NEWSLETTER 

A House  Journal of 

IEEE Kerala Section 

Volume 10 Number 04 

October - December 2001

   

Chairman's Message 

Dear Members,

Warm Greetings! Best Wishes for a very rewarding and memorable New Year!
As the outgoing Section Chairman, I take this opportunity to thank you for your support during my 2-year tenure at the Chair. It was my good fortune to be able to work with a wonderful team during each year. I am grateful to  R Narayanan, A K.Unnikrishnan,  P.M Sasi,  I. N Sunil Kumar and all the other members who passionately steered the Section activities during this period. I greatly enjoyed working with such a dedicated team.
 
We saw a hectic year in 2001 too - with an Annual Section Seminar on Embedded Technology,  various  seminars, talks and other events organised by the Section, the three Society Chapters, GOLD Chapter and the Student Branches. A detailed report is presented separately by the Section Secretary, A K  Unnikrishnan, on these activities.

Student Activities have, for quite some time, remained a key focus area for us. During the year we tried to maximise our efforts in this direction, yet there is much more to be done. The constitution of the Student Activities Board by the Executive Committee under the chairmanship of S. Gopakumar is intended to accelerate our work in this direction.

Our GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Chapter, under the leadership of S. Meera, has been quite active during the year. The Kerala GOLD Chapter is one of the first two sections to be formed in Region 10 and shall, in future, play a very important role in attra cting young engineers to the IEEE activities. GOLD provides avenues for fresh graduates to continue with the leadership role they are used to as student members, offering them new opportunities and important roles in the section activities.

The Kerala Section Newsletter, now in the 10th consecutive year of publication, has grown in size and content. The Newsletter Editor, K. Gopalan Nair, has done consistent and commendable work in bringing out the Newsletter quarter after quarter, on time. The Newsletter is the only link currently available to reach every member of the section.

Although we started an “egroup” and maintained it for nearly 2 years now, the membership of the  “egroup” has not grown to our satisfaction. It would be ideal if every member of the Kerala Section comes on board the ieeekerala egroup, which could then serve as an instant medium for all our communications.  I urge those members who have not yet joined our egroup to do so immediately, by sending an email to ieeekerala subscribe @ yahoogroups.com. 

During the year the Executive Committee decided to launch a “Section Level Distingui -shed Lecture”  progr amme, under which a panel of speakers has been drawn up for invited technical talks and lectures,  mainly for the benefit of student branches. Expenses for the travel etc of the speakers for these programmes are borne by the Section. K. Kesavasamy has been the co-ordinator during the year. It may be a good idea to create a Chair for this activity in the Section Executive Committee in future years.

I thank you all once again. The new office bearers assuming office at the AGM on 5th Jan are all highly accomplished, matured and experienced, with no less a person than  R.Narayanan at the helm of affairs. We expect great days ahead for the Section.

 
K G satheeshkumar 

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Diary of Events 

03-10-2001 “Efficiency and Energy Audit of Electrical Distribution System”, R.K.Hegde, CPRI, ERC, Thiruvananthapuram.
03-10-2001 “Design Management – A Powerful tool to reduce System Failures”, Abdul Majeed M.K, Retired Dy. Director, VSSC.
06-10-2001 Sixth meeting of Executive Committee of  IEEE   Kerala Section at “Harmonieee”, Thiruvananthapuram at 18.00 hrs.
10-10-2001 “Solar Village”, Ajith Gopi, Project Engineer, ANERT.
17-10-2001 “Are the recent macroscopic Normalities in Kerala a Precursor to an Earthquake”, John Mathai, Scientist, CESS,   Thiruvananthapuram.
24-10-2001 “Get Ready for .NET!.NET will change your Life”, P.G.Muraleedharan
07-11-2001 “Outsourcing – Emerging trends in Business”, N.T.Nair, Vice President, CMS Computers, Thiruvananthapuram.
15-11-2001 Seventh Meeting of Executive Committee of IEEE Kerala Section at “Harmonieee”, Thiruvananthapuram at 18.00 hrs.
17-11-2001 “Intellectual Property Rights”, A.D Damodaran, Former Director, RRL, Thiruvananthapuram.
21-11-2001 “Another Architectural Masterpiece”, S.S.Kaimal, Former Chief Technical Advisor to UN and former CE, CPWD.
22-11-2001 “Numerical Protection in Power Systems”, Mohinder S Sachdev, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, organized by Power  Engineering Society of IEEE Kerala Section  under distinguished  lecture programme.                                                           
23,25-11-2001 “Environment: Sustainability & Regeneration for Existence”, a National Convention on Environmental Engineers  (ENVI-2001) organized by IE(I).
01-12-2001 “Minimising EMI Problems with Chaos”, Soumitro Banerjee, organized by Joint Chapter on IA&IE Societies of IEEE Kerala Section.
05-12-2001 “Kerala IT – Backbone & Educational Grid”, K.R. Srivathsan,  Director, IIITM(K), Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram.
12-12-2001 Multi Satellites Deployment Mission by PSLV – ISRO’s Operational Launcher”, S. Ramakrishnan, Chied Technology   Advisor, Xstream Software Ltd, Ottawa, Canada.
19-12-2001 “Bluetooth Communication Technology”, K.N.Ramachandran, President Filtran Micro Circuits, Canada and  Chief   Technology Advisor to Xstream Software Inc, Ottawa, Canada.
20-12-2001 “Optical Networking with IP over DWDM: Recent Advances,  Trends and Issues”, Raj Jain, Co-founder and CTO, Nayana  Networks, Professor Computer & Information Sciences, Ohio State  University, USA, organized by Computer Society of IEEE Kerala  Section.
26-12-2001 “The Unlimited Power of Human Being”, Johnson Peter,  MD, Keltec, Thiruvananthapuram.
 

Forthcoming Events 

02-01-2002 “encruption & internet security”, philip john, md,  ushustech, thiruvananthapuram.
03-01-2002  eighth mmeeting of executive committee of ieee kerala  section at “harmonieee”, thiruvananthapuram at 18.00 hrs.
05-01-2002 annual general  meeting (agm- 2001) of ieee, kerala  section at 18.30 hrs, at hotel horizon, thiruvananthapuram. 
All india students congress (aisc-2002) of ieee india hosted by ieee kerala section.
 

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Section Activities 

Creativity  for  netting  the  internet

On 25-07-2001, n.n.panicker delivered on the topic “creativity for netting the internet”. He started with the latest trends in the global networking of computers for communication. Netting the internet aims at keeping its development out of harm to our interests, while deriving maximum profit out of the information-communication technology advance.  It involves in networking to maximize synergy.  Creativity is needed to accomplish these.  New, novel and useful ideas have to be generated and implemented in different aspects of internet for productive development and creative problem solving.  These would include free access to all, and relief from infrastructure constraints.  He concluded by stating that appropriate education and training as well as empowerment of people are needed for achieving these goals.

