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Constitution
Article I - Name and Object
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Plasma Science
and Applications Committee (PSAC) of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma
Sciences Society (NPSS), referred to hereafter as the Committee.
This elective standing technical committee was formed in 1973.
Section 2. The Committee shall strive for the advancement of the
theory and applications of plasma science and of its allied arts
and sciences and the maintenance of high scientific and technical
standards among its members.
Section 3. The Committee shall aid in promoting close cooperation
and exchange of technical information among its members, and to
this end shall hold meetings for the presentation and discussion
of original contributions, shall assist in the publication of the
Transactions on Plasma Science, and shall otherwise provide for
the needs of its members.
Section 4. The Committee shall attempt to provide information on
plasma science to those who request it.
Article II - Field of Interest
Section 1. The field of interest of the Committee is the plasma
sciences and their related technologies and applications. The Committee
shall foster publication or other dissemination of original contributions
to the theory, experiments, educational methods, and applications
of plasma science, and to the development of standards. Areas of
technical activity will include, but not be limited to the following:
Section 2.
1. Magnetohydrodynamics
2. Thermionics and plasma diodes
3. Basic plasma phenomena
4. Gaseous electronics
5. Microwave-plasma interaction
6. Electron, ion, and plasma sources
7. Space plasmas
8. Intense electron and ion beams
9. Laser-plasma interactions
10. Plasma diagnostics
11. Plasma chemistry and processing
12. Solid-state plasmas
13. Plasma heating
14. Plasmas for controlled fusion research
15. High energy density plasmas
16. Industrial, commercial, and medical applications of plasma science
17. Plasma waves and instabilities
18. High-power microwave and submillimeter wave generation
19. Pulsed power applications of plasmas
Article III - Membership
Section 1. Members of the Committee are members or affiliates of
the NPSS who have a professional interest in plasma science and
applications. Only members of the Committee are entitled to vote
on Committee matters.
Article IV - Administration
Section 1. The Committee shall be managed by an Executive Committee
(ExCom) consisting of elected members-at-large, plus certain other
members as specified herein and in the Bylaws. The number of elected
members-at-large shall be 18 members.
Section 2. The terms of office of the elected members-at-large shall
be three years. Members-at- large elected to three-year terms may
not succeed themselves; however, such members-at-large may be candidates
in the election held immediately after their term of service, for
the term beginning a year after the expiration of their previous
term. Election of members-at-large shall be held annually to fill
vacancies for the coming year. The terms of office of the other
members shall be specified in the Bylaws.
Section 3.
(a) The affairs of the Committee shall be managed by the Chairperson
as directed by the ExCom and in accordance with the powers and duties
as defined hereunder and in the Bylaws. In the event of the Chairperson’s
absence or incapacity, these duties shall be performed by the Vice-Chairperson.
(b)The Chairperson shall appoint a Secretary for the Committee.
The Secretary need not be chosen from among the elected members-at-large,
but should be a member of the Committee.
Section 4.
(a) The position of Chairperson shall be filled by succession of
the Vice-Chairperson, subject to the approval of ExCom. In even
numbered years, beginning in 2006, a Vice-Chairperson shall be elected
by the voting members of the ExCom from among the eligible members-at-large
of the ExCom to serve for two years. Following this two-year term,
he or she will be the sole candidate in an election for Chairperson,
as specified in the Bylaws. If he or she is not approved, the procedure
specified in the Bylaws will be used to select the next Chairperson.
The Most Recent Past Chairperson shall serve for two years in a
non-voting, advisory capacity.
(b)All directly elected members of ExCom are eligible for election
as Vice-Chairperson or Chairperson. The term on the ExCom of the
Vice-Chairperson and of the Chairperson shall automatically extend
until they vacate their offices. During this period the Vice-Chairperson
and the Chairperson shall be considered full members with vote.
No individual may be elected as Vice-Chairperson immediately after
a term as Chairperson.
(c) In the event that neither the Chairperson nor the Vice-Chairperson
is able to take office as prescribed in the Bylaws or if both are
incapacitated or if both offices become vacant, the ExCom shall
promptly elect an Acting Chairperson from among the members-at-large
to assume the duties of Chairperson until either the Chairperson
or Vice-Chairperson takes office or resumes his or her duties.
