1. Symposium Overview
The 66th consecutive meeting of the IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (IFCS) was held in Baltimore, Maryland, May 20th-24th, 2012.  The IFCS represents the premiere IEEE conference that simultaneously deals with frequency, time and frequency control technology.  Conference topics include the design, evaluation, and application of (1) piezoelectric materials, filters, resonators, oscillators, and synthesizers, (2) micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, (3) noise measurement and noise reduction techniques, (4) microwave frequency generation techniques, (5) sensors & transducers, (6) timekeeping and time and frequency transfer and coordination, and (7) atomic and optical frequency standards.  This conference traces its origins to the 1947 Frequency Control Symposium (FCS), sponsored by the U. S. Army at Fort Monmouth, NJ.
     This year’s Symposium was made possible through the dedication and efforts of many volunteers, including members of the Organizing Committee and Technical Program Committee.  The Symposium was attended by over 300 scientists and engineer from five continents of the world, many of whom are recognized as international experts in their fields.  This year, the technical presentations included 18 invited talks, and 20 student paper competition finalists.  In addition to over 200 oral and poster paper presentations, conference attendees also had the opportunity to register for a full day of Tutorial sessions covering topics including: (1) Introduction to and applications of and evaluation of Quartz, MEMs, and Acoustic Resonators and Oscillators, (2) Optical Frequency Standards, (3) High resolution Time and Frequency Counters, (3) Time Transfer, (4) High Frequency Noise and Power Spectral Analysis, (4) MEMS Gyroscope Theory and Design, and (5) Nanoscale Electromechanical Sensors and their Applications.
     The Plenary session included an excellent and informative, invited talk entitled “Harsh Environment MEMS for Energy & Power Applications” given by Dr. Al Pisano from the University of California at Berkeley, presentation of awards, announcement of this year’s UFFC  Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers, and information regarding future conference locations.  The new Fellows are: Mostafa Fatemi “For contribution to ultrasound radiation force imaging and tissue characterization,” Jorgen Jensen “For contributions to medical ultrasound imaging systems,” Andrei Kholkin “For contributions to electromechnanicl characterization methods and applications,” Reinhard Lerch “For contributions to ultrasonic transducer technology and computer modeling of sensors and actuators,” and “Thomas Shrout “For contributions to the development of advanced piezoelectrics for ultrasound transducers.”.
     The Rabi, Cady, and Sawyer Award winners for 2012 were: Dr. James Camparo “For outstanding experimental and theoretical contributions to the understanding of optical pumping using spectral lamps and lasers for improvement in Rubidium frequency standards used in terrestrial and space-based navigation and timekeeping systems,” Dr. Bikash K. Sinha “For theoretical advancements and innovations to the thickness-shear and surface-acoustic-wave based quartz pressure sensors, as well as outstanding contributions to borehole sonic technology in the oil and gas industry,” and Dr. Christine Klemenz Rivenbark “For research and development of high quality crystal growth of emerging LGT and similar materials for the frequency control community, and establishment of a company for production of these materials.”
     This year’s conference also included a Memorial Session dedicated to Nobel Laureate, Dr. Norman Ramsey.  Norman F. Ramsey, one of the titans of 20th century science, passed away in Wayland, Massachusetts on November 4, 2011. His life and career had spanned almost a century. The technologies that sprang from his work touch the lives of billions living today. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a mainstay of medical diagnostics technology, and the Atomic Clock, which makes Global Positioning System (GPS) possible, are among the technologies derived from the experimental techniques Dr. Ramsey developed. 
     Sadly, four additional members of the Frequency Control Community who passed away in 2011 and 2012 were also remembered: Jack Kusters, Sigfrido Leschiutta, George Mansfeld, and Jean-Jacques Gagnepain.
     Another Symposium highlight included an informative Panel Discussion entitled:  “What Comes after the Cesium Beam Atomic Clock?” organized and moderated by Warren Walls of the United States Naval Observatory.

Reported by Mike Driscoll

     Seventeen exhibitors were at the conference demonstrating equipment related to accurate time and frequency measurement and stable, low noise signal generation products, and quartz crystal manufacturing and test equipment.
     Next year, the 2013 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium will be jointly held with the IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, the IEEE International Symposium on the Application of Ferroelectrics, the Piezoelectric Force Microscopy Conference, and the European Frequency and Time Forum. The conference will be held in Prague, July 21st-25th, 2013.
     For more information about this conference, visit
http://www.ieee-uffc.org/frequency_control/symposia.asp.

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