Medical  Electronics  Redefining  Health  Care

Koruthu P Varughese presented a talk on “Medical Electronics Redefining Health Care” on 01-08-2001. Medical Electronics is not a new topic.  But the Introduction of Computers, Multimedia and Information Technology has, revolutionised the field.  Lots of changes have taken place in health care process.  The information technology plays a major role in re-defining the ehalth care management.  Things that were only an idea once are made now possible.  An overall idea of the present and future of Medical Electronics were highlighted in the talk.

Energy  efficient  building  design

Energy efficient building design” was the topic of the talk by K.K.Vasu. The efficient energy use in building envelopes and sites were described.  The building envelope (or shell) has an influence on energy use, which is distinct from the equipment contained within and patterns of use established by the occupants.

The building envelopes and site have a pronounced impact on the energy incident on the structure and its occupants and a heat exchange with the building’s surrounds.  By closely controlling the design of the building envelop and orientation of the building on the site the designer can influence the energy needs of the building in a profound way.   Efficient design seeks to maximize cooling potential of the site in summer and minimize it during rainy season, all in a cost effective way.  The theory and practice of determining heat losses and gains and retrofitting of buildings for efficient energy use were discussed.  The speech concluded with concern of further research appropriate to Kerala conditions.  The architects and Engineers should adopt energy efficient aspects in the design.  If it is implemented in all buildings (the rough retrofitting) the cooling load can be reduced in several buildings and considerable power can be saved.  Even fans are to be run at half speed thereby saving millions of units of energy during day and night.Mern Trends in Electric Traction

MODERN  TRENDS  IN  ELECTRIC  TRACTION

S. Marcus presented the topic “Modern Trends in Electric Traction” on 22-08-2001. Electric Traction was first introduced in Indian Railways in 1925, and today Indian Railways have 15000 route kilometers of electrified sections.  Forty eight percent of passenger traffic and sixty percent of goods traffic are hauled by electric traction.  In India, 25 KV, 50 Hz A.C. power is used for electric traction.  But in Kolkotta underground metro, 750 V-DC power is used.  Electrification of Thiruvananthapuram - Ernakulam section at a cost of Rs.162 crores is under implementation.
Introduction of Electric Traction in Kerala has the advantages like, Kerala generates cheap power due to availability of hydroelectric power stations, Use of imported petroleum fuel is reduced, Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) suburban service can be started, Heavier goods trains can be run, etc.

The latest models of electric locos with 5000 HP can haul a 24-coach train at a speed of 130 kmph.  Further, electric locos can achieve higher speeds at shorter time.  Three phase introduction motors are used in electric traction as they are less in weight and size and have greater reliability.
Faster train in the world is TGV-Mediterranean in France, which covers the distance of 1000 km between Marseilles and Calais in 3h 29 m, at an average speed of 317.36 kmph.

Alternative  Development

A talk on “Creativity for Alternative Development” by N.N.Panicker was held on 29-08-2001.

Development alternatives are to be explored because our familiar old course of development is likely to head to a crisis.  Better and innovative ideas have to be proactively projected so that an alternative can be placed in its place.  It is necessary also to explore alternatives as a habit so that the best decisions are made before pressing ahead with confidence and conviction.  Discovery and development of alternatives form part of the creative process.  Alternative development is a manifestation of creativity and vitality, for an individual, organization or a nation.

A development direction other than the present is deemed necessary in several areas for citizens, companies and countries.  For people, the growth, change and transformation need to be engineered for better attitude, empowerment and synergy.  Corporations are being re-engineered to survive and thrive in the new world of global competition and opportunities.  National economies are facing severe crisis requiring an alternative to the present development path.  Modern technology and management along with ancient wisdom can offer the necessary alternatives.  However, enhancement and application of creativity for alternative development will be necessary.  Ideas and experience in two specific areas, Tourism and Information Technology, were discussed,for example.S
 
SIGNALING  IN  TELECOMMUNICATION

Signaling in Telecommunication” was the topic of lecture by R. Rajaram. In Telephony, signaling means transfer of information from one point to another either from a subscriber to an exchange or from one exchange to another.  The purpose of signaling is to set up, supervise and disconnect telephone calls.

In the Lecture he dealt with the aspects such as: Subscriber Line Signaling, Inter exchange Signaling, Channel Associated Signaling, and Common Channel Signaling. The lecture highlighted the fundamental aspects of signaling on the above points.

Magnets – Movers  of  Modern  Society

A talk on “Magnets – Movers of Modern Society” by A.K. Sinha was held on 22-09-2001. Magnetic materials Science and Technology is a specialized branch in modern engineering society.

A diversified range of magnetic materials from very soft areas like fine iron, iron carbon to semi-soft/hard special alloys and to very hard/permanent magnets are playing a crucial role in our daily lives, without which existence is impossible in domestic, industrial research, medical and strategic sectors as defense, space and so on.  But the biggest individual event occurred when permanent/rare earth magnet technology with new alloys was realized during the second half of twentieth century virtually revolutionizing the society.  The major application sectors of REPM (Rare Earth Permanent Magnet) are in aerospace, automotives, instrumentation and medicine.  The basis of magnetic, materials classification, permanent magnet’s properties, important applications, highlights on world scenario on magnets, precautions in handling and other relevant features were covered in the talk.

Creativity  in  Development  of  Information Communication  Technology

N.N. Panicker delivered a talk on “Creativity in Development of Information Communication Technology” on 26-09-2001. The products of Information Technology, Communication Technology and of their marriage are rapidly spreading, as we see with the Internet.  High levels of creativity are perceptible in their development and application, with new and novel ideas and products transforming the way we live and interact.  A characteristic feature of the development and natural evolution would also advantageously retain this characteristic feature.

So far the major driving force and directional orientation has been provided by powerful and, potentially, monopolistic economic interests in advanced countries for the development of Information Communication Technology.  Now it is necessary to orient and fine-tune the further development so that the maximum advantage and minimum harm would occur to the people at large.  Effective networks of concerned people and enlightened engineers from the grassroots level can provide the lead for it.  For example, two proactive networks are suggested.  Internet Opportunity Movement (IOM) and Internet Creativity Initiative (ICI).  Recent developments in India and abroad were discussed.

Design  Management

Design Management – A Powerful Tool to Reduce System Failures” by M.K.Abdul Majeed was held on 03-10-2001. Large and complex systems are increasingly becoming the part of society and life.  Nowadays not a single day passes without media reporting catastrophes resulting in loss of life, financial losses and miseries.  Railway disasters at Perumon, Kadalundi, Nuclear disaster at CHERNOBYL and Gujarat earthquake are some of the examples of the recent major failures.  These failures can be considerably reduced if not eliminated by proper scientific approach to system design, failure analysis, standardization etc.  Unfortunately our academic institutions teach mostly analysis even though design is the essence of Engineering.  Also large engineering systems should form part of our engineering education.  Aerospace agencies like ISRO have mastered the design of large and complex systems like Airlines, space stations, and launch vehicles.  Recent abort of GSLV flight by onboard computer is a good example in the successful design of complex systems.  This knowledge base can be extended to other large systems design also.