(d)If the Vice-Chairperson is unable to become Chairperson at the
end of the two-year term, both the Vice-Chairperson and Chairperson
positions will be considered vacant. A new Chairperson and a new
Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by the voting members of the ExCom
from among the eligible members-at-large of the ExCom. In this case,
the Chairperson would serve two years and then become the Most Recent
Past Chairperson, and the Vice-Chairperson would succeed to Chairperson
as prescribed above.
(e) If the position of Vice-Chairperson is vacated at any other
time during the two-year term, a replacement Vice-Chairperson will
be elected by the voting members of the ExCom from among the eligible
members-at-large to complete the remainder of the term. This may
also occur at the conclusion of the one-year term of a Vice-Chairperson
electted under the Constitution as it existed prior to 2005. Upon
completion of the Vice-Chairperson term, this Vice-Chairperson would
then succeed to Chairperson as prescribed above.
(f) In the event of the Chairperson’s absence or incapacity,
the Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson.
Section 5. The Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all
subcommittees of the Committee.
Section 6. The Chairperson, as soon as expedient after election,
shall appoint the chairpersons of the subcommittees provided for
in the Bylaws. All appointees serve at the pleasure of the Chairperson.
Article V - Nomination and Election of Executive
Committee Members-at-Large
Section 1. Nominating procedures shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws
and shall include provision for nomination by Society members.
Section 2. Election of the members-at-large of the Executive Committee
shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 3. If a member of the ExCom does not complete a term, the
vacancy shall be filled at the next regular election for the unexpired
portion of the term.
Article VI - Meetings
Section 1. The Committee may hold meetings, conferences, symposia
or conventions either alone or in cooperation with other organizations,
subject to applicable IEEE and NPSS rules and regulations. The primary
conference to be held by the Committee shall be the IEEE International
Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS).
Section 2. Meetings, conferences, or conventions sponsored by the
Committee shall be open to all members or affiliates of the NPSS.
The Committee may not sponsor or cosponsor a meeting which is in
any way subject to security clearance.
Section 3. Eight voting members of the Executive Committee shall
constitute a quorum. No member shall have more than one vote for
any reason. A member-at-large may appoint a proxy to represent him
or her at an Executive Committee meeting. However, such a proxy
may not cast a vote.
Section 4. A majority of the legal votes cast by those members of
the Executive Committee attending a meeting shall be necessary for
the conduct of its business except as otherwise provided in this
Constitution.
Section 5. The business of the Executive Committee may be handled
by correspondence, telephone, or electronic communications (fax,
email, etc.) where, in the opinion of the Chairperson, matters requiring
prompt action can be adequately handled in that manner. A majority
vote of the full ExCom is required to take action in such cases.
Telephone actions are to be promptly confirmed in writing by the
Chairperson.
Section 6. The Executive Committee shall meet as required to conduct
business and in accordance with the Bylaws.
Section 7. If the PSAC Chairperson is unable to represent the Committee
at meetings of the NPSS Administrative Committee (AdCom), the Chairperson
may designate the Vice-Chairperson or the Most Recent Past Chairperson
as his or her alternate. This alternate shall have the privilege
of the floor and may vote on all matters coming before AdCom.
Article VII - Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by petition
submitted by a two-thirds vote of the ExCom, such petition being
submitted to the Ad Com of the NPSS for approval. After such approval,
the proposed amendment shall be published in the NPSS News, with
notice that it goes into effect unless 20 members of the Plasma
Science and Applications Committee object in writing to the President
of the NPSS within 90 days of the date of mailing of the notice.
If such objections are received, a copy of the proposed amendment
shall be mailed with a ballot to all members of the Committee at
least 30 days before the date set for the return of the ballots;
the ballots shall carry a statement of the deadline for their return
to IEEE Headquarters. When a mail vote of the entire Committee membership
is made necessary, approval of the amendment by at least two-thirds
of the ballots returned shall be necessary for its enactment.
Section 2. As an alternative to the procedure outlined in Section
1 above, ten members of the Committee may submit a petition to the
AdCom of the NPSS. If approved by the NPSS AdCom and after notification
of the ExCom, the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership
of the entire Plasma Science and Applications Committee for ratification
by mail ballot as described in Section 1.
