David Fitzgerald presented “Satellite Information Communications Influence on the Formation of the U.S. Space Force” on 22 October 2020.
New Jersey Coast Section: Persian Poetry and Music
The New Jersey Coast (NJC) Section LMAG, chaired by Dr. Manu Malek, moved to virtual meetings. While, generally, such meetings relate to technology, NJC chose to provide, as one of its 2020 programs, some pandemic relief with an unusual cultural session: Persian Poetry and Music.
This presentation included two parts: poetry and music. The Persian language has endured for more than a millennium in its present form. The main reason for this is the rich Persian literature and, especially, poetry. Perhaps, the best-known Persian poets in the West are Khayyam and Rumi. Although they deserve the fame, Persian poetry is so much more.
The first part of the presentation provided a glimpse into the vast treasure of Persian poetry. It started with a quick geographical/historical perspective on Iran and Persia. Then a brief background on the Persian language was provided, followed by an introduction to Persian poetry, its structure and styles. Some prominent classical poets with samples of their work were presented.
In the second part, traditional Iranian (Persian) music was introduced through a brief history of this music: by scale (modal) differences between the “Western Classical Music” and this music, and by the characteristics of presently known Persian music. Some samples of different instruments were shown, and melodies were played.
Let's Talk About Risks
Terry Branch, PDR Technologies Inc.
I am planning to share with you a series of articles called “Let's Talk About Risks.” Although in upcoming articles I will weave in several types of risks, risk assessments, and consequences, my focus will be mainly on risk management of electrical asset classes. This first article sets the stage for future articles on risks and risk management. In this article, I will share two links: one about the origin of the term "risk" and the other highlighting when modern “risk management” started. I will also detail how I first became engaged in the field of risk management. I will end with a definition of “risk” and the importance of physical asset risk assessment for plant and facility operation managers.
Did you know that the modern term “risk” appeared for the first time in the Northern Italian city states in the 14th century? Today, “risk management” is a popular term. It is a relatively recent corporate function of financial risks, physical risks, environmental risks, and several other types of risks. Modern risk management started after 1955. In the 1970s, there was the concept of financial risk management. Since then as we have seen that risk management has evolved considerably and several forms of risk management have surfaced over the years.
In the late 1980s, I had the good fortune to become the director of risk management for a large reputable corporation. Prior to this opportunity, I was engaged in electrical engineering, electrical maintenance, electrical systems’ surveys, and the investigation of electrical failures. One major electrical failure that I investigated was a large electrical fire that destroyed the main switchgear of a large manufacturing plant. The property damage and business interruption losses were in the millions of dollars. In a future article, I will share this experience with you. Since then, I was intrigued with risks and risk management. My engagements with risk managers, risk analysts, loss prevention analysts, insurance agents, insurance brokers, plant operations managers, maintenance managers, supervisors, and tradesmen who were mainly industrial plants’ electricians and millwrights, enlightened me in several aspects of electrical and other physical assets’ risk management. It gave me the foundation and framework to provide valuable engineering, maintenance support, and risk management services to diverse operations. Risk management—especially electrical risk management—became my passion.
Since I will talk more about risks in future articles, I would like to define “risk.” A definition used by several managers in the risk management field is that risk is the likelihood of injury, harm, damage or danger, or loss multiplied by the potential magnitude. In other words, risk is the product of probability and severity. This simple formula is important in risk assessments when evaluating physical asset risks. A risk assessment methodology incorporated in an asset management or maintenance program, supports managers’ efforts in making informed decisions to eliminate or control serious risks.
The Origin of Funding for LM Activities
When the LMC was established, it was decided to provide two separate sources of support. In effect, there are two “parent” bodies responsible for the management of LM services: the MGA board and IEEE Foundation.
The MGA board was given the responsibility of managing the geographic aspects of IEEE membership, across the 10 IEEE Regions and the 333 Sections, and provides staff support to the LMC. Annual rebates are paid by MGA to Sections in proportion to their complement of LMs. Each LM attracts a rebate of US$3 (US$4 for Senior Members and Fellows). In addition, a rebate of US$200 is paid for each LMAG, with a bonus of US$75 for LMAGs holding six or more events per year.
Separately, the main source of funding available to LMAGs for their activities is the LMF administered by the IEEE Foundation. Each LMAG can apply through their regional coordinator for up to US$2,000 each year to support approved activities, such as meetings and other events organized for the benefit of LMs.