Solar   Village

Ajith Gopi presented the topic “Solar Village” 10-10-2001. PV (Photovoltaic) technologies are now capable of converting 15 percent of incident solar energy into electricity and with further R & D conversion efficiency is bound to improve.  When a PV system incorporates a battery as a storage device, the battery can be charged during the day and drawn down at night.  PV is a proven technology and is an energy resource of immense potential.  It can be the first choice of many households, clinics, farmers and schools when deciding between the various options of energy service available to them.  This is especially true in developing countries, which enjoy a good degree of solar insolation.  Many Photovoltaic Systems operate in a stand-alone mode.  Such systems consist of a PV generator, energy storage (battery), load and elements for power conditions.  Per definition, a stand-alone system involves no interaction with utility grid.  Two strategies are adopted for the Solar Voltage Electrification.  Solar PV power Plants for the sites where the houses are scatted in nature.  For large systems a PV generator can contain several arrays.  Each array is composed of several modules, while each module is composed of several solar cells.  The battery bank stores energy during daytime and releases it back during night.  The power conditioning system provides an interface between all the elements of the PV system, giving protection and control.

The concept of PV for remote use was developed and this resulted in the idea of  “Electrification of the Remote SC/ST Colonies in Kerala” using Solar Photovoltaic systems.  The project consists of 11 Nos. of Stand-alone Photovoltaic Power Plants with an installed capacity of 40.04 KW and 5450 nos. of Photovoltaic Home lighting Systems with an installed capacity of 202 KW.  In the first phase, this project begins light to about 6000 families and in the second phase, a total number of 173 colonies are covered benefiting about 14000 families.

Earth  Quake

On 17-10-2001, John Mathai delivered a talk on “Are the recent macroscopic anomalies in Kerala a precursor to an earthquake”. Collapse of several shallow open wells, draining of water and lowering of water level and the appearance of ground cracks are being observed in various parts of Kerala State from June 2001.  In the absence of ground vibration or other perceptible sound in the affected region, the possibility of earthquake was ruled out.  However during the period from 25-08-2001 to 30-09-2001, micro seismic events have occurred in parts of Palakkad, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Kollam Districts.  Based on data collected in various other countries of the world, such as China, where similar phenomena have occurred, the chances of a major earthquake cannot be ruled out.  Involvement of armatures in data collection is key to success in predicting earthquakes.

Get Ready  for  NET!

Get Ready for .NET!  NET will change your Life” was the talk by P.G.Muraleedharan on 24-10-2001. In July 2000, Microsoft held the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Orlando, Florida, where they revealed many details to the public about their next generation platform for Windows and Internet software development - .NET.  In his PDC keynote speech, Bill ates stated that a transition of this magnitude only comes along once every five to six years.  The last comparable shifts were the switch from DOS to Windows in 1990 and the migration from 16 to 32 bits development (Windows 3.x to Windows 95/NT) in the mid nineties.  The .NET Framework introduces a completely new and better architecture for software development and deployment of applications.  Microsoft’s .NET strategy, will enable a distributed computing model for the Internet based on the Internet protocols and standards such as XML and SOAP in order to revolutionize the way computers talk to one another on our behalf.

There is also a family of server-based products called .NET Enterprise Servers that forma comprehensive set of server applications for building, deploying and managing next-generation, integrated Web experience that move beyond today’s world of stand-alone Web sites.    Also C# (Pronounced C-sharp) a new language specially treated for .NET, looks set to become the standard language for internal development within Microsoft.

The new .NET Platform is Microsoft’s platform for implementation of a service-oriented architecture called XML Web services, which allow applications to communicate and share data over the Internet, regardless of operating system or programming language.  During the next Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles (October 22-26, 2001) Microsoft will release a set of new user-centric XML web services called .NET My Services (code-named Hailstorm), to advance its .NET strategy and offer a new level of personalization for both consumers and business users.  Announcing this, Bill Gates said,  “We believe this innovation will take individual empowerment to a new level, create unprecedented opportunity for the industry and trigger a renewed wave of excitement”.  In addition, Microsoft showcased five industry partners: American Express Co., Click Commerce Inc., eBay Inc., Expedia.com Inc. and Groove Networks Inc.  All showed prototypes and conceptual demos illustrating Hailstrom-compatible services.

Outsourcing  and  Economic  slowdown

On 07-11-2001, N.T.Nair presented the topic  “Outsourcing and Economic slowdown”.Every organization has its core areas of competence.  But several support functions are also directly handled in-house, at the expense of core activities.  “Outsourcing” is the strategic use of outside resources to perform non-core activities, traditionally handled in-house by internal staff and resources, “Do what you do best and out source the rest” is the modern management mantra.
The recent economic slowdown and terrorist attacks have now brought outsourcing to limelight more than ever before.  The talk covered areas like Outsourcing vs. Contracting out, different phases of outsourcing, benefits, pitfalls etc.

MISSION 2012 – POWER  FOR  ALL

C.T.Mathew, on 14-11-2001 delivered a lecture on  “Mission 2012 – Power for all”. The national goal is to provide reliable affordable and quality power to all by the year 2012.  The growth of our power sector has been significant, from 1362 MW (1947) to 100,000 MW.  The milestone of Mission 2012, power for all, are:  Addition of 100,000 MW, Development of National grid, Complete electrification of remaining 62,000 villages by 2007 and 18,000 remote villages by 2012 and Complete electrification of all households.
The strategies of action include Increase in Generation, Improvements in Transmission and Distribution, Accountability and Productivity, Traffic Rationalisation, Efficient End use and Enabling Legislation.  It is advocated that public opinion must be generated and sustained in support of the changes the Nation must adopt in achieving this goal.

 
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Editorial 

Season’s greetings and best wishes to all readers and well-wishers. 

It is indeed amazing to evaluate the laudable achievements and glad tidings together with remorseful terrorist attacks and counter-attacks witnessed during the year, 2001. The world is facing new threats and nobody can predict the direction. These tragic events are unfair and unfortunate. We know the law, ‘to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. Think as to whether action and reaction are equal in this context. Incidentally, nobody can foresee the meticulous planning and ruthlessness of the terrorists, as others don’t think the way the enemy thinks!

