NEWSLETTER
A House  Journal of
IEEE Kerala Section
Volume 14 Number 2
April - June 2005


Contents

Dairy of Events
Forthcoming Events
Students Activities
Report for the year 2004
Recent Developments in FACTS Technology
Visual Radio
Insight 2005
Global News- News Around IEEE


Diary of Events

   
2.3-04-2005 ‘Analysis and Design of Algorithms’ – two days workshop at Travancore Hall, Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram by IEEE Computer Society and IIITM-K. Faculty: C.Pandu Rangan, Professor CSE, IIT Madras.
06-04-2005

‘Geographical Information System – Remote Sensing and Application’, by Sree Kamal.K, Asst director, IDRB.

13-04-2005

‘Information Security’ – by Jyothi Ramaswami, TCS, Thiruvananthapuram.

15-04-2005

‘Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Teleportation’, technical talk at Amphi Theatre, CDAC(T) at 17.30Hrs by Rajendra K Bera, Head, R&D Group, IBM Software Labs India, Bangalore organized by IEEE Computer Society, CDAC(T) and IIITM-K.

16-04-2005

‘Relation between Information Theory, Thermodynamics and Digital Computers’, technical talk at Travancore Hall, Technopark at 09.30Hrs by Rajendra K Bera, Head, R&D Group, IBM Software Labs India, Bangalore organized by IEEE Computer Society, CDAC(T) and IIITM-K.

20-04-2005 ‘Automotive Electronics – New Business Avenue’, by N.T. Nair, Thiruvananthapuram.
27-04-2005

‘Emerging Technologies for next Three Decades’, Abdul Majeed, Dy Director, VSSC (Retd).

21-05-2005

Executive Committee Meeting of IEEE Kerala Section at Harmonieee at 17.00Hrs.

08-06-2005

‘Information Engineering’-by C.G. Sukumaran Nair, VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram.

10-06-2005 Distinguished Lecture Programme organized by Communication Society of IEEE Kerala Section at Thiruvananthapuram. Topic-“Packet Aware Transport for Metro Networks” By K.K.Ramakrishnan, Scientist, AT&T, USA.
12-06-2005 Distinguished Lecture Programme organized by Communication Society of IEEE Kerala Section at Ernakulam. Topic-“Packet Aware Transport for Metro Networks” By K.K.Ramakrishnan, Scientist, AT&T, USA.
15-06-2005

‘Security for End Users’ – talk by Neha Saran.

29-06-2005 ‘Opportunities in USA’ – talk by K. Ajithkumar.
 

 

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Forthcoming Events

 

06-07-2005

‘Ageing World’ – talk by VSSS Nair.

13-07-2005

‘Digital Preservation’ and ‘Disruptive Technology’ – talk by N.T. Nair.

16-07-2005 Executive Committee Meeting of IEEE Kerala Section at Harmonieee at 17.00Hrs.
20-07-2005 ‘Micro-mouse’ – talk by Manu Chandran and Aswin and ‘Modern Substation Equipments’ – talk by Sivapriya.
27-07-2005

‘Probe Based Storage Arrays for High End Applications’ – talk by Manu Avinash. G and ‘Segmented Rail Phased Induction Motor’ – talk by Jinee Joy and Abhilash. M

15,16-08- 2005 All Kerala Students Congress hosted by FISAT – Federal Institute of Science & Technology, Angamali.
2,3-10- 2005 National Seminar on ‘Information Security” (i-SEC) organized by IEEE Kerala Section at Thiruvananthapuram.
22-10- 2005 ‘INSIGHT 2005’ – a seminar/student paper contest for students of Electronics and Electrical Engineering organized by IEEE Student Branch of National Institute of Technology, Calicut.
   

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Students Activities

Student Chapter REPORTS

College of Engineering, Chengannur

The IEEE Student Branch of College of Engineering, Chengannur pulled the trigger for 2005 with Inauguration of the Center of Excellence Lab. The Student Branch was awarded the IEEE “Center of Excellence” for a proposal to setup a multi-purpose lab including robotics.

The IEEE Center of Excellence was inaugurated on 18th January 2005 at the Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram by IEEE President Cleon Anderson. The other members on the dice included chairman of IEEE Kerala Section, IHRD Director and Principal of College of Engineering Chengannur.

The Student Branch in association with IEEE GOLD conducted ‘M’ POWER 2005 a mock GD and interview session for S6 students on 9th and 10th of April 2005. Trainers from US Software handled the sessions.