Section 3. Committee Bylaws, and amendments thereto, may be adopted
by a two-thirds vote of the ExCom, provided that notice of the proposed
Bylaw or amendment has been sent to each member of the ExCom at
least a week prior to such meeting, or a Committee Bylaw or amendment
may be adopted by a two-thirds mail vote of the members of the ExCom,
provided a 30-day period is allowed for such responses. In either
event, the proposed Bylaw or amendment shall be published in the
NPSS News. No Bylaw or amendment shall take effect until it has
been approved by the AdCom of the NPSS.
Article VIII - Revision
Section 1. The Chairperson of the Committee shall appoint a seven-person
subcommittee every tenth year, starting with January 1, 1984, to
evaluate the effectiveness of this Constitution and Bylaws, to study
the rules of governance required by the activities of the Committee
at that time, and to consider writing a new Constitution and Bylaws
appropriate to the existing and anticipated needs of the Committee.
Bylaws
1. Executive Committee: Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution
provides that the ExCom shall consist of a number of elected members-at-large
plus certain other members. These other members of the ExCom shall
be, unless they are already elected members-at-large, the Chairperson
of the Committee, the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, and the
Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science. Certain other individuals
who are carrying out specific functions or activities are also expected
to attend the ExCom meetings, even if they are not voting members
of the ExCom. These include the Secretary, the elected AdCom members
representing the interests of PSAC, the Most Recent Past Chairperson
of the Committee, the chairpersons of the Functional Subcommittees,
and the chairpersons of the ICOPS to be held the following two years.
In addition, chairpersons of ICOPS to be held more than two years
in the future are expected to attend at least one ExCom meeting
per year, in order to present a progress report on the preparations
for their conferences.
1.1 The voting members of the ExCom shall be the elected members-at-large,
the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, and the
Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science.
1.2 The ExCom shall meet at least two times per year, upon dates
determined by the Chairperson at least three weeks in advance of
the meeting. One of these two meetings shall be held in conjunction
with the IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS).
Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chairperson
or upon request of at least nine voting members of the ExCom with
at least three weeks notice.
1.3 The last regularly scheduled meeting in the calendar year shall
be considered the Annual Meeting of the ExCom.
1.4 In the absence of extenuating circumstances as approved by the
ExCom, an elected member-at- large who misses three successive meetings
shall automatically be dropped from the ExCom.
2. Nomination and Election of Executive Committee Members-at-Large:
As specified in Article IV, the ExCom shall include 18 members-at-large,
each serving a three-year term. Six posts, plus any vacancies occurring
in the previous year, are to be filled each year by election of
the general membership of the Committee.
2.1 At least one nomination for each vacant post as a member-at-large
shall be made. Nominations may be made by any member of the ExCom
or any member of the Committee, up until a date fixed each year
by the Chairperson of the Committee. That date shall be no later
than July 1, but may be extended if required. Self nominations are
permitted. The Chairperson of the Committee is responsible for ensuring
that at least one nomination is obtained for each position to be
filled.
2.2 The individual making a nomination must determine in advance
that the nominee is willing to serve if elected. A nomination is
only valid if it is submitted in writing to the Chairperson or the
Secretary of the Committee. The name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number of the nominee must be included, as well as a short
biographical statement. In addition, the nomination must provide
either the IEEE membership number of the nominee, or a statement
that an application for membership in the IEEE and PSAC has been
submitted.
2.3 If there are more nominations than posts to be filled, those
nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected.
Any vacancy on the ExCom resulting from an uncompleted three-year
term shall remain unfilled until the next regularly scheduled election.
At that time, the remainder of the uncompleted term shall be filled
by the nominee receiving the next highest vote total after determination
of the six regular three-year terms. In the event of a tie vote
by the general membership of PSAC, the individual selected will
be determined by a majority vote of the voting members of the ExCom.
The tie-breaking vote of the ExCom members shall be conducted by
fax or electronic mail by the Secretary of the Committee. The Secretary
shall endeavor to obtain the results as far as possible in advance
of the Annual Meeting of the ExCom.
