THE IEEE LEADERSHIP WIRE
5 December 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 the first week of the month.
CONTENTS:
*NOVEMBER MEETING SERIES ACTION ITEMS
*ASSEMBLY NAMES 2007 BOARD MEMBERS
*BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELEVATE 268 SENIOR MEMBERS TO FELLOW GRADE
*IEEE CELEBRATES US$100 MILLION IN ONLINE PACKAGE PUBLICATION SALES
*THOMAS BARTLETT NAMED FIRST ERIC HERZ IEEE OUTSTANDING STAFF MEMBER AWARD RECIPIENT
*IEEE AND ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH ESTABLISH IEEE/RSE WOLFSON JAMES CLERK MAXWELL AWARD
*DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING AND SYSTEM THEORIST DR. THOMAS KAILATH NAMED 2007 IEEE MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
*IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES MOTOROLA WITH 2006 CORPORATE AWARD
*IEEE ENTERPRISE SALES SURGE IN 2ND HALF OF 2006
*IEEE ALTERS ITS STANDARDS PATENT POLICY TO PROVIDE FULLER DISCLOSURE ON LICENSING
*BUSINESS AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS COURSES NOW AVAILABLE TO IEEE MEMBERS AT A DISCOUNT THROUGH IEEE PARTNERSHIP WITH INQUESTRA LEARNING
*IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY SELECTS PARTNER TO DEVELOP CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
*NAME CHANGE FOR EXPERT NOW IEEE
*IN THE NEWS
**NOVEMBER MEETING SERIES ACTION ITEMS**
Below is a list of action items following the November Meeting Series in New Orleans, La.
The Board of Directors
accepted the report of the Tellers Committee to finalize the results of the IEEE annual election. In addition, Marc Apter, Pedro Ray and John Vig were nominated to run in the IEEE 2007 annual election as president-elect candidates. The winner of this election will serve as president-elect in 2008 and IEEE president in 2009.
changed the IEEE Eric Herz Staff Award from a biennial award to an annual award.
The Technical Activities Board
approved the dissolution of the IEEE Management Society and the formation of the IEEE Technology Management Council. The change will go into effect in 2008.
**ASSEMBLY NAMES 2007 BOARD MEMBERS**
The IEEE Assembly named the following individuals to serve one-year terms on the IEEE Board of Directors, beginning 1 January:
- Moshe Kam -- Vice President, Educational Activities Board
- John Baillieul -- Vice President, Publications Services and Products Board
- Pedro Ray – Vice President, Regional Activities Board
- Celia Desmond -- IEEE Secretary
- David Green -- IEEE Treasurer
These individuals will join their colleagues on the Board who were elected previously by the eligible voting members of the IEEE.
**BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELEVATES 268 SENIOR MEMBERS TO FELLOW GRADE**
The IEEE Board of Directors named 268 Fellows for the Class of 2007. To view the full list of Fellows, visit http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/fellows/new-fellows.html.
**IEEE CELEBRATES US$100 MILLION IN ONLINE PACKAGE PUBLICATION SALES**
At the November Meeting Series, IEEE President Michael Lightner led a celebration to mark IEEE achieving $100 million in annual sales of online package products. Lightner noted that achieving this milestone took the teamwork of the volunteer editors, conference organizers, authors and reviewers who created the content, the staff that published the material and packaged it for electronic delivery over IEEE Xplore, and the marketing and sales team. The proceeds of this effort allow the IEEE to invest in new initiatives and programs in the coming years.
**THOMAS BARTLETT NAMED FIRST ERIC HERZ IEEE OUTSTANDING STAFF MEMBER AWARD RECIPIENT**
Thomas W. Bartlett, a retired former associate general manager for finance for the IEEE, was presented with the first IEEE Eric Herz Outstanding Staff Member Award at a luncheon at the November Meeting Series. During part of his 47 year career, Tom held the highest financial position at the IEEE, reporting to the chief IEEE staff person.
The award, established last year, is presented by the IEEE volunteers to a present or past full-time staff member in recognition of outstanding contributions to the organization. Tom was honored for developing and implementing financial management systems that contributed uniquely to the growth and achievements of the IEEE during his career. The longest-serving employee in the history of the IEEE, Tom also played an integral role in the merger of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and Institute of Radio Engineers which formed the IEEE in 1963.
**IEEE AND ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH ESTABLISH IEEE/RSE WOLFSON JAMES CLERK MAXWELL AWARD**
IEEE and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s national academy for the “advancement of learning and useful knowledge”, have joined efforts to create an annual award to recognize James Clerk Maxwell and his fundamental contributions to the development of electronics and electrical engineering. The IEEE/RSE Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award will be administered by a joint IEEE/RSE Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award selection committee. Nominations will be solicited by the IEEE and RSE Council through society publications, Web sites and other communications vehicles. The first award is scheduled to be presented at the June 2007 IEEE Honors Ceremony, provided a candidate is identified by the selection committee. The deadline for nominations is in the process of being determined.
Dr. Thomas Kailath, a respected leader in digital signal processing and systems theory, has been named the recipient of the 2007 IEEE Medal of Honor for “exceptional development of powerful algorithms in the fields of communications, computing, control and signal processing.” Some of Kailath’s most recent research has influenced modern work in semiconductor manufacturing and wireless communications.
Kailath, a professor of engineering at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., will be presented with the award at the annual IEEE Honors Ceremony in June 2007. The award is sponsored by the IEEE Foundation. For a full listing of 2007 IEEE Medal recipients and other honorees, visit http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/about/awards/pr/2007medalrecips.html.
**IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES MOTOROLA WITH 2006 CORPORATE AWARD**
IEEE-SA has selected Motorola, Inc. as the recipient of the 2006 IEEE Standards Association Corporate Award in recognition for its “outstanding contributions to IEEE standards, which allow people to be mobile and connected across the globe.” Motorola has been a leader in the creation of several IEEE standards including the family of IEEE 802™ wireless standards and battery standards. To read the full press release, visit http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/pr_moto06corpawd.html.
**IEEE ENTERPRISE SALES SURGE IN 2ND HALF OF 2006**
The IEEE Enterprise subscription product experienced a sales surge in the latter half of 2006 with a majority of the over US$ 1.2 million in cash sales occurring during this time. September produced the second highest sales in a single month this year.
Introduced in 2004, IEEE Enterprise provides access to articles and papers from IEEE magazines, journals, transactions and conference proceedings, at various price levels geared to fit the budgets and usage needs of any organization.
New sales contributed to a little more than half of the total sales this year, with renewal sales accounting for the remainder. To date, IEEE Enterprise has attracted more than 250 companies who never before had subscriptions to IEEE online products. These include law firms and chemical companies outside of IEEE’s traditional core market.
For more information, contact Emily Nilsson-Csernica, Sales and Marketing, at e.nilsson-csernica@ieee.org.
**IEEE ALTERS ITS STANDARDS PATENT POLICY TO PROVIDE FULLER DISCLOSURE ON LICENSING**
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) has approved a change in its patent policy effective 30 April 2007 that provides for the optional advance disclosure of ”not to exceed” licensing terms associated with patents that might be included in its standards. The change is intended to make the IEEE standards-setting process more transparent. IEEE-SA has also submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Justice for a business review letter confirming the Department’s guidance on the antitrust aspects of the new policy. To read the full press release, visit http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/pr_043007discl.html.
InQuestra Learning and IEEE have recently partnered to offer business and systems analysis-related courses to IEEE members at a discount. InQuestra Learning provides a 16 hour, online Business Systems Analyst Certificate program. A private company incorporated in 2003, InQuestra Learning has issued more than 3,000 Business Systems Analysis Certificates to qualified learners to date. All of the company’s online courses are professionally designed and developed by industry experts, focus on skills development and include hands-on labs, email support, and study guides to enhance each student’s self-paced learning experience. For more information, to access courses by InQuestra Learning or to review a list of other partners, visit http//www.ieee.org/partners.
**IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY SELECTS PARTNER TO DEVELOP CERTIFICATION PROGRAM**
The IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) has selected New York-based Professional Examination Service (PES) to develop a certification program for engineers working in communications technology. ComSoc is planning to roll out the first certification, in wireless cellular technology, late in 2007. When fully developed, the program will comprise a number of certifications in various areas of communications technology.
During program development, PES will collaborate with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including practicing engineers from small and large companies worldwide, to conduct an extensive analysis of the knowledge and skills required by engineering professionals in wireless cellular communications technology. Following the analysis of practice, PES will conduct item and examination development workshops and a standard-setting study with representative groups of stakeholders, as well as provide consultative services to keep ComSoc informed of new trends and technologies in certification assessment.
For additional information contact Jack Howell at j.howell@ieee.org.
**NAME CHANGE FOR EXPERT NOW IEEE**
The name of Expert Now IEEE, a continuing education resource for technical professionals presented in hour-long learning courses, has been changed to IEEE Expert Now. References to this product in all presentations and other materials should be changed.
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.
NOVEMBER – CBS NEWS, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY PODCASTS – Ken Goldberg, a professor at UC Berkeley, and founding chair, advisory board, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, was recently interviewed on two online podcasts. Ken provided an overview of the publication and discussed how automation will affect our future lives. To listen to the podcasts, visit http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/25/podcast_larry_magid/main711481.shtml (2 November listing) and http://www.scienceandsociety.net/podcasts/archives/2006/11/dr_ken_goldberg.html.
21 NOVEMBER – IT PRO NEWS.COM – The UK-based online publication reported that a recent ruling on a Wi-Fi patent infringement case could “be devastating for both makers and buyers of wireless products.” The story refers to a recent Texas (U.S.) Federal Court ruling that a Texas-based maker of wireless routing products had infringed a patent owned by the commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an Australian government agency. According to the article, the judge “ruled that the CSIRO holds the rights to patents on the underlying technology used in two Wi-Fi standards, namely 802.11a and 802.11g, both approved by the IEEE.”
To read the full story, visit: http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/98427/patent-case-could-devastate-wifi-industry-and-users.html. Articles on this topic also appeared on ZDNETIndia.com, News.com, CNET.com, InfoWorld and Government Technology Magazine.
NOVEMBER – MICROWAVES AND RF – The publication previewed the contents of the 2006 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IDEM), which focused on RF/microwave-related developments in semiconductor technologies. The article stated “several breakthrough type developments will be announced at this year’s conference, including wireFET technology for three-dimensional integrated circuits.”
30 OCTOBER – NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES – The team of three Valparaiso University students (Valparaiso, Ind.) that took first place in an ethics competition held as part of a regional IEEE leadership conference held on campus were featured by the paper. The competition “presented students with a real-life scenario in which a professional engineer’s ethics might be tested, and was part of IEEE’s efforts to improve engineering students’ understanding of their ethical duties and professionals,” the publication stated.
***********************************************************
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
***********************************************************