The Student Branch in association with IEEE LINK organized a Leadership Training Workshop for LINK members on 21st April 2005. Adv. Vaman Kumar, who is an International trainer and former National President of Indian Jaycees, conducted the training.

Besides these a series of seminars were organized for the first year students conducted by seniors. The topics included “Basic Electronics”, “Robotics” etc.

Sl. No.

Event

Topic

Speaker

Participants

Date

1.

Inauguration of Center of Excellence

-

Cleon Anderson

IEEE Student Members(60)

18 th January

2.

MPOWER 2005

GD and Interview

US Software Trainers

S6 Students(40)

9th and 10 th April

3.

Leadership Training

Adv. Vaman Kumar

CEC Students and LINK officials(25)

21 st April

4.

Series of Seminars

Electronics

S6 students

S2 IEEE members(35)

-

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The new executive committee of the student branch for the academic year 2005-2006 are:

Student Branch Counselor

:

Nisha Kuruvilla (nishvin@hotmail.com)

Chairman

:

Jaison Abey Sabu (jaison_sabu@ieee.org)

Vice Chairman

:

Mithun Sneh

General Secretary

:

Anoop Abraham Mammen

Treasurer

:

Sooraj C. George

Email : sb.cec@ieee.org, ieeecec@gmail.com

Website : http://www.ceconline.edu/ieee

 

Chapter News

Communication Society

ComSoc- Kerala Chapter, the newborn baby of IEEE Kerala Section has organized a Distinguished Lecture Programs at Thiruvananthapuram on 10th June and at Ernakulam on 12th June 2005. The topic covered is Packet Aware Transport for Metro Networks and the faculty is K K Ramakrishnan, Scientist from AT&T (USA) and a Fellow of IEEE. The both programs were big success.

Prem Kumar, Chapter Chair – ComSoc.

Women In Engineering (WIE)

Affinity group of CEC Chengannur – a report

WIE was formally inaugurated on 7th February 2004 by Y. Annamma Varghese, Deputy Director of the Rubber Research Institute. Our Affinity Group was the first in entire Asia-Pacific region.

WIE conducted two programs in the even semester of 2005. These were a quiz and a STAR program. An Internet familiarization class was conducted for school students on February 19th 2005 as part of STAR Program. The session was attended by 8th Standard students of St. Anne’s Higher Secondary School, Chengannur. The program consisted of two sessions. The morning session the students were introduced to the concept of internet and in the afternoon session each student was taught how to use the internet.

The quiz was organized as part of Women’s Day celebrations. Prelims were conducted and 8 students were short-listed. The finals were conducted on 9th April 2005. It had four rounds and the winners were awarded cash prizes.

The WIE Affinity Group of the IEEE Student Branch of the college was awarded “Chapter of the Year” Award by IEEE headquarters. The award included a cash prize of US$ 250. The award was also mentioned in the WIE International newsletter.

Sl no.

Event

Date

Participants

Speaker

1.

Internet Familiarization (STAR)

19 th February

8 th Std. Students from St, Anne’s School

S4 Students

2.

Quiz

9 th April

CEC Students

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IEEE KERALA SECTION Report for Year 2004

Continuation from the last issue:

B.5.2 Power Engineering Society (PES) chapter

The PES Chapter of IEEE Kerala Section is celebrating its 6th Anniversary and it has established good network with other professional bodies. Joint programs were conducted in Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut and Cochin, in association with these organizations.

In co-ordination with other professional bodies the following technical presentations were organised during the year.

B.5.3 Industrial Applications & Industrial Electronics Society (IA and IE) Combined chapter

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B.5.4 GOLD

Graduates of the Old Decade (GOLD) affinity group has been very active as in the previous years. The list of programs conducted by GOLD during this year is given below:

Sl. No.

Date

Event / Seminar Name

Venue

Main Speaker

1

24 Jan 2004

Introduction to Internet and Web Technologies

Federal Institute of Science and Technology, Angamaly

Varghese Cherian

2

06 Feb 2004

EDA Tool as a bridge between Technical Colleges and Industry

College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram

Praveen Kumar

3

07 Feb 2004

Management Workshop

College of Engineering, Chengannur

R. Deepthi

Binoy Augustine

Vijoy Jose

4

07 Feb 2004

IEEE Awareness Program

College of Engineering, Chengannur

Aju Thomas Abraham

5

04 May 2004

 Modeling of Complex Software

C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram

Sukhamay Kundu

6

05 May 2004

 Business Information Technology and Academics

Institution of Engineers (India), Thiruvananthapuram

Aju Thomas Abraham

7

08 June 2004

 Object Oriented Technology - What’s inside an Object

C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram

Christopher T. Haynes

8

16 June 2004

 Annual Meeting of the Kerala IEEE GOLD Members

NeST, Kesavadasapuram, Thiruvananthapuram

Aju Thomas Abraham

9

11 Aug 2004

 IEEE GOLD Awareness Session

VSSC, ISRO, Thiruvananthapuram

Aju Thomas Abraham and Jyothi Ramaswamy

10

18 Aug 2004

 Visit of National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) to Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram

Aju Thomas Abraham

11

04 Sept 2004

 Career Prospects

N. I. College of Engineering, Thucklay, Tamil Nadu

Aju Thomas Abraham

12

11 Sept 2004

 How to present a Technical Paper in IEEE

College of Engineering, Chengannur

Aju Thomas Abraham

13

29 Oct 2004

 E-Learning Concepts

MES College of Engineering, Kuttipuram, Kozhikode

Aju Thomas Abraham

14

30 Oct 2004

 Career Prospects

National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode

Aju Thomas Abraham

15

30 Oct 2004

 Technical Paper Presentation

National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode

Koshy P. Vaidyan

16

30 Oct 2004

 Awareness of IEEE - GOLD

AWH College of Engineering, Kozhikode

Aju Thomas Abraham

17

10 Nov 2004

 E-Learning Concepts

Institution of Engineers (India), Thiruvananthapuram

Aju Thomas Abraham

18

04 Dec 2004

 Career Prospects

Sahridaya College of Engineering, Thrissur

Aju Thomas Abraham

In recognition of the vibrant activities, Aju Thomas (Chairman, GOLD) and Prasanth Ullathil (Secretary, GOLD) have been awarded with the IEEE GOLD section leadership recognition – 2004 by the Regional Activities Board of IEEE.

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B.5.5 WIE

The major activities of WIE during 2004 are:

WIE Kerala has started the implementation of the student's outreach program of IEEE. The plan is to implement Science, Technology and Research (STAR) and to introduce Engineering to Girl Students in different Girls’ schools in Kerala. WIE, Kerala plans to design the curriculum, provide the training to a pool of faculty members identified (mostly Women Engineers / Diploma Holders / Science Graduates) and have a pool of resources ready. These girls / women engineers will be benefited by the job opportunity provided to them. WIE plans to manage the scheme on its own for 3 years. A preliminary proposal for this has been submitted to IEEE Foundation.

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B.5.6 Kochi Activities

The activities in the central region of Kerala was given a fillip in 2004. A sub committee of IEEE Kerala section was formed in Kochi, with the following members, to spearhead the activities in the central Kerala

The major activities conducted by IEEE at Kochi are given below.

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PART C - OTHERS

C.1 Support for IT initiatives of Government of Kerala

IEEE Kerala section has been associating with Kerala State IT Mission in the activities of the Centre for E-Governance. The structure of the center includes an apex body at the top, which provides guidance for the center and devises policies and programmes. NT Nair represents IEEE Kerala section in the Apex Committee.
Kerala State IT Mission has started a FLOSS initiative to facilitate the growth of free and open software in Kerala. A society has been formed for this, named as SPACE. Sasi PM, Secretary, IEEE Kerala section has been nominated as a member of the executive committee of SPACE.

C.2 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 (Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin Chapters), Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (Thiruvananthapuram Centre) and Aeronautical Society of India (Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin Chapters). The section actively participated in organising several joint activities with the sister societies, in the year.

C.3 Awards and recognitions

Jyothy Ramaswamy has been nominated as a member of WIE International board of IEEE, which is a great recognition for the WIE affinity group of IEEE Kerala section. Congratulations, Jyothy.

Aju Thomas Abraham and Prasanth Ullathil, Chairman and Secretary of GOLD affinity group Section GOLD Leadership recognition award from Regional Activities Board of IEEE. Congratulations to Aju Thomas and Prasanth.


C.4 Tsunami Relief support

Two Executive Committee members of IEEE Kerala section visited the Tsunami affected areas in the various parts of India and supported the relief operations for the affected people for about two weeks. It has been decided to donate the proceeds of the National Seminar on Bioinformatics (BIOS 2005) to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

CONCLUSION

I conclude this annual report for year 2004 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, IETE and ASI for their co-operation, active support, encouragement and valuable criticism.

