THE IEEE LEADERSHIP WIRE
6 June 2006
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.
CONTENTS:
*IEEE TEAMS WITH IBM TO LAUNCH TRYENGINEERING.ORG
*NEW IMPROVEMENTS ENHANCE IEEE.ORG EXPERIENCE
*PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE DEBUTS UPDATED DESIGN
*2006 IEEE PRESIDENTS’ SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED FOR COST-EFFECTIVE LASER SCANNING DEVICE
*ELECTRONIC IEEE COPYRIGHT FORM NOW AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
*NEW FEATURES COMING TO IEEE XPLORE DIGITAL LIBRARY
*IEEE TRAVEL SERVICES ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN ONLINE BOOKING TOOL
*IN THE NEWS
**IEEE TEAMS WITH IBM TO LAUNCH TRYENGINEERING.ORG**
IEEE and IBM have collaborated to launch a new website that combines interactive activities with information on careers in engineering. Tryengineering.org is designed to educate a variety of audiences about the different engineering disciplines and the impact engineers have on society. Targeted toward teachers, school counselors, parents and students, TryEngineering.org lets site visitors explore how to prepare for an engineering career, ask designated experts engineer-related questions and play interactive games. Tools for teachers include lesson plans and engineering projects as well as a list of student competitions and science and engineering-oriented summer camps.
The initial launch includes a searchable list of accredited engineering programs in the U.S. and Canada, and the site will be expanded to include programs in other English-speaking countries as well as Germany and France. For more information, visit www.tryengineering.org, or contact Doug Gorham, Educational Activities, at d.g.gorham@ieee.org or +1 732 562 5483 or Allison Ickowicz at a.m.ickowicz@ieee.org or +1 732 562 5496.
**NEW IMPROVEMENTS ENHANCE IEEE.ORG EXPERIENCE**
Since the launch of phase 1 of the www.ieee.org revamp in January 2006, which revealed a new look and feel for the site among other upgrades, dozens of other enhancements have been implemented to improve the overall user experience. Key improvements include:
-continued migration of existing content into new site templates
-additional navigation options through expandable/collapsible menus
-reconfigured search utility for increased speed
-home page content updates such as dynamic flash area and “Inside IEEE” column highlighting popular portal features
-increased use of alt-tags to improve usability and accessibility
-easier use of portal page content via the availability of printer-friendly text versions
Most recent improvements are a new URL redirect service to facilitate quick user-friendly link creation, and the development of new HTML templates enabling IEEE region and society sites to maintain a similar look and feel to the ieee.org site.
IEEE webmasters can use the following links to take advantage of the new tools:
Redirect service: http://www.ieee.org/web/web/developers/redirectregister.html
HTML templates: http://ewh.ieee.org/templates.html.
Many behind-the-scenes enhancements also are improving the quality of the site. Improved broken link identification, web statistics reporting, and upgrades to the content management system will all make it easier for web authors to keep their content areas relevant and functional for visitors.
Additional communications will be disseminated as other significant upgrades are made.
Questions or comments can be sent to webmaster@ieee.org.
**PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE DEBUTS UPDATED DESIGN**
The May issue of "Proceedings of the IEEE" was the first to feature an editorial and graphic redesign intended to give the journal a contemporary look that is not only more attractive, but easier for readers to navigate. The redesign includes an easier to browse table of contents and opening layout for the feature articles, in addition to a new logo and a greater amount of color on all pages. The publication also has
increased its forum for editorial discussion and opinion with a new “point of view” monthly feature to facilitate public discussions on hot topics.The current issue takes an in-depth look at the subject of next-generation optical networks.
The product is the result of an 18 month effort spearheaded by editor Fawwaz T. Ulaby, The R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. Ulaby based the redesign on ideas gathered from a reader survey and suggestions of his editorial advisory board and worked with IEEE staff to implement the changes.
The table of contents and abstracts for all papers can be found in the IEEE Xplore digital library, where subscribers may also read the full text of all articles. Visit: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=34274.
**2006 IEEE PRESIDENTS' SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED FOR COST-EFFECTIVE LASER SCANNING DEVICE**
Brandon Lee Reavis, a sophomore from Cody High School in Cody, WY, was awarded the 2006 IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship at the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held 7-13 May, 2006, in Indianapolis. His 3D silhouette laser scanner – which scans an object and transfers it onto a computer as a 3D image – cost only $400 to produce. It captured more details of an object’s contour than existing scanners on the market that often cost more than $100,000. The scholarship consists of US $10,000 payable over four years of undergraduate study, a framed certificate and complimentary student membership to the IEEE. For more information on the IEEE Presidents' Scholarship visit http://www.ieee.org/web/education/preuniversity/scholarship/index.html.