A challenge like IT slowdown and the global economic deceleration is one of the outcomes. Air travel restrictions, tougher security procedures, shortfall in earnings of the electronic companies, etc, are a few other notable negative effects. Network equipment security software and e-commerce initiatives, which were the top spending growth areas, fell several notches after the attack. The companies devise plans and execute strategies to boost the economy in manufacture, trade and service sectors. At the same time the sales forecast of high-end military communication electronics, high-tech security and intelligence systems are quickly rebounding by improving production lines and techniques so as to enable and empower the demand.     

The present global slowdown is the international scene may naturally affect all countries. Consequently, the trend may reflect in our country too. We have to adept to the situation by adopting substantial strides in  technological development. Radical changes in business paradigms are necessiated in the organizations consequent to the changes in the environment. The technology is always under evolution. Hence it may be necessary to ‘think globally and work locally’ and become a learning organization to serve the people of the country.

Knowledge sharing and knowledge management principles are frequently used in learning organizations. We know ‘Knowledge is Power’ and its meaning connotes ‘understanding’, ’familiarity gained by experience’, ’range of information’, etc. It has given man the ability to tap the vast resources of nature and other developments in each and every field associated with our life. Right from birth every human being gets into the process of learning from  the environment, surroundings, culture, family background and circumstances. Naturally this process of learning makes him quite different from others in attitude and behaviour. It is quite inevitable to think on this line especially when we have to tackle situations which is  globally predominant.

What people want to know collectively and to use efficiently are the basic need of the organizations. Knowledge management is an inevitable function for them. ‘The real value of an organization may lie in its people’s ability to think and learn’. It helps in enhancing organizational effectiveness. Many organizations implement knowledge management thereby become a learning organization. The need to leverage corporate resources to maintain a competitive edge and find ways and means to contribute in terms of intellectual means rather than physical efforts is a major aspect. 

The basis of knowledge is data. The facts, observations, experiences and perceptions are collected and recorded which constitute the data. The data, when logically and meaningfully organized, tabulated and presented becomes information. When it is carefully processed and analyzed it may lead to inferences, generalizations and insights. The insights based on empirical observations are arrived at inductively or deductively. Perhaps, the ability to absorb knowledge, understand its intricacies and its application in real life situations leads to Wisdom. But wisdom cannot be told. It grows from within through learning, experience and reflection.  

There are new ways to improve the quality of knowledge in the business processes. Some organizations have formed a core group comprising of various working groups from various levels to debate on how knowledge can be acquired. This core group   develops a prototype to capture and leverage knowledge and make it accessible to all in the organization. Internal survey is another method adopted by some other organizations to facilitate learning to meet the challenges. 

But the methods and ideas do not lead to organizational improvements. Involvement of human resources to perform multi-functional responsibilities has to be framed. To deploy the intangible asset to meet successfully the challenges of tomorrow is the motto. Knowledge can also be inert, dated and ineffective, if it is not rejuvenated through application, testing and research. 

Knowledge Management is not a new concept. Traditional family business people generally pass their learning and wisdom acquired during their lifetime to their  successors. Master craftsmen teach tricks of their production process to their younger generation. Sometimes this may require review or revitalization when it become obsolete. We can see many such examples, which were practised to transfer the acquired knowledge to others in a very systematic and transcendental form even from the early civilization. 

‘Vedas’ – treasure of knowledge are the codification of the ancient knowledge acquired out of higher and direct perceptions of reality. These Vedas have guided ‘Vedic culture’ over the centuries. We cannot forget as much of this had guided millions of people in  the Indian subcontinent and the world in their quest for self development and self-discovery.

K Gopalan Nair 

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GENERATIONS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM 
V P Kulkarni

Cellular telephony was born in 1980. The first generation of the RF cellular in mid 80’s used the analog technology. Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS); Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) and Total Access Communication system are some of the systems prevalent then. The modulation was FM and the air interface was through FDMA. Second generation emerged in the form of Global System for Mobile Communication. (GSM.) and was deployed in 1992. North American Digital Cellular (NADC) found a rival in Personal Digital Cellular (PDC)of Japan. TDMA technology supplemented the FDMA air interface activity. Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modulation was the mainstay of GSM while NADC used Differential Quadrature Phase shift Keying.(DQPSK). 

The technological developments were not only extremely fast but they were continuously being exploited for practical applications even before they were mature and could attain adulthood. Thus was the introduction of the so called two(plus) or the two and half G in the year 1995. Code Division Multiple Access system enhanced the digital capability of the speech transmission and also provided short messaging capability. Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP)-enabled web sites were created and downloaded by those connoisseurs of Internet and mobile communication leading to digital data transfer on handsets of limited capability. 

The third generation of mobile communication –the ‘3G’ was hatched in Japan in October 2001 and is in its nascent state. It is expected that the network will gradually get enhanced to cover 97 % of Japanese population within next three years. USA also will be adopting wide spread 3G system by the year 2003. Multimedia (video), global Internet , and video- email on the cellular handsets are the promises of the 3G. ITU’s vision of Global services access is described in the IMT 2000 standards. On the other hand, Japan’s regional standardization body -Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) has proposed the wide band WCDMA to enhance the data band-width. If the GSM ph-I required one hour to transmit a video clip using its 9.6kbps rate, GSM ph-II had reduced the time to 8 minutes with data rate of 144kbps and UMTS 3G will achieve a record of just 10 seconds with 2 MBPS rate. 

Ironically the mobile communication technology generation with a life span, as short as three years to-day, appears to be taking almost the same number of years as its incubation period. If you listen carefully, you can hear the jingle bells of the 4G mobcomsys right now. 
(V. P. Kulkarni is currently a UGC visiting Professor at Kerala University and CEO of GemTech Solutions- a 3G mobcom company.)

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FREE SPACE OPTICS – FOR LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY
N.T.NAIR SMIEEE, Editor, IEEE India Bulletin

The growth and convergence of telecommuni cations and datacom have accelerated last-mile access needs for  high speed links. Digital Subscriber Lines(DSL), Cable modem, fibre optics, etc. deliver high speed  connectivity through their physical links. At wireless front, Free Space Optics (FSO) is now emerging as the preferred trend, even though this technology was originally developed 30 years ago by the military.

FSO is a line-of-sight technology (from one point to another point)  for delivering extremely high data rates through optical signals using the free space (air) medium. In FSO, instead of  focusing the output of a semiconductor laser  or light emitting diode  into a strand of optical fibre, the output is sent out as a thin beam right across the sky to a receiver unit. Typically, the optical transceivers are installed on building roof tops and consist of a laser transmitter and a detector to provide full duplex capability.

FSO is now considered as the best wireless solution where fibre optical cable is not available,  high bandwidth (anywhere from 1 Mbps to 1.25 Gbps) is required, and  line of sight can be  obtained to a target  within a couple of miles or less. There is no need for digging trenches to install fibre or acquiring expensive microwave equipment. It is now a viable choice for connecting the LAN, WAN, and MAN and carrying voice, data and video at the speed of light.

Combining the benefits of fibre and wireless technologies, FSO is  without many of the drawbacks. Typically, fibre costs  about US$ 100,000 to US$ 300, 000 per building and can take between 6 months to a year to install. FSO networks can be installed in a matter of hours and at a cost one tenth to one third that of fibre. Microwave systems  can be installed in a similar time frame and doesn’t require the time and costs of trenching, but is limited in the bandwidth capacity. FSO can provide anywhere from 10 Mbps to 1.25 Gbps of capacity and doesn’t require spectrum licenses. 

When it comes to secured connections, FSO scores well. The beam that delivers the signal is tight and typically, cannot be intercepted. For it to be interrupted, some one would have to disrupt transmission.  

Bad weather does affect the connections in FSO systems, as it can limit the range of travel of signal. Fog is the most serious problem. If a heavy fog rolls in, visibility is limited. The only way to solve this problem is to design FSO network according to the fog patterns typical to the environment where the network is being set up. The frequency of heavy fog occurrences will require a network design with shorter links (200 to 500 metres) for a more reliable network. But distances up to 2 kms are possible in clear weather conditions, but that is not always the case. 

FSO in its infancy now with global revenues of US$100 million in 2000, is projected to touch US$2 billion  by 2005. This low cost, easily scalable technology is poised to make heavy in-roads into the wireless realm for last mile connectivity.

Chapter Activities - Reports 

Computer Society Chapter

IA lecture on “Software Engineering Code of Ethics & Professional Practice” was delivered by S R Ganesh (Consulting Advisor and Ethics Counsellor, Tata Consultancy Services) and Anthony Lobo (Assistant Manager Human Resources in Tata Consultancy Services) on February 14, 2001 at Institution of Engineers Hall, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram.
 
An  aptitude  test  was  conducted  for  the engineering students of the Kerala  State  on  December  8,  2001,  at  Tata  Consultancy  Services, Technopark,  Thiruvananthapuram. This was a free service to the students to  equip themselves for the tough competitive world. Venture Management provided  the  question  paper. 60 students appeared for the test. 12 of them scored more than 70 percent.

A lecture on “Optical Networking with IP over DWDM: Recent Advances,Trends, and Issues” was delivered by Raj Jain (Co-Founder and CTO, Nayna Networks, Professor of Computer and Information Sciences, Ohio State University) on December 20, 2001 at  Amphitheatre, ER & DC, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram. This is part of IEEE World Distinguished Lecture Tour Programme.

FUTURE PROGRAMME
A lecture on “Encryption and Internet Security” will be delivered by Philip John on January 2nd, 2002 at Institution of Engineers Hall, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram.
Lectures on “Software Engineering” & “Why IEEE membership?” are committed for Sri Chitra Tirunal Engineering College, during the third week of January, 2002.
Software Project Contest” will be conducted for the engineering students at TKM College of Engineering during February 11 - 15, 2002, as part of Southern India Five Day Tecno Feast, to be organised by TKM College of Engineering. Lectures on “Software Engineering” & “Why IEEE membership?” will be delivered by K. Kesavasamy at TKM College of Engineering on February11th, 2002, as part of Southern India Five Day Tecno Feast. 

K. Kesavasamy
Secretary, Computer Society Chapter.

IA & IE  SOCIETIES  CHAPTER

Minimizing  EMI  Problems  with  Chaos
Joint Chapter on Industry Applications & Industrial Electronics Societies, IEEE, Kerala Section organised a Technical Talk on "Minimizing EMI Problems with Chaos" by Soumitro Banerjee Dept. of Electrical Engineering , IIT, KHargpur on Saturday, 1st December, 2001 at Amphitheater, Electronics Research and Development Centre of India, Trivandrum, (ER&DCI (T), Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram. The technical section was inaugurated by V.K.Neelakandhan, Executive Director, Er&DCI (T) and K.G. Sateesh Kumar, chairman, IEE, Senior members and members of IEEE were present during the session. About 30 delegates from various industries and Institutions attended the technical talk and well received by the participants.

Sudeep Kumar .R
Secretary , IA & IES Chapter

PES  CHAPTER

NUMERICAL PROTECTION IN POWER SYSTEMS 

A full day Tutorial on “Numerical Protection in Power Systems”, by Mohindar S.Sachdev was conducted at Hotel Horizon, Trivandrum on 22 November 2001 by the Power Engineering Society Chapter of the IEEE Kerala Section. It started with a very brief inaugural function at 09:30am. N.T.Nair (Vice-President of the C.M.S. Computers. Editor of IEEE India Bulletin and former Chairman of IEEE Kerala Section) inaugurated the programme. S.Gopakumar, Deputy Head, NSSD, V.S.S.C., Trivandrum (Students Activities Chairman and former Chairman of Kerala Section) presided over the function. N.Rajendran, Head of Dept. of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Trivandrum offered felicitations. P.S.Chandramohanan Nair, Chairman of the PES Chapter welcomed the gathering and Simon P. Varghese, Secretary of the Chapter offered vote of thanks.

The Lecture started at 10:15 am and was over by 06:15 pm. Thirty-four delegates and a few invitees attended the programme. Attendance was steady throughout. Starting from a review of fundamental principles of relaying and protection, he has led the lecture to the most modern developments in the field. The programme was lively with discussions. Indeed, it was very interesting, impressive and informative. 

Sachdev distributed participation certificates to the delegates. Chairman of the Chapter concluded the session. As a token of respect, the Chapter gave a memento to Sachdev.  The programme ended with a formal vote of thanks by the Secretary of PES Chapter of Kerala Section.

P.S.Chandramohan
Chairman, PES Chapter.

GOLD Chapter

The IEEE Kerala Section decided to initiate its GOLD activities in this year, 2001.  Meera was nominated as the Chairperson. The first Meeting of the GOLD Members was held on June 9, 2001 at the IEEE Kerala Section Office. The Executive Committee for IEEE Kerala Section – GOLD was formed during the meeting. The following members were nominated as GOLD EC members

Meera S.   - Chairperson
A. K. Sheju   - Secretary
Varghese Cherian   - EC Member
Faisal Syed  - EC Member 

The members discussed about the aims and objectives of GOLD and about the kind of activities to be planned for the year. It was decided that an Inaugural Seminar would serve well to initiate the activities of IEEE GOLD Kerala Section. The topic and the speakers for the seminar were decided. 

Inaugural Seminar

The activities of IEEE GOLD Kerala Section kick-started on 28 June 2001 with an inaugural seminar on Systems Thinking. The presence of Chief Guest Rajiv Vasudevan, CEO Technopark, K G Satheesh Kumar, Chairman IEEE Kerala Section, and other Executive Committee members of IEEE Kerala Section graced the occasion.R Narayanan Vice Chairman, IEEE Kerala Section and  S. Neethi, Senior faculty, Tata Consultancy Services, were the speakers. 