Sasi PM

Secretary

Thiruvananthapuram

17 January 2005.

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Recent Developments in FACTS Technology

Kalyan K. Sen, IEEE Distinguished Lecturern

With transmission lines becoming loaded to their capacity and new lines being hard to site and build, the ever-growing need for transporting more electricity can be met either by installing new transmission lines or by using the existing ones in a more efficient way. The latter approach is to maximize the active power flow that generates revenue while minimizing the reactive power flow that contributes nothing to the useful energy delivered.

The power industry’s quest for the most economic way to transfer bulk power along a desired path can only be achieved through the independent control of active and reactive power flow in a transmission line. Traditional solutions, such as shunt inductor/capacitor, phase-shifting transformer, and series inductor/capacitor affect both the active and the reactive power flow in the transmission line simultaneously. With the use of Voltage-Sourced Converter (VSC)-based Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), the active and the reactive power flow in the line can be regulated independently. Since the field demonstration of the world’s first UPFC in 1998, another FACTS controller, namely Sen Transformer (ST), has been proposed. In contrast to the UPFC, which uses a large number of solid-state switching devices, the ST uses time-tested components, such as transformer and load tap changers, but provides the same independent active and reactive power flow control as the UPFC at a much lower cost.

This workshop covers various types of Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS) controllers and their usefulness in power system applications. Various modeling techniques of FACTS controllers are briefly discussed. The results from the simulation are compared with those from the field measurements.

This presentation will be of particular interest to all power-engineering professionals. The required background includes an electrical engineering degree with familiarity in power engineering terminology.
About the Author:

Kalyan K. Sen received a B.E.E first class honors (1982), an M.S.E.E (1983), and a Ph.D (1987) degrees, all in Electrical Engineering, from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, WB, India, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, USA, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA, respectively. He spent three years as an Assistant Professor at Prairie View/Texas A&M University before joining as a Senior Engineer at Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s Science & Technology Center in Pittsburgh, PA, USA where he was a member of the FACTS development team. He contributed in all aspects (conception, simulation, design, and commissioning) of FACTS development at Westinghouse. Currently, he is a Fellow Engineer at the Curtiss-Wright Electro-Mechanical Corporation (formerly Westinghouse) in USA where he is engaged in power electronics applications research. His interests are in Power Converters, Electrical Machines, Control, and Power System Simulations and Studies.

Sen conceived some of the basic concepts in FACTS technology. He has many publications in the areas of FACTS and power electronics. He is an editor of the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery. He made presentations in many countries as an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer from the Power Engineering Society. He is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Power Engineering Society and Industry Applications Society. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and the Chairman of the IEEE Pittsburgh Section.

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Recent Publications:

  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Comparison of the ‘Sen’ Transformer with the Unified Power Flow Controller, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 1523-1533, Oct. 2003.
  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Introducing the family of ‘Sen’ Transformers: A set of power flowcontrolling transformers, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 149-157, Jan.2003.
  • K. K. Sen and A. J. Keri, Comparison of field results and digital simulation results of
    Voltage-Sourced Converter-based FACTS controllers, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 300-306, Jan. 2003.

Recent Patents:

  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Multiline Power Flow Transformer for Compensating Power Flow Among Transmission Lines, U.S. Patent No. 6,841,976 (January 11, 2005).
  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Versatile Power Flow Transformers for Compensating Power Flow in a Transmission Line (Series-Compensating Power Flow Transformer), U.S. Patent No. 6,420,856 (July 16, 2002).
  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Versatile Power Flow Transformers for Compensating Power Flow in a Transmission Line, U.S. Patent No. 6,396,248 (May 28, 2002).
  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Versatile Power Flow Transformers for Compensating Power Flow in a Transmission Line (Limited Angle Power Flow Transformer), U.S. Patent No. 6,384,581 (May 7, 2002).
  • K. K. Sen and M. L. Sen, Versatile Power Flow Transformers for Compensating Power Flow in a Transmission Line (Shunt-Compensating Power Flow Transformer), U.S. Patent No. 6,335,613 (January 1, 2002).

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Visual Radio – A Unique Combination of Technologies

Compiled by: N.T Nair, Editor, IEEE India Bulletin

Visual Radio, a path-breaking concept in radio broadcasting, is the brainchild of mobile phone major Nokia. The Visual Radio-enabled mobile handsets work in unison with radio broadcasts (currently FM) to avail interactive content and other services. In the normal mode, the mobile can tune in any FM station without using the mobile network and hence no airtime charges are applicable. