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Chapters Make SSCS Vital Around the World
SSCS chapters provide great
programs for local members. Here are a few reports from some of our 48
chapters around the world. Also in these reports are ideas for members
who would like to volunteer to help. France might start a local technical
publication and expand services for students, while Santa Clara Valley
needs a few volunteers to help run a course on RFIC design.
Atlanta
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| The revitalized Atlanta Chapter met 22 March and
22 April. Officers are shown on 22 March with Alan Hastings who spoke
on “Safe operating area protection by power limiting.” Left
to right: Patrick O’Farrell (Secretary), Gabriel Rincon-Mora
(Vice-Chair), Alan Hastings (speaker), Phil Allen (Chair), and Bruce
Schmukler (Treasurer). |
Kansai
The Kansai chapter held a technical seminar on 29 March in Kyoto, focusing
on the management of technology development as well as business issues
in cutting-edge IC design companies. Two IEEE Fellows spoke, rewarding
an audience that came from many regions of Japan with a stimulating presentation.
Dr. Osamu Tomisawa, professor of entrepreneur engineering at Kochi University
of Technology, lectured on both fundamental and up-to-date points of technology
management, covering technology strategy and marketing in a high-tech
company. He also presented case studies on corporate ventures, in particular
in the United States.
Dr. Nicky Lu, President of Etron Technology Incorporated, provided an
in-depth talk on “Emerging technology and business solutions for
system chips,” extending his Plenary Session talk at ISSCC 2004.
Heterogeneous integration of various functions into a single-system chip,
as a new horizon of IC technology development, was discussed with the
audience. The marketing potential of such single-system chips was examined.
Discussion focused on single-system chips that use technologies already
available as well as those technologies yet to be developed. Strategic
borderless partnerships among versatile companies ranging from vertical
integration to horizontal segmentation were also examined. The nonstop
discussions between the audience and the lecturers continued until the
end, characterizing the success of the seminar.
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| Kansai Chapter meeting sponsored two IEEE Fellow
presentations. Left to right: Junji Ishikawa (Treasurer), speakers
Nicky Lu and Osamu Tomisawa, Masao Nakaya (Chapter Chair), and Makoto
Nagata (Secretary). |
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| The Denver Chapter hosted a seminar in March (left
to right): Don McGrath (Chapter Chair), Professor Eric Vittoz (Distinguished
Lecturer), Bob Barnes (Treasurer), Tin Tin Wee (Secretary/Web master),
and Alvin Loke (Vice Chair). |
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| Minh Quach of Agilent Technologies spoke to the
Denver Chapter in April on signal integrity considerations and analysis,
including a practical tutorial on high-speed test and measurement
techniques (left to right): Bob Barnes (Treasurer), Tin Tin Wee (Secretary/Web
master), Minh Quach, and Alvin Loke (Vice Chair). |
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| The Denver SSCS Chapter officers judged a local
elementary school science fair in April 2004 (left to right): Bob
Barnes (Treasurer), Tin Tin Wee (Secretary/Web master), Alvin Loke
(Vice Chair), Isabel Chavez-McBeth (teacher at Harris Bilingual Elementary
School), and Don McGrath (Chapter Chair). |
Denver
Following the inaugural year anniversary in September 2003, the SSCS Denver
Chapter continued hosting monthly technical seminars covering a broad
range of topics on circuits and devices. In October 2003 Don Bartlett
(Greyrock Technology), a local entrepreneur, shared his insights and perspectives
on developing a small engineering business. The following month, Dr. Jeremy
Theil (Agilent Technologies) gave a technology overview of monolithic
instruments on silicon and touched on growing trends such as embedded
image sensors.
We were extremely pleased that our two most recent seminars drew our largest-ever
crowds of 50–60 people. In March 2004 we were honored to host Professor
Eric Vittoz (CSEM, Switzerland), who had recently received the prestigious
IEEE Solid-State Circuits Technical Field Award at ISSCC 2004 in San Francisco.
He delivered a much-anticipated Distinguished Lecture on the fundamental
properties of MOS transistors and applications for low-power circuits.
Participants were thrilled to finally meet the pioneer who had developed
the subthreshold MOS techniques that are now commonplace in the design
community. The following month, Minh Quach of Agilent Technologies delivered
a very informative lecture on signal integrity considerations and analysis
that included a practical tutorial on high-speed test and measurement
techniques.
During the past months, the officers have been involved in a couple of
community service events. During Engineering Week in February, Chapter
Chair Dr. Don McGrath spoke at three local high schools to encourage students
to continue their education in science and engineering. In early April
the entire officer team served as science fair judges at a local bilingual
(English/Spanish) elementary school. Officers were impressed with the
creativity and scientific rigor demonstrated by kids as young as third
graders. For example, one student learned that chemiluminescence in glow
sticks was an activated process. Another student inadvertently embarked
on a blackbody radiation experiment to explain why her white cat enjoyed
lounging in the afternoon sun longer than her black cat.
We look forward to growing participation in upcoming seminars. We are
encouraged that the technical seminars, as well as a social event hosted
at a local clubhouse, are providing networking opportunities for the local
members. Some members have re-established employment based on leads shared
during these meetings.
Please visit our Web site at http://ewh.ieee.org/r5/denver/sscs/
for more information (including past presentation slides) about our chapter
events.
Alvin Loke
Denver Chapter Vice Chair
alvin.loke@ieee.org
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