What's New @ IEEE in Power

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 8 SEPTEMBER 2001

CONTENTS:
1. Strain on U.S. Power Industry May Increase
2. Wind Power Needs More Play in the United States
3. Energy Production Goes Through Changes
4. IEEE Offers Training Tools in Power
5. IEEE E-Mail Aliases Block 35,000 Viruses in August
6. Explaining Nonlinear Phenomena in Power Electronics
7. Visit IEEE Standards Association at 2001 PCIC
8. Growth of Electronic Services Drives 2002 Dues Increase
9. IEEE Spectrum Feature: "Teaching From a Clean Slate"
10. Telecommuting -- A View from the Trenches

WHAT'S NEW SPECIAL - 20% OFF SELECT IEEE PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS ISSUE!
Look for the What's New Specials and ordering instructions below.

1. STRAIN ON U.S. POWER INDUSTRY MAY INCREASE
If the White House approves new restrictions proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, energy producers may see more challenging times ahead. The EPA seeks to place tight limits on pollution from power plants. This would affect mostly coal-burning plants, the nation's leading electricity suppliers. The proposal would cut down on dangerous pollutants. It would also put a strain on an industry experiencing energy shortages and high prices. For more, www.usatoday.com/news/washdc/august01/2001-08-28-epa.htm

2. WIND POWER NEEDS MORE PLAY IN THE UNITED STATES
Wind power could help the U.S. with both the recent low power supply and the high pollution of greenhouse-gas emissions. Mark Jacobson of Stanford University notes that wind power costs 3 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour -- compared to coal's 5.5 to 8.3 cents. In addition, he states that coal dust kills 2,000 U.S. mine workers annually, and is costing taxpayers $35 billion in benefits to former coal miners. But the initial cost of erecting wind turbines is high, and they take up a large amount of space. www.spectrum.ieee.org/news/cache/ReutersOnlineScience/08_23_2001.romta1537-story-bcscienceenergywinddc.html

3. ENERGY PRODUCTION GOES THROUGH CHANGES
Understand the changes in energy production with "The Power Paradigm for the New Millennium." Experts discuss the implications of deregulation, from technological, financial and economic changes, to principles of control of distributed generation systems and the regulatory environment. Available now from IEEE Fatbrain, an IEEE members-only site offering discounts on the most popular technology titles from the leading publishers in the field. www.ieee.org/ieeefatbrain (IEEE Web Account Required)

4. IEEE OFFERS TRAINING TOOLS IN POWER
Go to shop.ieee.org/power now to review the education and training tools the IEEE has to offer within the power field. Selections include self-study courses, videos, CD-ROMs, and books. These courses are perfect for self-paced learning and are suitable for classroom instruction. Many of these courses award Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The courses are available at a 15% discount for a limited time. For details go to shop.ieee.org/power

5. IEEE E-MAIL ALIASES BLOCK 35,000 VIRUSES IN AUGUST
It's been a busy season for computer viruses, and for antivirus software. IEEE's free Email Alias Service with virus scanning stopped over 35,000 viruses from being delivered to members in August. This is more than seven times the number of viruses detected in June. Don't let another virus infect your PC. IEEE members, sign up for your free email alias at eleccomm.ieee.org/personal-aliases.shtml

Viruses and other security issues make computer use a constant battle to protect yourself. But it's a battle you can win -- if you keep fighting. slate.msn.com/webhead/01-08-13/webhead.asp

6. EXPLAINING NONLINEAR PHENOMENA IN POWER ELECTRONICS
Great strides have been made in comprehension of the bifurcations, coexisting attractors, and chaos that occur in the inherently nonlinear field of power electronics. "Nonlinear Phenomena in Power Electronics," a new book from Wiley/IEEE Press, brings the knowledge of 24 experts in this maturing field and makes it accessible to graduate students and power electronics professionals. Topics discussed include: discrete domain modeling of power converters, basics of bifurcation and chaos theory, nonlinear phenomena in dc-dc converters, thrysitor and diode circuits, and other power electronics circuits and systems, and much more. shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=PC5824

7. VISIT IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION AT 2001 PCIC
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) will be exhibiting at the 2001 Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee Technical Conference, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (24-26 Sept. 2001). This PCIC conference is the Industry Applications Society's premier meeting for the practicing electrical engineer. www.ieee-pcic.org/Toronto/pcic2001.htm