Meera S. Chairperson, GOLD, gave the welcome address. The Travancore Hall at Technopark, Trivandrum was packed with an elite audience. The young professionals, most of them from the IT Industry were welcomed into the world of learning, sharing and growing through the IEEE forum.  Meera congratulated the participants for supporting the ‘peer to peer communication’ cause proposed by IEEE GOLD.

S. Gopakumar, EC member, in charge of student activities, IEEE Kerala Section introduced the audience to IEEE, its motto, aims and functions in general and to the activities of IEEE Kerala Section. He also presented the aims and objectives of GOLD.  
The CEO of Technopark,  Rajiv Vasudevan was very enthusiastic that such a forum was coming up to bind the young professionals. He expressed the hope that IEEE GOLD would give them guidance in the initial sometimes confused but crucial years of their career and instills a spirit of professionalism. 

In his introduction to Systems Thinking, R. Narayanan, mentioned that the takeaway from the seminar would be a mental model, which is a thought process and a Systems Thinking Language and its notations for structuring the thought process. As 24/7 hour consultants Systems Thinking would help a professional in the process of making quality decisions and in avoiding the perception gaps between the client and the consultant.

S. Neethi demystified the concepts of Systems Thinking. The history premises and theories of Systems Thinking were simplified to meet the needs of a very heterogeneous audience. Traditional Models and Systems Thinking models were juxtaposed to convince the audience that Systems Thinking did more justice to the problem understanding and in the consideration of all stakeholders and their varied needs. The in-built Case Study, which threw light on different archetypal feedback loops, made the talk more interesting. The Case Study enabled participants to see the underlying structure beyond events and trends.  

The qua -lity of interaction from the audi- ence was of a very high order. One represen -tative feedback says: “Now I can understand the dynamics involved in problems – minute ones to international ones and the different strata of a trend or event.” Many people commented that more seminars of a similar nature should be organised.

Many people queued up for collecting the IEEE membership form. The first effort by IEEE GOLD Kerala Section has resulted in considerable interest in the IEEE movement.

Formal approval for the Formation of GOLD Chapter

The petition for forming the GOLD Chapter was signed by seven members and sent to the IEEE RAB. Consequently the formation of the GOLD Chapter – IEEE, Kerala Section was formally approved on August 24, 2001. The Chapter also got its QSIF approved from the IEEE RAB. 

EC meeting of IEEE GOLD

Last meeting of IEEE GOLD of the year was held on December  08, 2001, at the  IEEE Kerala Section Office. The participants discussed about the aims and objectives of GOLD and about the kind of activities to be planned for the year. The following items were discussed:
 
1. Setting up a new Student Branch of the IEEE at Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering, Pappanamcode, Trivandrum.
For this the present strength of 21 Student Members has to be increased to the required minimum of 30 Student Members. A Membership Drive is planned and a technical lecture will be organised in January 2002.
 
2. Future programs at existing Student Branches and specifically at the engineering colleges at Chengannur, College of Engineering, Trivandrum, TKM college of Engineering, Kollam, and Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi were discussed.  Membership strength could be increased through various drives and activities.  Support and publicity in the form of IEEE posters, etc was considered.
 
3. Different ways to bring the level of activities of the various colleges’ student branches to a similar level could be explored. Contests and awards for the maximum activities in a student branch could be introduced.
 
4. Variety of activities for student members could be increased. Organising an Industrial Visit for the Student members to a suitable Industrial Unit has been planned.
 
5. Activities, which aid underprivileged school/college students, (e.g., scholarships and industrial visits) could be organised.
 
6. Increase the frequency of the Chapter meetings substantially in future.

Future Programs

The future programs, for the rest of the year, have been worked out. A program, which is in the pipeline, is the one at Cochin. Most of the IEEE Kerala Section activities take place in and around Trivandrum where the Section Office is located. The GOLD Chapter, in association with the IEEE Computer society and a few student branches has decided to organise the next program outside Trivandrum to make the IEEE activities more geographically spread.

Meera S.
Chairperson, Gold Chapter

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Annual Report - 2001  

PART A  - SECTION SUMMARY

A.1 Executive Summary

The Kerala Subsection, the predecessor of the Kerala Section of IEEE was officially formed on February 17, 1975. Kerala Subsection was officially inaugurated in March 1975 during a grand function in which Harold Chestman, immediate past president of IEEE was the chief guest. Since then Kerala Subsection conducted regular technical meetings jointly with The Institution of Engineers (India) Kerala Centre, and Computer Society of India, Trivandrum Chapter. Kerala subsection hosted India Council’s annual conference, ACE 1980, in which good technical sessions, very good exhibition and tutorials were organised. IEEE President Leo Young was in attendance along with the other dignitaries. ACE 1980 was a thumping success and this success encouraged the members to work towards converting the subsection to the status of section. After concerted efforts by the members and office bearers the Subsection was converted into Section in 1983. Thereafter the Section has several success stories to its credit. Kerala Section hosted ACE 1991, ACE 1999 and very successful annual seminars in year 2000 and year 2001. 

The activities of IEEE Kerala Section, for the year 2001, commenced with the Annual General Meeting held on 13 January at Hotel Horizon, Trivandrum. During the meeting, the following members were unanimously elected as office bearers for the year 2001.

Satheesh Kumar K.G : Chairman
Narayanan R : Vice-Chairman
Unnikrishnan A.K : Secretary
Sasi P.M : Treasurer 

The first meeting of the Office Bearers was held at ER&DCI(T) on 27 January 2001.  In the meeting, various sub committees; chapter officers and other section officers were nominated in consultation with the concerned members. 

A.2 Section Committee Officers

Awards  : J. Muraleemohan Lal
Membership Development : Simon Zachariah
Professional Activities  : E.E Rajakumar 
Educational Activities  : N.A.P Thampy
Student Activity  : S. Gopakumar 
Newsletter Editor  :  K. Gopalan Nair
Inter Society Relations  :  N.T Nair
Conference Activities  :  V.J Yayakumar
Web Support  :  T.S Ajayaghosh
GOLD  :  Meera S
Computer Society Chapter  
 Chairman  :  Philip John
 Secretary  :  Kesavasamy
IE&IA Societies Joint Chapter 
 Chairman  :  Madhu Mangal
 Secretary  :  R. Sudeepkumar
Power Engineering Society Chapter
 Chairman  :  P.S. Chandramohan 
 Secretary  :  Simon P. Varughese

A.3  HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES

1. Organised a one-day tutorial on “Electromagnetic Compatibility in Industrial Equipment”, by IA&IE Society Chapter

2. Co-sponsored seminar on  “Challenges in Software Project management” CONSEG 2001, with CSI

3. Organised the section Annual Seminar, EMBESSY 2001 on “Embedded Systems”.

4. Co-sponsored National Seminar MOBICOM 2001, on “Mobile Communication Systems” with IETE.

5. Conducted a round table discussion on “US Economic Slowdown – Impact on Indian IT Sector” 

6. Over 50 Technical talks by eminent professionals were held as weekly events jointly with sister professional bodies.

7. Organised a one-day tutorial on “Numerical Protection” by Power Engineering Society Chapter.

8. Organised a Distinguished Lecture Programme on “Optical Networking with IP over DWDM: Recent Advances, Trends, and Issues”, by Computer Society Chapter.

