At its November 2004 meeting, the IEEE Foundation awarded two new education grants totaling US$50,000. One grant will provide resources to the IEEE's grassroots leaders at IEEE Sections Congress 2005 while the other will work through the global scouting movement to improve the technological literacy of boys and girls around the world. To view a full list of the grants awarded in 2004, click here ...

In 1998, the IEEE Foundation created the $1 Million History Center Challenge and agreed to match dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 Million, gifts to the IEEE History Center's endowment from IEEE Technical Societies. The proceeds from the endowment are used to support the IEEE History Center's mission to preserve, research, and promote the legacy of electrical engineering and computing. As of October 2004, the following IEEE Societies responded to the Challenge and made gifts totaling US$560,000.

• IEEE Circuits and Systems Society
• IEEE Communications Society
• IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society
• IEEE Electron Devices Society
• IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society
• IEEE Microwave Theory & Techniques Society
• IEEE Magnetics Society
• IEEE Power Engineering Society
• IEEE Signal Processing Society
• IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society

The IEEE Foundation has extended the deadline for participation in the $1 Million History Center Challenge to 2008. So if your IEEE Technical Society is up to the Challenge, please contact Dr. Michael N. Geselowitz, Director of the IEEE History Center by telephone: +1 732 932 1066.

Every year the editors at Scientific American pick the top science and technology sites on the web to receive its Science & Technology Web Awards. This year, the IEEE's very own IEEE Virtual Museum (VM) was among the 50 sites selected. They describe the VM as "a beautifully designed Web site featuring a cornucopia of exhibits encompassing topics as wide-ranging as microelectronics, women and technology, and microwaves."

This is just the latest in a long line of accolades for the IEEE Virtual Museum, a project funded in part by the IEEE Foundation. Take a moment to visit the IEEE Virtual Museum and learn first hand just how special it is.

The IEEE Foundation is pleased to announce that ALPHATECH, Inc. and the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS) will once again be co-sponsoring the IEEE Joseph G. Wohl Outstanding Career Award for ten years beginning in 2005. The Wohl Award is the highest award presented by SMCS. It is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to systems engineering concepts, methodology, design, education, or management. The prize items include a US$2,000 honorarium, a certificate, and travel reimbursement to attend the SMC Conference if needed. To find out how you can sponsor an IEEE award, please contact the IEEE Development Office.

Lucent Technologies, a long time supporter of the IEEE Awards Program, reconfirmed its commitment to the recognition of engineering excellence by renewing its sponsorship of two IEEE awards, the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal and the IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award. This renewal will extend Lucent's sponsorship of these two prestigious awards through the 2006 presentations.

Established in 1976 to commemorate the centennial of the telephone's invention, the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal is given for exceptional contributions to the advancement of communication sciences and engineering. The prize items include a US$20,000 honorarium, gold medal with a bronze replica and a certificate. The IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award, named for Eric E. Sumner, who retired as Vice President, Operations Planning, Bell Laboratories at AT&T, recognizes outstanding contributions to communications technology. The prize items include a US$10,000 honorarium, bronze medal and a certificate. To learn more about these and other IEEE Awards, click here...

IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society announced the 2004 IEEE LEOS Award winners. Two of these Awards are made possible thanks to generous contributions from individuals and corporations. The IEEE Foundation is proud of the role it plays in the recognition of excellence by serving as the fund administrator for the following 2004 IEEE LEOS Awards.

The recipients will be recognized for their outstanding achievements during the Awards Ceremony at the LEOS Annual Meeting to be held in Puerto Rico this November. To learn more about IEEE LEOS Awards, click here...

Charles Concordia, known for his indomitable spirit, technical prowess, generous nature, and dedication to the profession, left a US$100,000 unrestricted legacy gift to the IEEE Foundation. This generous legacy gift serves as an enduring testimonial to Dr. Concordia's generosity and commitment to the engineering profession. In keeping with the way Dr. Concordia lived his life, the IEEE Foundation will use this gift to fund programs that will make a significant impact on the engineering profession both today and well into the future. To view Dr. Concordia's obituary published in The Institute, click here...

The IEEE Foundation and the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society are pleased to announce the establishment of the IEEE John Kraus Antenna Award. Sponsored by IEEE Life Fellow Dr. John D. Kraus whose exemplary career in teaching, research, and invention represents the highest qualities of antenna engineering, this Award may be presented annually to honor either an individual or a team that has made a significant advance in antenna technology. Dr. Kraus decided to establish and fund this award because he thought it would "be appropriate to have an award with an emphasis on antennas." The prize items include a US$1,000 honorarium, plaque, and travel if requested.

The first presentation was made during the 2004 IEEE AP-S International Symposium to Dr. Victor H. Rumsey for his "creative and innovative development of frequency-independent antennas." If you are interested in finding out how you can support the philanthropic activities of the IEEE, contact the IEEE Development Office at donate@ieee.org.

A student design team from Poznan University in Poland won the first-place prize of US$15,000 at the IEEE Computer Society International Design Competition (CSIDC) held 25 to 28 June 2004 in Washington, DC . Their winning project, "Lifetch," is a GPS-based wilderness communications system designed to operate over a vast area, thus improving safety by enabling fast and effective reaction to an emergency situation.

Sponsored in part by the IEEE Foundation, the CSIDC challenges teams of undergraduate engineering students to design, from inception to prototype, a special-purpose computer-based device to solve a real-world problem. For a complete list of the top ten teams and links to their project reports, click here...

At its June 2004 meeting, the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors awarded US$36,950 in new grants that will develop a continuing education resource kit in bioinformatics for engineers worldwide; provide resources and learning tools to Student Branch leaders in Latin America; and bring Internet access to engineers and engineering students in Nigeria. To view the full list of grants awarded to date in 2004, click here...

The IEEE Foundation Board of Directors congratulates Dr. Richard J. Gowen, IEEE Foundation Vice President of Development and 1984 IEEE President, for receiving the 2004 National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Award. This Award, the most prestigious award presented by NSPE, is given to recognize eminence attained by exceptional contributions to the engineering profession, the public welfare, and humankind. Dr. Gowen will be presented with the award during the NSPE 2004 Annual Convention, 8-10 July 2004 in Hawaii.

The IEEE Virtual Museum launched a new exhibit designed to give visitors a broad overview of the ever-shrinking world of electronics. From the transistor of the 1950s, to the integrated circuits of the 1960s, to the microprocessors of the 1970s, to the 21st century field of nanotechnology, Let's Get Small: The Shrinking World of Microelectronics explains how and why these technologies emerged. The exhibit, sponsored in part by the IEEE Foundation and the IEEE Life Members Fund, contains an assortment of interactive elements to help visitors explore the way transistors work, how integrated circuits were made, and much more. To view this and the other exciting exhibits in the IEEE Virtual Museum, click here...

Nearly 300 people attended the annual IEEE Honors Ceremony held 19 June 2004 in Kansas City, MO, USA. This year's event celebrated 19 individuals and two corporations for their impact on technology, society, and the engineering profession. Their contributions are seen in digital satellite and wireless communications, semiconductor lasers, magnetic recording, programming languages, storm tracking, laser printers, fire-protective clothing and more. Among the individuals honored are the recipients of the three medals and one service award sponsored by the IEEE Foundation: 1) IEEE Medal of Honor presented to Tadahiro Sekimoto; (2) IEEE Edison Medal presented to Federico Capasso; (3) IEEE Founders Medal presented to Mildred S. Dresselhaus; and (4) IEEE Haraden Pratt Award presented to Jerry R. Yeargan. To view a full list of the 2004 IEEE Honors Ceremony Awards and recipients click here...

The IEEE Foundation Board of Directors congratulates Dr. Tsuneo Nakahara for being appointed an Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). Dr. Nakahara received the appointment in recognition of his contribution to the relations between the United Kingdom and Japan. Established in 1917, the CBE is the third class of the Order of the British Empire, which honors civilians and service personnel for public service or outstanding contribution to society. To view the official announcement from the British Embassy, click here...

The IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) honored the top engineers in its field on 8 June 2004 during the Awards Program of its General Meeting. Many of these Awards are made possible thanks to the generous contributions of individuals and corporations interested in the field of power engineering. The IEEE Foundation is proud of the role it plays in the recognition of excellence by serving as the fund administrator for the following 2004 PES Awards.

To learn more about these Awards and the recipients click here...

