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you read this, spring is approaching and it is a time of renewal
and rebirth. At NPSS, our renewal is underway and as I take the
reins as NPSS President, I would like to start by thanking our new
Past President, Bill Moses, for a job well done. He has given me
two gifts: a well run society and a fine example of integrity based
leadership. I would like to thank Igor Alexeff, who has finished
his duties as Past President after many years of service to NPSS.
In the spirit of renewal, I would also like to welcome our new Vice
President, Craig Woody, who has filled a wide variety of roles within
the Radiation Instrumentation community.
As I start my term as President of NPSS, I ponder how fortunate
I am to be part of this organization. NPSS is in top shape, with
all of our conferences doing well, both technically and fiscally.
The three publications NPSS sponsors - The Transactions on Nuclear
Science, the Transactions on Plasma Science and Transactions on
Medical Imaging, are all doing well - with plans in progress
to make them even better. The restructuring of TNS and TPS is near
completion, with most of the Senior Editors selected in the various
subject areas.
In preparation for my term as President, NPSS supported my attendance
at the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meetings for the past
year. Although I did not have a vote, I came to understand many
of the issues that are most important to NPSS and IEEE and I feel
well prepared for my new role. As the NPSS representative to TAB,
I strongly believe that I best serve NPSS by being an active participant
in TAB. To that end, I have been selected to serve on the IEEE TAB
Publications Committee. This is an area where I have both interest
and expertise. Moreover, the dissemination of information, in the
form of publication, is our prime product. Significant changes may
be on the horizon, and I look forward to being part of that.
NPSS is prospering because of its many talented, energetic and dedicated
volunteers. If NPSS had a motto, I would suggest, “Many hands
make for light work.” The dedication of our volunteers and
the complexity of tasks they are willing to engage in is simply
amazing. Of course, we are always interested in “new blood,”
and if you are willing to participate, I encourage you to contact
either me or the chair of your technical committee to find out the
way to best use your talents. Contact information can be found on
the IEEE NPSS website at http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/nps.
Speaking of volunteering, if you have been at an NPSS sponsored
conference this past year, you may have noticed some new faces at
the IEEE NPSS membership booth. Christoph Ilgner has agreed to take
on the role previously held by longtime volunteer Vern Price. NPSS
extends it heartfelt thanks and a “Job well done!” to
Dr. Price for his outstanding service and continuing assistance.
We now recruit volunteers from the conference’s own technical
community to man the conference membership booth. Dr. Ilgner is
soliciting and training volunteers for the booth for several of
our conferences. Please contact him at christoph.ilgner@cern.ch
if you are interested. After numerous years of the decline in membership
in virtually all IEEE Societies, NPSS maintained its level of membership
in 2006, thanks to Drs. Price and Ilgner.
An increasing number of IEEE NPSS conferences are being held outside
the U.S. Business practices in various cultures vary greatly from
each other and from the U.S. The NPSS AdCom feels strongly that
holding conferences outside the U.S. is valuable, but has struggled
with the details. However, to date, we have not had a repository
of information and “lessons learned” from our conferences
held internationally. To that end, Patrick Le Dû has been
appointed as a Liaison to this newly created post. He brings a vast
amount of experience to this position.
In conclusion, we are widely considered to be one of the best run
societies in IEEE. To maintain this level of quality, we need good
people. Please consider getting involved.
Jane Lehr, President of IEEE NPSS, can be reached at Sandia National
Laboratories, MS1193, PO Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1193; Phone+1
505 844 8554; E-mail: jane.lehr@ieee.org.
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