**ELECTRONIC IEEE COPYRIGHT FORM NOW AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES**
The IEEE Intellectual Property Rights Office has posted Spanish, French and German versions of its electronic IEEE Copyright Form (eCF) online. An online “wizard” in the selected language prompts the user through the completion of the form, before signing the legal document, which is in English. The new forms enable authors who use English as a second language to better understand copyright transfer and their rights and privileges as IEEE authors. Additional translation enhancements are planned to display the eCF and online “wizard” in Japanese, Chinese and Russian by the end of 2006.
The eCF is available for all IEEE-copyrighted periodicals and conferences. Editors and conference organizers who wish to make the eCF available to their authors may register through a web-based form at http://ecopyright.ieee.org/registration/registration.html. More than 20,000 copyright transfers were signed and submitted through the online tool in 2005.
**NEW FEATURES COMING TO IEEE XPLORE DIGITAL LIBRARY**
Next month, IEEE will release an upgrade to the IEEE Xplore digital library. This latest version, IEEE Xplore 2.1.4, will feature OpenURL compatibility and enhanced citation download features. In addition, each periodical will display a monthly list of its most-read papers, and downloaded PDFs will now contain a small watermark identifying the downloading institution or user. Visit www.ieee.org/ieeexplore for more information.
**IEEE TRAVEL SERVICES ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN ONLINE BOOKING TOOL**
Based on customer comments, IEEE Travel Services changed vendors for its online booking tool last month from TravelPort to GetThere. IEEE Travel Services will continue to maintain TravelPort through 5 July before permanently switching over to the new system. GetThere offers several new features including the ability to book Amtrak reservations and enhanced search capabilities.
Everyone who submits a confirmed booking this month will automatically be entered into a drawing for several prizes, including one free round-trip ticket on Northwest or Delta within the contiguous 48 states within the U.S. Winners will be announced 14 July 2006 via email.
For more information, contact Sherry Russ, Meeting Planning & Travel Services at +1 732 562 3980 or visit http://www.ieeetravelonline.org/announce.htm.
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.
MAY – Peoples Daily (China) , PolicyTracker.com(UK), The Associated Press-Beijing , The Financial Times (UK), and PC Magazine(U.S.) are among the numerous news outlets around the world that have published articles about China’s negative response to the fast track ballot on the two amendments to the ISO/IEC JTC1 WLAN standard. The ballot, which took place in March, resulted in approval of the IEEE 802.11i security amendment and defeat of China’s WAPI amendment. This led the Standards Administration of China to accuse IEEE of violating ethics and procedural rules and principles, unfairly influencing the balloting process, and organizing a conspiracy against their amendment. IEEE continues to maintain its position that it has not violated any ethics or policies, has conducted all activities in an open forum and is willing to work with China to integrate the two security technologies.
MAY – ASSOCIATIONS NOW MAGAZINE – Chris Brantley, executive director of IEEE-USA, is featured on the cover of the May issue of Associations Now Magazine, a publication produced by The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). IEEE-USA and IEEE were included in a group of several associations who provided input on the story on offshore outsourcing, entitled “When Outsourcing Gets Personal.” The article addresses what steps associations are taking to support members who are concerned their jobs may be at risk. To view the full article, visit http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=17812
10 MAY – UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL – An article on the IEEE 1680 “Standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products” discussed how the new standard will help reduce the environmental impact of discarded desktop and laptop computers and monitors. The new standard was jointly announced with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
22 MAY – CNN LOU DOBBS TONIGHT – Former IEEE-USA President Paul Kostek appeared on a segment discussing how the H-1B program has affected high tech businesses. During a taped interview, Kostek, chair of the IEEE-USA Career and Workforce Policy Committee, discussed flaws in the H-1B program and indicated that “The salaries that H1-Bs are being paid tend to be $13,000 a year less than the average salary that a U.S.-based engineer would receive.”
18 APRIL – INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE – A “primer” on Wi-Fi technology predominantly featured IEEE as playing “a major role in promoting particular standards, which often are adopted internationally, for many technologies.” The article distinguishes between the various 802.11 standards, and describes their practical applications and impact on technology.
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IEEE LEADERSHIP WIRE staff contact:
Francine Tardo
IEEE Corporate Strategy and Communications
Tel: +1 732 465 5865
Fax: +1 732 981 9511
Mailto: f.tardo@ieee.org
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