Elena Leah Glassman, a 17-year-old high-school senior from Pipersville, PA, USA is the 2004 winner of the IEEE Presidents' Scholarship. Her project, "Brain-Computer Interface for the Muscularly Disabled", was selected from a field of over 1200 projects by a team of IEEE volunteer judges during the 2004 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in Portland, OR, USA. Sponsored by the IEEE Foundation, this four-year US$10,000 scholarship recognizes a deserving student for outstanding achievement in research and presentation of engineering knowledge in electrical engineering, information technology or other IEEE fields of interest. To learn more about the history of the IEEE Presidents' Scholarship, click here...

Funded in part by a grant from the IEEE Foundation, the goal of the IEEE Computer Society International Design Competition (CSIDC) is to advance excellence in education by having teams of four undergraduate students design and implement computer-based solutions to real-world problems. The theme of the 2004 CSIDC is Making the World a Safer Place. More than 250 teams from 144 schools from around the globe participated in the first round of the 2004 CSIDC. The top ten teams are invited to compete in the World Finals in Washington, DC 25 to 28 June 2004 where the best project will receive US$15,000. To learn more about the CSIDC and the view the list of the 2004 top ten finalists, click here...

Named for Leonardo Da Vinci, a man famous for the creative use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to solve human problems, the VINNY Award is pre-university global video competition. Twenty pre-university teams from schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico participated in this year's competition. Each team of students, who were allowed to work with a teacher and a mentor, produced a one-minute video that explained how STEM could help solve a global problem. The Grand Prize video, produced by Williamstown Elementary School, Williamstown, MA, USA, addressed the global problem of "Voting and Technology". The prize items include an Apple eMac, JVC miniDV camcorder, and Final Cut Express video editing software.

The IEEE Foundation is pleased to provide the funding for the VINNY Award, which is organized by the NASA Langley Center for Distance Learning, Christopher Newport University and the IEEE.

Each year, the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) recognizes excellence in education by presenting the Chen-To Tai Distinguished Educator Award. The 2004 Award will be presented to Professor Raj Mittra from Pennsylvania State University on 23 June 2004 during the 2004 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. Professor Mittra is being recognized for outstanding contributions to electromagnetics education in the classroom, in graduate student supervision, and in research leadership. The prize items for this Award include a US$1,000 honorarium, plaque, certificate, and travel if needed.

The generosity of the Tai Family makes this Award possible. Their charitable contributions to the IEEE Foundation in honor of their father, Chen-To Tai, created the enduring legacy that supports the annual presentation of the Award. To learn how you can honor someone special to you by making a gift to the IEEE Foundation, contact the IEEE Development Office.

The IEEE Communications Society selected Yan Xin, Zhengdao Weng, and Georgios B. Giannakis to receive the 2004 IEEE Guglielmo Marconi Paper Prize Award in Wireless Communications. Their paper "Space-Time Diversity Systems Based on Linear Constellation Precoding" was published in the IEEE Transactions on Wireless, Communications, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 294-309, March 2003. Qualcomm Incorporated's goal as sponsor of this Award is to reward innovation and original works in the field of wireless communications. Click here to learn more about the 2004 IEEE Guglielmo Marconi Paper Prize Award in Wireless Communications.

After rigorous evaluation, the IEEE Signal Processing Society's Speech Technical Committee selected Xiang Li , Carnegie Mellon University, and Luis Perez-Freire, University of Vigo, as the first students to benefit from the Spoken Language Processing Student Grant Program. This exciting new program for students, made possible by the generosity of Drs. Xuedong Huang, Alejandro Acero, and Hsiao-Wuen Hon, recognizes students with outstanding papers in the field of spoken language processing that have been accepted for publication in a conference or workshop. These first two Grants will be presented during the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICAPSS 2004) to be held 17-21 May 2004 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. To learn how you can work with the IEEE Foundation to help advance education and the beneficial use of technology, contact the IEEE Development Office at donate@ieee.org.

At its March 2004 Board of Directors Meeting, the IEEE Foundation authorized two new grants. One grant will focus on the exchange and dissemination of technical information among electrical engineering students in Europe and the second grant will support the effort to use the papers of Thomas A. Edison to create a cross-content curriculum for students' 5 to 18 years of age that offers new resources for interdisciplinary teaching and learning in the 21st Century. To view a full list of the grants awarded to date in 2004 click here...