Welcome From the IEEE VTS President

James Irvine, Ph.D

Reader
Electronic & Electrical Engineering
Strathclyde University, Glasgow Scotland
Email j.m.irvine@ieee.org

On behalf of the Board and members of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, it is my pleasure to welcome you to VPPC 2009. These are challenging times to be holding automotive events, particularly in this part of the world, but the best response to the current economic situation is increased research and innovation of the kind showcased here.

The IEEE is 125 this year, and closer to home, VTS will celebrate its 60th birthday later this month. A lot has changed in the 60 years since the ‘Vehicular and Railroad Group’ was first formed by members of the Detroit Section of the IRE, one of the bodies which merged to form the IEEE. One of the things which has not changed is the enthusiasm of engineers to develop their profession, and as part of our 60th celebrations we will be honoring a number of those who have shaped the industry most over the years in a Hall of Fame. In another new initiative, the society has commissioned a number of courses for its members. One of the first is on grounding for hybrid vehicles.

VTS has no paid staff, and so is entirely dependent on the generosity of volunteers who have worked long hours to make this conference a reality. I would like to thank General Chair Chris Mi and his team for all their efforts, as well as the VPPC committee who have worked hard over a number of years to grow the conference from its beginnings as two sessions at VTC only 6 years ago.

I wish you an enjoyable, productive and above all stimulating conference.

James Irvine President, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society

Bio: Dr. James Irvine is a Reader in the EEE Department at Strathclyde University in Glasgow. His research interests include resource management and security for wireless systems, and he works as Academic Co-ordinator within the Mobile VCE programme. Prior to this he worked on the ACTS MOSTRAIN project providing communication services to high speed trains. He holds four patents, with three more being pursued, and has authored two books. Technical Programme Chair of VTC2004-Spring in Milan, Dr Irvine was elected in 2002 to the Board of the IEEE VTS, where he is chair of the VTS Technical Advisory Committee, and President for 2008-9.