The LMF has been sustained over many years by donations from members. Leadership through giving shows a true understanding of needs and does the most to help the LMC reach IEEE long‐term goals. The LMC thanks all who have contributed in the past and who continue to help IEEE strive for improved member outreach programs, educational development, information exchange efforts, historical preservation, and awards and recognition initiatives.
Donating to the IEEE Foundation and the LMF
The opportunities for LMs to make charitable gifts to IEEE are many and varied. Some examples include
For additional information on the various ways to give, or to hold a confidential discussion of the opportunities, benefits, and tax advantages available to you as you consider a gift, please contact the IEEE Development Office at +1 732 465 5871 or donate@ieee.org or visit https://www.ieeefoundation.org/LifeMembers?utm_source=marchenews&utm_medium=email&&utm_campaign=LifeMembers.
As always, we would like to hear your feedback regarding any topic related to our programs, donations, and activities.
How is this money spent?
Every year the LMC and IEEE Foundation, working in tandem, support a wide range of projects and activities, most of which are funded by LM donations. Prospective donors can be assured that project grants are routinely subjected to rigorous scrutiny at the application stage and, subsequently, when the final report is submitted and the financial report is reviewed. All projects are required to have some IEEE connection, such as through the involvement of an IEEE entity (Society, Region, Section, Chapter, Affinity Group, or Student Branch) and IEEE volunteers. Some projects can be considered as purely philanthropic in nature, while others are for the benefit of groups of IEEE members, typically Student Branches and IEEE Young Professionals and LMAGs. Donors can get a more complete picture of all IEEE‐supported projects from the IEEE Foundation (www.ieeefoundation.org). A good example of the success achieved in recent years is found in the Smart Village, one of the IEEE Foundation's signature programs. Visit https://smartvillage.ieee.org/ to explore this program in detail. The 2019 annual report of the IEEE Foundation contains full details of the other signature programs supported by donations. In 2019, LMs contributed 68% of the donations made to the IEEE Foundation by individuals.
Join the IEEE Heritage Circle and Become an Honored Philanthropist
The LMC would like to invite you to join the IEEE Heritage Circle as an Honored Philanthropist and continue to contribute toward IEEE actively as an LM. By pledging US$1,000 a year for the next 10 years, you can become a member of the IEEE Heritage Circle at the Nikola Tesla Level and move up the levels as you so wish over time. You will be recognized immediately at the time of your pledge. In addition to the named recognition, you will receive recognition in IEEE LM publications, the IEEE Foundation annual report, appropriate campaign publications, and the IEEE Foundation website.
Your gifts will be used by the LMC of the IEEE Foundation to support many initiatives in IEEE under the LMC including and not limited to
You may join online via the following link or use the QR code:
https://www.ieeefoundation.org/pages/how-to-give/how-to-give---life-members---hc-campaign
LMC Support Fuels Programs
In 2019, the LMF, which comprises the major source of the financial support for the LMC, received US$225,000 in donations. The LMC used these funds to support programs for education (US$66,000), fellowships (such as the IEEE History Fellowship) (US$32,000), LMAG activities (US$37,000), and the IEEE Life Members Newsletter (US$62,000). It also funded special projects such as the refurbishment of the Daytona Beach small radio telescope educational facility and the Ottawa Section Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) project (reported below).
The 2020 IEEE Life Members Graduate Study Fellowship in Electrical Engineering was awarded to Mr. Anshuman Sharma. The presentation ceremony can be viewed at: https://ieeetv.ieee.org/channels/communities/ieee-life-members-graduate-study-fellowship-in-electrical-engineering-anshuman-sharma-2020-eab-awards.
Ottawa ARDF Group “Fox Hunt” Demonstration
Wolfram Lunscher and Rob Haddow
Saturday, 19 September 2020 saw the Ottawa ARDF group set up in Walter Baker Park in Kanata for the first official ARDF demonstration event, alongside the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club's (OARC's) Radio in the Park event. ARDF is also known as fox hunting, transmitter hunting, bunny hunting, and radio‐orienteering. Please note that none of these activities actually involve the hunting of animals.