2.4 The Chairperson of the Committee shall arrange, before April
1, that a call for nominations is conveyed to the whole membership
through the NPSS News.
2.5 Current members-at-large of the ExCom who are serving full terms
are ineligible for nomination.
2.6 All nominees must be either members in any grade of IEEE and
NPSS or must have submitted an application for membership in IEEE
and NPSS at the time the nomination is forwarded to IEEE Headquarters.
An affiliate member of NPSS is not eligible to be a nominee for
member-at-large.
2.7 The Secretary shall annually arrange for the distribution to
the members of the Committee, on or about July 31, of a ballot to
elect the candidates to fill member-at-large vacancies on the ExCom.
The ballot shall be accompanied by a short biographical statement
from each nominee .
2.8 Sixty days after distribution of the ballots, the IEEE Headquarters
shall count and tabulate the votes received and report the results
to the Secretary of PSAC, who, in turn, shall notify the Chairperson
.
2.9 The Chairperson of the ExCom shall submit to the Secretary of
the NPSS AdCom the names of the candidates elected to fill the designated
vacancies.
2.10 A member-at-large who is elected to fill an uncompleted term
is eligible for renomination to ExCom for a term beginning at the
expiration of the partial term.
3. Each of the Functional Subcommittees shall submit a written report
of its activities to the ExCom prior to or at the Annual Meeting.
4. Functional Subcommittees: The Chairperson of the Committee shall
appoint the chairpersons and members of the following Functional
Subcommittees:
(a) Membership Subcommittee: To recommend to ExCom and to implement
approved actions to increase PSAC membership.
(b)Site Selection Subcommittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit
potential ICOP sites and conference chairpersons.
(c) Human Rights Subcommittee: To recommend to ExCom and to implement
approved actions to foster human rights.
(d)Minicourse Subcommmittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit
potential ICOPS minicourses.
(e) Awards Subcommittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit PSAC
member candidates for various IEEE awards, including the Plasma
Science and Applications Award (see Bylaw 14).
The Chairperson may authorize additional Functional Subcommittees
if deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the ExCom.
4.1 The terms of office of chairpersons of Functional Subcommittees
shall be one year.
4.2 The chairpersons of Functional Subcommittees must be members
of the Committee.
5. Ballots: Ballots intended for all members of the Committee shall
be prepared by the Secretary at the direction of the Chairperson.
No ballot shall be counted unless it is unambiguously marked by
a qualified Committee member to indicate his or her choice and sent
in a sealed envelope bearing the voter’s name on or before
the specified deadline date or is transmitted by other secure voting
means as IEEE may in the future provide. This specified deadline
date shall be at least thirty days subsequent to the date of the
mailing of the ballots. The distribution and counting of ballots
issued to all members of the Committee shall be entrusted to IEEE
Headquarters. The Secretary of the Committee shall report the results
to the ExCom at the Annual Meeting.
6. Beginning of Terms of Office: All terms of office of elected
members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall begin January
1 of the year immediately following their election.
7. The Chairperson of the Committee shall actively encourage the
broadest possible representation from throughout the plasma science
community on the ExCom and in its activities.
8. Any member of the Committee may present a contributed paper at
meetings sponsored by the Committee, provided that the subject matter
of the paper is, in the judgment of the Program Committee for the
meeting, germane to Plasma Science.
9. The Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science and the Editorial
Board shall strive to assure that publication of papers in the Transactions
depends only upon the technical merit of the paper, and not upon
the financial condition of the author.
10. Election of Chairperson of PSAC: The Chairperson of PSAC is
elected by written ballot in even-numbered years. The ballot will
indicate two choices: 1) the current Vice-Chairperson and 2) an
indication that an open election is desirable. The Secretary of
the Committee shall send written ballots to all voting ExCom members
at least three weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. The marked ballots
may be sent or delivered in person to the Secretary prior to the
beginning of the Annual Meeting. The Chairperson shall designate
tellers to verify and count the ballots during the Annual Meeting.
Should the Vice-Chairperson fail to receive a majority of the ballots
cast, then ExCom will itself determine a slate of candidates for
Chairperson and vote at the Annual Meeting. The term of office of
Chairperson shall begin January 1 of the year immediately following
the election.