PART B  - ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES

B.1  MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

l Effort in Membership Development

The section embarked on a membership campaign by visiting different industrial units and engineering college, during the year. Section officers attended activities of Student Branches to promote IEEE Membership.

The Membership position is as follows:
Member Category As on 
 2001 Oct30
TotalHigherGrade 390
Students 607
Total 997

GOLD Activity

The GOLD Chapter constituted in the section has been approved by the Head Quarters.

B.2  Professional and Continuing Education Activities

CONFERENCES
The annual Seminar, EMBESY2001 was conducted at Technopark, on 18 August 2001. The theme of the seminar was “Embedded Systems”. The Seminar was a great success in terms of attendance, sponsorship and speaker line up.  The total number of delegates registered was more than 185.  The speakers were drawn from reputed and emerging companies and institutions like IIT Bombay, ER&DCI(T), OSS Systems India , NEST, Force Computers, Orane Technology, Timesys India and Mistral Solutions. The Seminar was sponsored by SunTec, USsoftware,, IT Mission Group-Govt. of Kerala, USHUSTECH and DATEC SYSTEMS. The programme was supported by TECHNOPARK and TCS. Other sister professional societies – IE, CSI and IETE were co-sponsors. The seminar generated a surplus amount close to Rs. 95,000. This year also WEB based on line registration facility was provided. The Proceedings of the seminar were also made available on-line.
 
One-day Seminar on “Challenges in Software Project Management” and Software Engineering: Emerging Paradigms CONSEG 2001, from 1to3 March 2001 with CSI.  

 One-day National Seminar on “Mobile Communication Systems”  MOBICOM 2001, with IETE . 
 A round table discussion on “US Economic Slowdown – Impact on Indian IT Sector” was organised on 23 May 2001.

Technical events

Over 50 Technical talks on various topics of current interest were conducted in association with other Professional bodies at Trivandrum, viz., Institution of Engineers (India) - Kerala State Centre, Computer Society of India - Trivandrum Chapter and Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers – Trivandrum Centre. 
 
The following were some of the talks held.

1. “Virtual University”, B. Narayanan Nair, Director, PRATIBHA SOFT. Pvt. Ltd, Trivandrum - January 3, 2001.

2. “Challenges in Hi-Tech Fabrication”, V.K Ramakrishnan, Deputy Division Head, MVIT, VSSC, Trivandrum - January 17, 2001

3. “Software in Power Electronics”, Madhu Mangal. M.D, PELDRIVE Pvt ltd., Trivandrum - February 21, 2001.

4. “Oral Communication Skills”, Willington T Nevis, CTM, USA – March 3, 2001.

5. "Smart Cards", G. Gopakumar, ER&DCI, Trivandrum-March 21, 2001.

6. "Modern trends in Energy Conservation" P.S. Chandramohan, Professor, College of Engineering, Trivandrum - April 4, 2001.

7. "Presentation Techniques" B.S. Warrior, Former Jt. Dir. Technical Education,- May 2, 2001.

8. "Trends in the UPS Technology in the New Millennium" P.K. Sreekanth -May 16, 2001.

9. "Tetra -a Digital Mobile Radio Standard", S. Sukesan, Jt. Dir. ER&DCI, Trivandrum - June 13, 2001.

10." Re - entry and Recovery for Space Technology". A. Subramanian, Group Dir. AFMG, VSSC - June 20, 2001.

11. “Medical Electronics – Redefining Health care“ Koruthu P. Verghese, SCT Medical Centre, Trivandrum.- August 1, 2001.

12. “Recent Trends in Electric Locomotives”, 
S. Marcus, Divisional Manager, Railways, Trivandrum - August 22, 2001.

13. “Signalling in Telecom Networking”, K Rajaram, Lecturer Regional Telecom Training Centre, Trivandrum- September 12, 2001.

14. “Efficiency and Energy Audit of Electrical Power Distribution Systems“, R.K Hegde, Director, ERC, CPRI, Trivandrum - October 3, 2001.

15. “Are the Recent Macroscopic Normalities in Kerala a Precursor to an Earthquake? “,John Mathai, Scientist, CESS Trivandrum - October 17, 2001.

16. “Outsourcing – emerging Trends in Business”, N.T Nair, Vice President, CMS Computers, Trivandrum – November 11, 2001.

17. “Kerala IT- Backbone and Educational Grid ”, Srivathsan, Director, IIITMK - December 5, 2001.

18. “ Blue Tooth Communication Technology ”,  K.N Ramachandran, President, Filtran Micro Circuits, Canada– December 19, 2001.

B.3  Student Activities

Student branches in several Engineering Colleges functioned actively during the year.

Model Engg. College Student Branch organized a Two day Technical Fest – EXCEL 2k1, on 16-17 February.

In the IEEE India Section National Congress – Melange 2001, Mumbai – 6-9 March 2001, Kerala Section was represented by Mr.Anil Kumar, Student Counsellor, Student Branch, College of Engineering, Chengannuur and students from various colleges.

Students’ Professional Awareness Conference (SPAC – 2000) was organized by College of Engineering, Trivandrum – Student Branch at Technopark, TVM, on 17 March 2001.

TKM College of Engineering Student Branch organized SPAC and South India Level Technical Symposium – TECHTONIX.

B.4 E-mail and Newsletter Activities, Home Page

Newsletter
Four quarterly issues of IEEE Kerala Newsletter have been published in the year.  The newsletter carried news about the activities of the section, chapters and student branches.  Notifications about the forthcoming events were also published.

E-Mail
The ieeekerala@egroups.com, e-group has been very effective in communicating with the members.  All the important events and news were communicated to the members through this group email id.   Discussions about important issues were also conducted through this media.  This has emerged as an effective media for spreading the news of the section across the members.  Efforts are on to enroll more members as and when their email ids are obtained.
The communications regarding the EXECOM meeting were made through emails to the EXECOM members.  This has resulted in speedy and effective communications of meeting notices, minutes and resolutions.  Communications with HQ,R10 HQ and India Council were made through e-mails.

Home Page
IEEE Kerala Home page, http:///www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/kerala has been maintained in an excellent maner.  The WEB site is updated to included current news and events of the Section.  Chapter activities are also published through the web site with separate pages.  News about the Student Branch activities was also published in the section Homepage.  There was on-line registration of the Annual Seminar EMBESSY 2001.  The proceedings of the seminar were made available for downloading from the website.