The Ottawa ARDF group displayed new equipment that it had purchased and built with IEEE funding, allowing key sponsors, target audience groups and local area hams to try it out by searching for five mini‐transmitters hidden in the Park area. Though a bit chilly in the morning, it was a beautiful, sunny day dominated by a blue sky. The demonstration event was attended by 18 representatives from a diverse range of interested parties including the IEEE Ottawa Section, adult leaders and Scouts from local Scouts Canada troops, organizers from the Christie Lakes Kids youth outreach organization, and Orienteering Ottawa leadership. Local amateur radio operators also took part. A short introductory brief was given to each group of fox hunters, which included an emphasis on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) aspects of radio direction finding and an explanation on using the equipment to find the “fox.”
The five hidden transmitters were spaced widely throughout the park making for an exciting, energetic adventure in the crisp outdoors. It was a novel experience clearly enjoyed by all participants making for a 100% successful demonstration of transmitter finding for the target audience. There were immediate requests for setting up more events.
All current COVID‐19 measures were maintained with the equipment being cleaned between uses. Masks were worn when at the registration and briefing areas. All participants returned having successfully found the hidden transmitters.
The purchase of the transmitters, receivers, and antennas used to deliver this program was largely funded by the IEEE LMF through a special project grant of US$2916, requested and administered by the Ottawa Section. IEEE was interested in promoting this program because it exposes young people (ages 11 and up) to technology that will increase their awareness of STEM and possibly lead them to explore STEM careers in their future. Also, this provides a multigenerational opportunity for IEEE members, including LMs, to mentor the community in radio technology. As the activity has successfully shown, this outreach includes Scouts Canada, Guides Canada, cadets, and school‐sponsored activities. Interest was also expressed by the Orienteering Ottawa Club, which ran with maps and compasses to locate hidden targets. Of course, since transmitter hunting is an outdoor activity, it also encourages a healthy active lifestyle.
The Ottawa ARDF Group was formed by Roger Egan, special events coordinator for the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club (OVMRC) in fall 2019, and is made up of Ottawa Amateur Radio operators mainly from the OVMRC and OARC with an interest in ARDF. Since formation, the group has been building a collection of world‐class ARDF equipment, such as three‐element flexible Yagis and the purchase of 12 Sniffer mk4 receivers, specifically designed and built for ARDF. The group also arranged the bulk purchase of KC9ON offset attenuators and held a build session at the University of Ottawa Makerspace in the early spring.
The direction‐finding receivers incorporated the new Kerberos 4‐channel software‐defined radio. This made for a very compact and easy to use portable system that anyone with no transmitter hunting experience could successfully use to find their target. Roger made the tubes to safely store the mini transmitter, easily allowing it to be secured to a tree or fence. The transmitters are Byonics with mini antennas to lower the effective radiated power. Transmitter locations were discreetly concealed but not too hidden. Small orange and white Orienteering flags marked the transmitter location along with a “Q” code label that participants had to copy down to confirm they had found each “fox.”
For further information on ARDF and details of upcoming local events, visit ARDF Ottawa's website at www.ARDFOttawa.ca.
Improving Communication
The LMC is continually aware of its lack of information on the 38,000+ LMs, their opinions of IEEE, their interests, and what they think the LMC should be doing on their behalf. The LMC hopes that the advent of the IEEE Life Members Committee E‐Newsletter will provide a simple way to improve our communication with LMs. In the past, we have received occasional critiques and suggestions that we have tried to respond to on a one‐off basis. We wish to share these concerns and opinions with all LMs in the future, hoping to stimulate wider discussion and interaction.
For example, there have been some objections raised about the requirement that to qualify for Life Membership, you must be 65 or older. The LMC has discussed this issue with MGA, stating that the length of membership should be the sole criterion for Life Membership. The initiative did not succeed this time, but it is likely that the LMC will wish to revisit the question at some point in the future.
Some LMs ask questions that suggest that they are not fully aware of the geographic organizational structure of IEEE. This might be because, for historical reasons, the LMC is not connected with the IEEE Technical Activities Board, even though many, or even most, LMs retain IEEE Technical Society memberships. A good way for these LMs to become active in a Section is to participate in Chapter activities.
An area of concern of the LMC is the status of LMs in Sections. Each Section should be in regular communication with all of its members, but often it seems that LMs are a neglected group. The LMC has urged Section chairs to appoint a volunteer to be responsible for LMs and coordinate their activities where a viable size of the LM group exists in the absence of an LMAG.
If you have particular concerns about the quality of your membership service, or wish to contact other IEEE members or groups, please take advantage of the new opportunities we are offering. Later this year, the LMC will launch its own website to expand the scope of its communications with members by including the provision of a feedback option.