NEW PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE The Proceedings of the 2001 International Symposium on Low Power Electronics & Design are now available. Contents include: Energy Reduction in Processor Pipelines, Voltage and Instruction Scheduling, Low Power RF Circuits and Systems, Modeling and Estimation Techniques, Low Power Digital Circuits, and much more. For more information shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=TH8581
***What's New Special - Use Code TIL for 20% discount - ordering instructions below***

IEEE sponsors more than 300 technical conferences and workshops each year that highlight today's very latest technological advances. The IEEE ConferenceSearch Web site can pinpoint an IEEE conference that can help you with the work you are doing today. www.ieee.org/conferencesearch/

8. GROWTH OF ELECTRONIC SERVICES DRIVES 2002 DUES INCREASE
For the first time since 1996, the IEEE Board of Directors has approved an increase in membership dues. The Board voted at its July meeting to increase base member dues for the 2002 membership year by US$15 to US$101. The Board also approved a US$4 increase to the IEEE-USA assessment and a new Region 1 assessment of US$2.

According to IEEE President Joel Snyder, during the past five years the IEEE has experienced increased demand for electronic delivery of technical information and member services. The dues increase reflects the cost of the significant investment in Internet and Web applications. Among the electronic services the IEEE has launched in recent years are IEEE Xplore; the IEEE Job Site featuring IEEE e-Recruiter; the Personal Email Alias Service; the Online Catalog & Store; IEEE Spectrum Online; the What's New @ IEEE series of e-mail newsletters; and the online membership renewal.

"The challenge for the future," Snyder said, "is to continue to provide cost-effective products and services that better serve our members and help them to remain competitive in today's wired world." Learn more about the value of IEEE membership by visiting www.ieee.org/membervalue

9. IEEE SPECTRUM SPECIAL FEATURE: TEACHING FROM A CLEAN SLATE
With engineering enrollments falling drastically in the United States and other regions, engineers and educators are desperate for solutions. Educators are hoping that a number of innovative new undergraduate electrical engineering programs will reverse this trend. New methods being implemented include allowing students to help professors design their own curriculum, complementing technical competence with an understanding of societal issues and an increased focus on transforming theory into real-world products. For the complete IEEE Spectrum feature, visit www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/sep01/edu.html

10. TELECOMMUTING -- A VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES
It's not for everyone, but it may be for you. Telecommuting can shave years of commuting time off your life -- but it can also present some new and less-than-desirable challenges. Read about the advantages and disadvantages from someone who is living the experience. From IEEE-USA Today's Engineer. www.todaysengineer.org/careerfocus/Aug01te/aug01features/telecommuting.html

***WHAT'S NEW SPECIAL - 20% OFF SELECT IEEE PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS ISSUE!***
As a thank you to our WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE subscribers, the IEEE is offering a 20% discount on your purchase of any of the specially noted IEEE books, conference proceedings, videos, self-study courses, and CD-ROM tutorials listed in this newsletter. If ordering from the IEEE Online Catalog & Store shop.ieee.org, include the code TIL in the Special Instructions field at final checkout. Offer expires 31 December 2001. If ordering by phone, provide the code TIL to the customer service representative.

Terms & Conditions: Discount applicable only to items noted in this newsletter and only to orders placed directly with the IEEE; orders placed through resellers and IEEE Fatbrain are not eligible for the discount. Discount may notbe applied to orders already placed.

WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN POWER is a monthly, opt-in email update designed to provide you with the latest news regarding IEEE activities, industry trends, career development tips, and new IEEE product releases. We welcome your feedback on this service. Managing Editor: John Platt j.platt@ieee.org Editor: Debbie Bell d.c.bell@ieee.org

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION There are several other types of WHATâ€™S NEW @ IEEE newsletters to choose from. To subscribe to another newsletter, logon to www.ieee.org/whats-new, select one or more of the email alert services, enter your email address and click "Subscribe." To Unsubscribe to WHATâ€™S NEW @ IEEE, log on to www.ieee.org/whats-new, select the appropriate email alert service, enter your email address and click "Unsubscribe." Whatâ€™s New @ IEEE is intended for the interest of IEEE members and customers and may be shared with other parties. The newsletter, in its entirety or in part, may be reproduced with proper credit given to its source, Whatâ€™s New @ IEEE. For more information, contact the Managing Editor.

Opt in to What's New @ IEEE