11. Election of Vice-Chairperson of PSAC: The Vice-Chairperson of
the ExCom shall be nominated and elected from among the eligible
elected members-at-large of the ExCom. Nominations and seconds shall
be solicited by the Chairperson prior to the Annual Meeting in even-numbered
years. The Chairperson will accept nominations and seconds up to
one month prior to the Annual Meeting. The slate of candidates for
Vice-Chairperson will appear on the same ballot as the election
for Chairperson, and the same tabulation process shall be followed.
After the election of the Chairperson at the Annual Meeting, the
vote for Vice-Chairperson shall be announced and the nominee receiving
a majority of votes cast shall be declared elected. In the event
that no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, runoff elections
shall be conducted by secret ballot at the Annual Meeting between
the candidates receiving the two highest numbers of votes until
one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. The term of
office of Vice-Chairperson shall begin January 1 of the year immediately
following the election.
12. The IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science: The chairperson
of an ICOPS must be a member of the Plasma Science and Applications
Committee. The ICOPS Chairperson and the ICOPS site are selected
by the ExCom from proposals brought forward by the Site Selection
SubCommittee. The ICOPS Chairperson is expected to follow the guidelines
established by ExCom and in the Manual for the Policy and Procedure
for IEEE/NPSS Conferences. The Conference Chairperson is responsible
for the budget of the conference and determines the registration
fees to be charged, subject to approval by the ExCom and the NPSS.
He or she shall appoint the members of the Organizing Committee
and the Program Committee. At least one former chairperson of an
ICOPS shall be included on the Program Committee. The ICOPS Chairperson
shall also present a list of Technical Area Coordinators (TACs)
to the ExCom for approval at the Annual Meeting 18 months prior
to the conference and a list of Session Organizers (SOs) to the
ExCom for approval at the ExCom meeting 12 months prior to the conference.
These two lists shall not include individuals who have served consecutively
in the same capacity for the 3 prior ICOPS. Any minicourse offered
must be submitted for approval to the ExCom and should follow the
ICOPS Minicourse Guidelines. The ICOPS Chairperson shall have full
authority over the management and technical content of the conference,
subject to the oversight of ExCom.
13. Open Business Meeting of the Committee: An annual open Business
Meeting of the Committee shall be held in conjunction with ICOPS.
14. The Plasma Science and Applications Award: To recognize outstanding
individual contributions to the field of Plasma Science, the Committee
presents a Plasma Science and Applications Award at the ICOPS. The
Award consists of a monetary award and a plaque, with the award
money included in the ICOPS budget. Changes in the Award amount
must be approved by AdCom and the appropriate IEEE committee. The
recipient shall be invited to deliver an address at the ICOPS in
the year of the Award and to submit the text of the talk for an
invited paper in the Transactions on Plasma Science. Publicity announcing
the recipient shall appear in appropriate NPSS publications and
in other professional publications.
Nomination forms for the following year’s award are to be distributed
at the ICOPS. A nomination must be endorsed by three current IEEE
members. Any person except a current voting member of the ExCom
or a previous PSAC Award recipient is eligible for the Award. Nominations
are submitted to the chairperson of the Awards Subcommittee, who
shall mail nomination materials to the voting members of the ExCom
at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting. Selection of the
recipient is performed by the PSAC Special Awards Subcommitte, which
is comprised of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the
Committee, the elected members-at-large of the ExCom, and the Editor
of the Transactions on Plasma Science. The selection is based upon
scientific accomplishments in the field of plasma science, professional
service to PSAC and the plasma science community, and any other
information the Special Award Subcommittee wishes to consider. No
more than four votes of the Special Award Subcommittee by secret
ballot shall be taken at a separate Subcommittee Meeting following
the Annual Meeting. The vote of at least 3/4 of the Subcommittee
present, but no fewer than six votes, is required to select a recipient.
If no agreement of the Subcommittee can be reached or if no candidates
are nominated, the Award will be skipped for that year.
15. The Secretary shall maintain a permanent record of the minutes
of past meetings and shall forward these records to the successor
at the conclusion of the term as Secretary. The Secretary shall
also provide a copy of the PSAC Constitution and Bylaws to each
newly elected member-at-large.
November 3, 2004.
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