IEEE Conference Organizer's Newsletter

WAYNE A. SHIROMA   Wayne A. Shiroma joined IEEE as a student at the University of Hawaii. Over the next few years, his exposure to the organization was what he calls typical of most members. “I knew about the publications and the conferences,” Wayne says,  “but didn’t really know much else. I didn’t even realize that MTT-S was a volunteer-driven society.” When Wayne completed his PhD ten years ago, three long-time AdCom members approached him. “Their message was essentially this: instead of simply being served by IEEE, you’ll get more out of it by giving back to IEEE.”

Wayne first became involved as a reviewer for the IMS Technical Program Committee, then as a member of the Education Committee and finally was given complete responsibility for the Undergraduate Scholarship Program. When he was appointed to serve as the AdCom Secretary in 2001, Wayne says, “It instilled in me an even deeper level of commitment. In each of these cases, an experienced, dedicated mentor took the time to encourage me, guide me, and then infuse me with the culture of selfless dedication and volunteer spirit that we know is so common among all IEEE volunteers.”

This mentoring process left a lasting impression on Wayne and helped guide him as the IMS 2007 General Chair, and in his career as a university professor. “I earnestly seek out and encourage willing and able volunteers, guide them with a very loose leash, and in the process let them unleash their own potential,” Wayne says.  “As one who has experienced it myself, I strongly believe that MTT can continue to grow its level of dedicated volunteers by following this proactive mentoring-based philosophy.”

Wayne may not have known much about IEEE as a student but he did know about the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, held in a different city each year. In 1989, it came to Long Beach, CA. Wayne jumped at the chance to attend.

“Attending that conference was a pivotal point in my career. It was quite inspirational to see the leaders in my field and the authors of my textbooks all in one place. It elevated my interest in microwave engineering to a whole new level, and soon after I found myself in a PhD program pursuing further studies in this field. I had no clue back in 1989 that I’d be chairing this very conference 18 years later.”

When Wayne joined the University of Hawaii as a faculty member in 1996, he volunteered to get on the board of the MTT-S Conference Committee. The committee was already discussing bringing the conference to Hawaii and the idea appealed to Wayne, not only because of the impact the conference had on determining his career path, but because it offered a chance to give back to his home state of Hawaii.

IMS typically draws more than 10,000 participants each year, and the idea of locating it in Hawaii was a daunting one. But it all worked out. “In the end, IMS 2007 attracted the second highest number of technical paper submissions in the 50-year history of the conference and broke the record for accompanying guests,” Wayne says.

“I can honestly look back and say that organizing IMS 2007 was one of my top five lifetime accomplishments.”