IEEE Leadership Wire
6 September 2007
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 each month.
CONTENTS:
*NEW IEEE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LAUNCHES
*PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR IEEE-SPONSORED ONLINE IDEAJAM COMPETITION ADDRESSING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES IN CITY OF BOSTON
*IEEE EXPERT NOW PILOT PROGRAM ENABLES MEMBERS TO EARN FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS
*2007 IEEE ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD OPENS
*IEEE XPLORE TOOLBAR NOW AVAILABLE
*CALL FOR SPEAKERS – 2008 IEEE SECTIONS CONGRESS
*IEEE FOUNDATION GRANTS AWARDED FOR 2007
*NEW IEEE APPLICATIONS & PRACTICE MAGAZINE ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
*IEEE SEEKS PROGRAM EVALUATORS FOR ACCREDITING ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS AT U.S. UNIVERSITIES
*IEEE PUBLISHES FOUR NEW JOURNALS IN IEEE XPLORE
*LEADERPOINT EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO IEEE MEMBERS AT A DISCOUNT THROUGH EDUCATION PARTNERS PROGRAM
*IN THE NEWS
**NEW IEEE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LAUNCHES**
The new IEEE Business Management System (BMS) launched on schedule on 6 August 2007. Individuals can now join the IEEE and its societies; renew their memberships; buy conference proceedings, standards, education courses, and other products; and subscribe to IEEE publications in one online session through the shopping area. Progress has continued toward the next goal, which is to launch the 2008 renewal cycle by the middle of September.
Other planned updates to the initial release will take place later this year and in 2008. Training will be scheduled later this month for the updated SAMIEE application.
The BMS upgrade consolidates more than two dozen databases, ranging from member information to online product catalogs. The system can now provide IEEE with a comprehensive view of operations, members and customers, and sets the stage to enable more timely and thorough service for all who interact with IEEE. To provide feedback on the new system, use the online form.
IEEE is one of the sponsors of the FutureBOSTON IdeaJAM Online Competition – a six week, interactive symposium which utilizes social networking to create novel solutions to challenging urban problems facing the city of Boston, Mass. IEEE members and volunteers worldwide are invited to join in the competition, which enables participants to post, receive feedback and collaborate with experts on solutions in three key challenge areas – health, design and sustainability.
From now through 15 October, visitors to the Site will have the opportunity to vote for the best ideas that will be shared and discussed in a three-day, in-person and/or online Interactive Symposia to take place at the Hotel@MIT in Boston, Mass. 16-18 October. In addition to receiving a monetary reward, winners will have the opportunity to meet face to face with expert panelists and venture capitalists to explore the advancement of their proposal in the real world. US$1,000 will be awarded for first place, and US$500 for the second and third place winners in each category.
For full details and rules, visit the FutureBOSTON Web site.
**IEEE EXPERT NOW PILOT PROGRAM ENABLES MEMBERS TO EARN FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS**
IEEE Expert Now courses are available for use by IEEE Regions, Sections, and Chapters interested in participating in the IEEE Expert Now Section-Chapter Program. The program, which began as a pilot in 2006, helps local IEEE volunteers organize an event where attendees can view one or more IEEE Expert Now course(s) and discuss the materials with a local expert on that topic. There is no charge for participating in this program in 2007, and IEEE Regions, Sections and Chapters who do participate this year will have the ability to award Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to event participants free of charge.
IEEE Regions, Sections and Chapters interested in participating will work directly with IEEE Educational Activities (EA) Staff to organize the event. IEEE EA Staff provides access to the selected course(s), can make recommendations or provide “best practices” for organizing the event, can provide surveys for attendees’ feedback and CEUs to attendees who return completed surveys. For more information visit the IEEE Expert Now Section-Chapter Program Web site or send a message to expertnowinfo@ieee.org.
**2007 IEEE ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD OPENS**
Ballots for the 2007 IEEE Annual Election have been mailed to all eligible voting IEEE members via first class. Ballot materials may be accessed electronically.
The annual election candidate biography booklet was provided to members who are eligible to vote for the first time in the annual election, those who have been elevated to Member or Graduate Student membership grades on/or before 30 June 2007, and those members who voted by paper ballot in the 2006 election. Members who transmitted their ballot electronically or did not vote in the 2006 election, will not receive the candidate biography booklet.
However, access to these materials will be available electronically via the IEEE Annual Election Web site. All eligible voting members will receive a paper ballot and postage paid reply envelope in their ballot package.
To assist all voting members in making an informed decision, a moderated Roundtable Q&A video/audio session with the three President-Elect candidates answering questions asked by members, and a video/audio of the annual President-Elect candidates' debate, hosted by the IEEE Philadelphia Section, are also available on the IEEE annual election Web site, or directly from IEEE.tv.
All ballots must be received by the election vendor by 1 November 2007 at 12 noon, Central Time USA (17:00 Greenwich Mean Time) to be counted.
For additional information about the IEEE Annual Election, please contact: corp-election@ieee.org.
**IEEE XPLORE TOOLBAR NOW AVAILABLE**
The IEEE Xplore digital library can now be instantly accessed through a customized toolbar, enabling users to easily search IEEE journals, magazines, conference proceedings, standards and books directly from their browser. This feature became available as part of the IEEE Xplore 2.4 Release which went live 4 August. It can be accessed through the tools section of the tools section of the IEEE Xplore Guide or from the IEEE Xplore Web site.
**CALL FOR SPEAKERS – IEEE SECTIONS CONGRESS**
The Sections Congress 2008 Program Committee is now accepting nominations for session speakers. Sections Congress 2008 will be held 19 – 22 September at the Quebec City Convention Center in Quebec City, Canada. The theme of the event is "Celebrating Volunteer Achievements Worldwide." The three program tracks are: Membership; Section Management; and Section/Chapter Activities. To nominate a speaker, visit the IEEE Sections Congress 2008 Web site and click on "Nominate a Speaker." The deadline for submitting speaker nominations is 1 November 2007.
**IEEE FOUNDATION GRANTS AWARDED FOR 2007**
The IEEE Foundation awarded grants to a variety of initiatives in 2007. Highlights include the creation of a new exhibit at the Women at Work Museum in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA, to showcase the achievements of women engineers throughout history; the production of the pilot episode of "Nerd Girls", a television documentary aimed at encouraging a young female audience to consider entering engineering-related fields; the creation of the "Museum of the Future", a non-profit organization that aims to promote science and engineering among the public, especially those that are victims of the digital divide in Portuguese-speaking countries around the world; and providing resources to launch a Turkey-wide Web site contest in which pre-college students will compete to design and develop the best school website. In total, nearly US$250,000 was presented to support initiatives from IEEE branches around the world. For more information, visit the IEEE Foundation Web site.
**NEW IEEE APPLICATIONS & PRACTICE MAGAZINE ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS**
IEEE APPLICATIONS & PRACTICE MAGAZINE, a new IEEE eZine and print supplement to IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE, is intended to be a source of timely, significant, technically-reviewed articles, application notes, and technical papers for engineering practitioners in all areas of communications technology. A special issue focusing on optical communications is planned for January 2008. Submissions for this special issue should provide information that will be useful to engineering practitioners at all levels of experience. Technical papers, tutorials, application notes, and other formats are welcomed in numerous general areas.
Abstract submissions are due 15 September 2007 and final papers are due 1 November 2007. Papers should be no longer than 4,500 words and contain no more than six figures. Please contact Jack Howell at j.howell@comsoc.org with any questions or for additional information.
IEEE, the largest member of ABET, Inc. (formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), is responsible for the peer-review evaluation of more than 700 college and university programs. To aid IEEE and ABET in its accreditation process, the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) is seeking engineering professionals from industry, government and academe to serve as program evaluators.
Applications for the 2007 - 2008 academic year will be accepted through 15 November 2007. In addition to lending their valuable expertise to the accreditation process, program evaluators have the opportunity to keep abreast of the latest engineering and technology teaching methods and can meet individuals who will soon be entering the profession. Additionally, program evaluators will learn how to conduct an objective evaluation of the educational process using established criteria.
Selected applicants will attend a training seminar on the IEEE/ABET accreditation process, which will be scheduled in several locations throughout the U.S. in 2008. After training, program evaluators are dispatched in teams to visit engineering and engineering technology departments at colleges and universities across the country on behalf of the IEEE and ABET.
Evaluation sessions are held during the fall and usually run two to three days. Information packages, including the application and nomination forms, are available online for engineering programs and engineering technology programs. For more information, contact eab-accred@ieee.org.
**IEEE PUBLISHES FOUR NEW JOURNALS IN IEEE XPLORE**
Inaugural issues of four new publications have been recently published in IEEE Xplore covering biomedical, signal processing, industrial electronics, and network management technologies.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS focuses on microelectronic issues in a wide variety of applications found in life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING discusses the theories and applications of signals by digital or analog devices and techniques. This includes filtering, coding, transmitting, estimating, detecting, analyzing, recognizing, synthesizing, recording, and reproducing signals.
IEEE INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE deals with the theory and application of electronics, controls, communications, instrumentation, and computational intelligence to industrial and manufacturing systems and processes.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NETWORK AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT publishes peer-reviewed, archival quality papers advancing the state-of-the-art and practical application of network and service management in an online-only format.
LeaderPoint, a company specializing in executive and management development sessions and newest member to the IEEE Education Partners Program (EPP), is offering members a 10 percent discount on its Executive Experience session. The session, a five-day, comprehensive development program designed to advance leadership and management skills, is held in Kansas City, Mo. The Executive Experience will help participants:
- Build cooperation in seizing opportunity and gaining greater commitment
- Practice using systematic tools for strategic planning
- Diagnose and correct dysfunctional group dynamics
- Focus personal development in specific areas
- Develop a management mindset for improving business results
Each session has an assessment component which provides a summary of LeaderPoint’s observations, the participant’s comments, and specific recommendations. Participants can contact LeaderPoint at any time for follow-up work, questions, and concerns. For more information, visit the LeaderPoint Web site. For general information on the IEEE Education Partners Program visit the EPP Web site.
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.
5 September – CNN.COM, USA TODAY – An Associated Press article describing a new wireless technology that could transfer high definition videos and other large files in seconds reported the important role that the IEEE could have in making the technology a reality. “The technology could get a big boost if the IEEE… decides to create a standard for the spectrum. The group is weighing the decision now and could decide by next year.” Read the full story on the CNN Web site. The story appeared in numerous other local news Web sites.
3 September – BUSINESSWEEK – The article “The Road to WiMax” outlines the history of the technology and mentions the role that IEEE played in developing the IEEE 802.16 standard. Read the full article in BusinessWeek.
2 August – PC WORLD – IEEE-USA President John Meredith was quoted in a story on the U.S. Congress passing a bill intended to pump up math and science education in research. The article, also posted on THE WASHINGTON POST Web site, outlines a series of programs that will be established under the act. The nation’s “ability to compete with emerging nations will greatly benefit from this legislation,” Meredith said. Red the full story on The Washington Post Web site.
13 August – SILICON REPBULIC.COM – An article that was published by Ireland’s technology news service previewed the IEEE P2P2007 conference which focused on peer-to-peer technologies and social networks. To read the full story, visit Silicon Republic.com.
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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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