The IEEE Leadership Wire
***************************************************************************************************************** The IEEE LEADERSHIP WIRE is a report for top-level IEEE volunteers about IEEE affairs and organizational information. It is intended specifically for members of the IEEE Board of Directors, key Board committees and the six major operating boards. The newsletter is sent on or around the first of the month.
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CONTENTS:
*April Membership Highlights
*2005 IEEE Election Candidates Announced
*IEEE Internet Conferencing Service to Be Upgraded
*IEEE Member Digital Library Trials Spur Subscriptions
*Section Of IEEE Site Helps Visitors Select Online Collections
*EWEEK Activities Summary Available Online
*First IEC/IEEE Standard Published
*IEEE Manager Receives 'Meeting Planner Of The Year' Award
*IEEE in the News
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**APRIL MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS**
IEEE membership totaled 333,923 in April. This is a 1.7 percent increase from April 2003.
For the complete Membership Development Report, visit http://www.ieee.org/organizations/rab/md/mdprogrpt.html.
**2005 IEEE ELECTION CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED**
The candidates for 2005 IEEE President-elect are Michael R. Lightner, Levent Onural and James M. Tien. Those running for other IEEE positions also have been announced. The list is available at http://www.ieee.org/corporate/elections/candidates.xml. Official ballots will be mailed to IEEE members by 1 Sept.
**IEEE INTERNET CONFERENCING SERVICE TO BE UPGRADED**
On 25 June, the IEEE's Internet Conferencing service will be upgraded. New features include scalable presentation areas, full-screen viewing mode, keyboard shortcuts for common activities and more. For complete details,training information and to register for a 30-day preview, visit http://www.ieee.org/web/webconf/2003upgrade.xml.
For more information, contact Casey Della Salla, IEEE Information Technology, at mailto:c.dellasalla@ieee.org, or Lenore Johnson, IEEE Meeting Planning Services, at mailto:l.johnson@ieee.org.
**IEEE MEMBER DIGITAL LIBRARY TRIALS SPUR SUBSCRIPTIONS**
Last year, more than 4,000 members of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, IEEE Society on the Social Implications of Technology and IEEE Electron Devices Society participated in a month-long free trial of the IEEE Member Digital Library. Fifteen percent of those who tried the library subscribed -- representing almost US$250,000 in revenue for the IEEE.
Members of various IEEE societies will again have opportunities for free trials starting in July. Any society representatives who are interested should contact Barb Soifer, Sales & Marketing, at mailto:b.soifer@ieee.org.
**SECTION OF IEEE SITE HELPS VISITORS SELECT ONLINE COLLECTIONS**
A new section of the IEEE Web site can help visitors decide which IEEE online collection is right for them or their institutions. The "Discover IEEE" Web pages include a two-question survey that generates recommendations and access options for a particular collection.
The site also includes:
- request links for free individual or organizational trials
- a brief demonstration of IEEE Xplore(R)
- instructions on how to purchase individual IEEE online articles
- information on other IEEE products and services, including IEEE membership
The "Discover IEEE" Web pages are being promoted through IEEE print advertisements and ads on Google and other search engines. On average, more than 6,600 people have visited the site each week since its March launch.
Visit "Discover IEEE" at http://www.ieee.org/discover. For more information, contact Karen Hawkins, IEEE Sales & Marketing, at mailto:k.hawkins@ieee.org.
**EWEEK ACTIVITIES SUMMARY AVAILABLE ONLINE**
The final summary of the various IEEE and IEEE-USA supported activities during U.S. National Engineers Week (EWeek) 2004 is available online at http://www.eweek.org/site/About/2004_FinalReport.shtml.
**FIRST IEC/IEEE STANDARD PUBLISHED**
The first international standard under a joint International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)/IEEE cooperation agreement has been published. The agreement between the two organizations seeks to streamline the development process for international standards by avoiding duplication of efforts. The standard, 60488-2, concerns the use of IEEE 488 buses in laboratory and manufacturing instruments and is based on the IEEE 488.2(TM) standard.
For more information, visit http://www.iec.ch/news_centre/release/nr2004/nr0804.htm.
**IEEE MANAGER RECEIVES 'MEETING PLANNER OF THE YEAR' AWARD**
Sherry Russ, manager of the IEEE Meetings, Conferences, Exhibit and Travel Services department, recently received the "Meeting Planner of the Year" award from Meeting Planners International.
**IN THE NEWS**
The IEEE, its members, and its products and services are mentioned frequently in journalists' reports on technology and the engineering profession. Here are just a few recent references.
April and May -- Articles in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE (www.chicagotribune.com), CONDE NAST TRAVELER (http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/) and THE WASHINGTON POST (www.washingtonpost.com) described the technology of the wireless LAN standard IEEE 802.11, its advantages, and drawbacks. The stories also explained the differences in data transfer rates between the b and g amendments to the standard. A similar guide to the technology in THE NEW YORK TIMES noted that the widespread adoption of wireless networking has caught on largely due to established standards such as IEEE 802.11.
11 April -- Tracey Logan, host of the weekly BBC WORLD SERVICE program Go Digital, (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3647437.stm) interviewed IEEE SPECTRUM Senior Associate Editor Harry Goldstein about a story the magazine published on a retinal projection laser. During the show Goldstein said the car industry is using the laser light to superimpose diagnostic and instructional images on mechanics’ normal fields of vision. He noted that this eliminates the need to stop working and move to a computer terminal or page through a manual for information. The show predicted that within five years the retinal projection lasers could be incorporated into mobile phones, hand-held computers, digital cameras and video games.
April -- PHYSICS TODAY (http://www.aip.org/pt/) announced that Former chair of NEC Corp. Tadahiro Sekimoto had been named recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honor. The story noted that Sekimoto would accept the award for his contributions to digital communications, promotion of information technology research and development, and technical and corporate leadership in computers and communications at the annual IEEE Honors Ceremony.
ROBOTICS ONLINE (http://www.roboticsonline.com) featured Joseph F. Engelberger, retired robotics developer from HelpMate Robotics Inc., as recipient of the 2004 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award. The news article said he would receive the award for his lifetime of contributions to the field at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
