MGA News for Geographic Unit and MGA Volunteers

As a result of emerging laws governing disclosure of privacy-related practices, IEEE is required to take steps to insure compliance, specially with regard to web presence.

If your organizational unit has a Web site, you are required to include a link to the newly revised IEEE privacy policy: Privacy & Opting Out of Cookies.  This update should be made before 26 May.

This policy explains how visitor information is used and addresses new laws regarding tracking cookie disclosure.  If your cookie usage is highly intrusive, additional requirements may apply.  For questions or additional information, e-mail IEEE Data Privacy Officer, Anita Ricketts.

Beginning June 2012, IEEE conference organizers will be submitting conference applications through IEEE Conference Exchange (ICX), a state-of-the-art information infrastructure built on IBP, which supports many aspects of IEEE conference business. Conference submitters using the intuitive and comprehensive application forms will now have the option of saving their applications and returning to complete them later. Additional features include an on-screen progress bar, an automatic duplication check, webform tools, and the reuse of data for Memorandums of Understanding and Conference Publications (future).

With ICX, organizers can find status on their submitted conferences immediately, without needing to contact IEEE Conference Services. Review and approval for MoUs will be integrated into ICX, helping to speed the approval process. For IEEE Conference Services, ICX will enable better quality and more personalized service for organizers.

Learn more about about ICX, view live overview sessions

IEEE is looking for people with the skills, passion, and perspective to volunteer and serve in 2013 as IEEE officers or on committees of the IEEE Board of Directors. The deadline is 1 July for select Standing Committee Members and IEEE officers (IEEE Secretary, IEEE Treasurer, 2014 IEEE President-Elect).

View the list of positions and nominate yourself or a colleague

The IEEE-USA Nominations and Appointments (N&A) Committee asks for your help in identifying U.S. IEEE members who may be interested in, and well-qualified for service on IEEE-USA committees and/or in the following IEEE-USA Board positions. The deadline is 9 June 2012.

• IEEE-USA President-Elect (2014)
• IEEE-USA Member-at-Large (2014-2015)
• IEEE-USA Secretary/Treasurer (2013)
• IEEE-USA Vice President - Career & Member Services (2013)
• IEEE-USA Vice President - Communications & Public Awareness (2013)
• IEEE-USA Vice President - Professional Activities (2013)
• IEEE-USA Vice President - Government Relations (2013)
• IEEE-USA N&A Committee (2013 -2014)

Visit the IEEE-USA nominations page to submit a nomination

The following positions for 2013 IEEE-HKN Board of Governors (IEEE-HKN-BOG) will be open for election on the 2012 Chapter Election Ballot. The deadline for nominations is 1 June 2012.

• President
• Vice President
• Governor at-Large, West Central Region (recommendations accepted by the West Central region only)
• Governor at-Large

Learn more about IEEE-HKN and how to nominate a candidate

Email IEEE-HKN for more information

IEEE Foundation grants are made possible thanks to donors who generously give to the three grant making funds of the IEEE Foundation; the IEEE Foundation General Fund, the IEEE Humanitarian Technology Fund, and the IEEE Life Members Fund.

The IEEE Foundation awards grants to IEEE units and other charitable organizations for innovative projects that further the scientific and educational purposes of IEEE. To be considered for grant funding, your project should have a clearly defined objective and provide support in the focus areas:

• Education: projects that expand and enhance engineering, science and technology education opportunities for teenagers through mid-career professionals to positively impact workforce development and involvement in IEEE.
• History of Technology: projects that increase awareness among the general public of the impact and influence of early technology on the present and future.
• Applying Technology for Humanitarian Causes: projects that implement or disseminate replicable, sustainable, technology-based solutions for humanitarian issues in underserved and underprivileged areas.

The IEEE Foundation reviews grant applications in two cycles per year. The next grant application deadline is 24 July 2012, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. If your Unit, Section, or Chapter has an innovative project in the areas of interest mentioned above, you are welcome to apply for a grant through the IEEE Foundation Web page. Prior to submitting an application, please review the IEEE Foundation's grant guidelines.

Apply for a grant

The IEEE business platform (IBP) was launched successfully and ahead of schedule on Saturday, 31 March. IEEE Xplore 4.0 was also released as planned. The platform includes significant improvements to the member and customer user experience.

Now that the new e-commerce system is live, one of the most visible changes is a requirement for members and customers to change their IEEE Account username to a preferred e-mail address the first time they sign in to one of the upgraded sites such as Membership, IEEE Xplore, My Account, and Cart. After they have changed their username to their preferred e-mail address, they will use their e-mail address when signing in to other IEEE services. This will apply to all members and non-member customers, but does not affect institutional access to IEEE Xplore.

If you need assistance using the new site, visit the IEEE Support Center, where you can view the most popular FAQs, submit a question, or conduct a Live Chat, 24/5, Sunday 4:30 p.m. through Friday 4:30 p.m. ET.

You can also e-mail an IEEE Contact Center service professional or telephone at +1 800 678 4333 (USA and Canada) +1 732 981 0060 (Worldwide).

IEEE recently launched a news page and blog with the tagline “Brightening the future, improving the world” that promotes the value of IEEE Societies and communities. Articles cover humanitarian, educational, and technological achievements and initiatives, including those of the IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge.

Visit the news page

Visit the blog

View the latest article

Watch for upcoming news to discover more about the great activities and initiatives IEEE societies and communities are involved in.

Registration for the 2012 edition of the Panel of Conference Organizers (POCO), to be held 19-21 July, has opened. Budapest, Hungary, will be host city and provide a dramatic backdrop for informative and engaging POCO sessions. POCO presents organizers, regardless of role or experience level, with an excellent opportunity to gain valuable knowledge about organizing international conferences, meet colleagues, and learn more about IEEE conference practices.

To submit your ideas or areas of interest for the 2012 POCO program, e-mail Susan Root, IEEE staff.

Registration will be open through 28 June 2012.

Nominations are due 1 July 2012 for the 2013 IEEE Medals and Recognitions. IEEE Medals are the highest recognition within the IEEE awards hierarchy, with the prestigious IEEE Medal of Honor as the premier award. IEEE Medals embrace broad and significant contributions within the technical fields of interest of IEEE.

IEEE Recognitions reward member’s individual contributions to IEEE, published papers, and corporate advancements within the IEEE fields of interest. 

Recipients are recognized at the formal IEEE Honors Ceremony. All IEEE members are encouraged to submit a nomination for a worthy candidate within their technical fields.

For more information, visit the IEEE Awards Web page or e-mail IEEE Awards staff.

Follow the links on the right side of this page to view more news around IEEE.

The IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter, a monthly publication also available via RSS feed, features practical and timely technical information and forward-looking commentary on Smart Grid developments and deployments around the world. Designed to foster greater understanding and collaboration between diverse stakeholders, the newsletter brings together experts, thought-leaders, and decision-makers to exchange information and discuss issues affecting the evolution of the Smart Grid.

The May edition of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter includes articles that examine a common occurrence, adapting telecommunications and Web technologies and techniques aligned with Smart Grid, among other topics. Other areas such as education and training, tools and testing environments, and analysis methods and design will also change in order to serve the multi-disciplinary, multi-system Smart Grid. An article on making the dispatch system of a grid smarter is featured as well.