B.5 CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

Industry Applications & Industrial Electronics Societies’ Joint Chapter

The Joint Chapter on Industrial Application and Industrial Electronics Societies, organised a one-day Tutorial on “Electromagnetic Compatibility in Industrial Equipment”, at ER&DCI(T), on 27January 2001. The tutorial was presented by IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, Prof. Paolo Tenti and Dr. Giorgio –Spiazzi, Department of Electronics & Informatics, University of Padova – ITALY & C. R. E. I. Ven, Veneto Consortium for Research in Industrial Electronics, Padova – ITALY. Keptech Power Controls, New Delhi, sponsored the workshop. More than 65 delegates from various industries participated in the workshop.

The chapter arranged a talk by Prof. Soumitro Banerjee, IIT Kharagpur, on December 1, 2001. The topic of the talk was “Minimising EMI Problems with Chaos”. Another talk was held on “Software in Power Electronics” by Chapter Chairman Dr.Madhu Mamngal, Managing Director, PELDRIVE on 21February 2001.

POWER ENGINEERING SOCIETY CHAPTER
The PES Chapter organised a one-day Tutorial on “Numerical Protection”, Hotel Horizon, on 22 November  2001. The tutorial was presented by IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, Prof. Mohinder S. Sachdev,  Sachdev Engineering Associates (Canada) Ltd.

The chapter arranged a talk by Shri S Marcus, Divisional Manager, Railways – August 22 2001. The topic of the talk was “Recent Trends in Electric Locomotives ”. 

COMPUTER SOCIETY CHAPTER
The chapter arranged a talk on “ The Second Mile - Software Engineering Code of Ethics & Professional Practice” By Dr. S R Ganesh, Consulting Advisor and Ethics Counsellor, Tata Consultancy Services and Mr. Anthony Lobo ,Assistant Manager Human Resources in Tata Consultancy Services

The CS Chapter organised a Distinguished Lecture Programme on “Optical Networking with IP over DWDM: Recent Advances, Trends, and Issues”, at ER&DCI, Trivandrum, on 20 December  2001. The talk was presented by IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, Prof. Raj Jain , Co-Founder and CTO, Nayna Networks, Professor of Computer and Information Sciences, Ohio State University.

GOLD Chapter
The newly formed GOLD Chapter organised an inaugural programme at Park Centre, Technopark, Trivandrum, on 28 June 2001. The main event was a seminar on “Systems Thinking - A Brainware”.  Mr. R Narayanan Vice Chairman, IEEE Kerala Section and Dr. S. Neethi, Senior faculty, Tata Consultancy Services, were the speakers.

The GOLD Chapter convened a meeting of with its members on 8 December 2001to discuss its strategies and draw plans to intensify GOLD activities in the section.

PART C  - GOALS 

C.1 Goals
The following are the major GOALS set for the year 2002

· One major conference 
· At least one Technical Talks every month
· One seminar, Tutorial or Conference by each chapter 
· IEEE Kerala Student Congress 
· Membership growth target 20%
· Enrolling more Engineering Colleges under REP
· Reviving inactive student branches 
· Starting of two more student branches in newly formed Engineering colleges  
· Ensuring status reports from all student branches
· 3rd National Students Congress to be hosted by section in February 2002

PART  D   -  OTHERS

The section organised along with the Computer Society Chapter an aptitude test for the engineering students on 8 December 2001. There were 80 participants. The rank list of these candidates will be made available to various industries so that they can hire them.

D.1  RELATIONSHIP WITH NATIONAL SOCIETIES

IEEE Kerala Section is continuing its unique relationship with other sister professional Societies, namely, Institution of Engineers (India), Kerala State Centre, Computer Society of India (CSI), Trivandrum Chapter and Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE), Trivandrum Centre. The section has actively participated in organising several joint activities with the sister societies, in the year. The following were some of the important activities organised jointly:

*One-day Seminar on  “Challenges in Software Project management” Software Engineering: Emerging Paradims CONSEG 2001, with CSI

*One-day National Seminar on “Mobile Communication Systems” MOBICOM 2001, with IETE

*National Convention Of Environmental Engineers ENVI-2001, 23 November 2001, with IE

As a weekly event over 50 Technical Talks were conducted, jointly with the above three Professional Societies.

D.2   SPECIAL EVENTS

A round table discussion on “US Economic Slowdown – Impact on Indian IT Sector” was organised on 23 May 2001. This is an activity aimed at reaching the professional community in general and to discuss current techno-economic issues. 

The section has planned to host All India Student Congress in January 2002.

E.  Conclusion

I conclude this annual report for year 2001 expressing my sincere thanks to my colleagues in the Executive Committee, all members of the IEEE fraternity and the sister Professional bodies; namely IE(I), CSI and IETE for their co-operation, active support, encouragement and valuable criticism.

Unnikrishnan AK
Secretary
Trivandrum
25 December,2001
 

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An Appeal 

Dear Members,

This is an appeal to join the IEEE CPMT Society (Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology Society), which strives to advance the theory and practical aspects of Electronic Engineering in Manufacturing of Electronic Circuits and Components- a technology field, very relevant and important to we all IEEE members.  The society endeavors to maintain a high professional standard among its members by providing a forum for the dissemination of technical information within its assigned areas via seminars, meetings, and publications for the manufacture of Electronic Equipment and Systems, design /manufacture of circuits for Through Hole Technology (THT) as well as Surface Mount Technology (SMT), Hybrid Micro Circuits (HMC), IC packaging and Discrete Components.

CPMT members receive a Quarterly Newsletter that provides information on industry news, meetings and Society activities.  Recently, a new Quarter journal OUTLOOK has been launched to provide latest technology updates and chapter news.  CPMT Society, IEEE India Council Chapter provides members an opportunity to network with colleagues worldwide and in their local area to participate in all India level meetings related on current topics.  The chapter also provides professional workshops and seminars with joint sponsorship with other IEEE Society Chapters.  

Since you are already an IEEE member, you can join CPMT Society by filling the enclosed application form and add the Society Annual Membership fee of  $10.00 (or $5.00 as applicable) to your annual renewal fee for IEEE membership due in the coming months.  

Through this appeal we request our Kerala Section IEEE members connected with the Electronic Components activities in manufacturing and marketing fields to join the Society.

P.B. Parikh 
Chairman, IEEE-CPMT India Council Chapter

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Printed and published by K.Gopalan Nair, T.C.5/1637, Ambalmukku, Peroorkada, 
Trivandrum - 695005  on behalf of IEEE, Kerala Section. Typesetting: Akshara Offset, 
Trivandrum. Phone: 471174, 473470 

Editor: K. Gopalan Nair  E-mail: kgnairs@eth.net phone: 437449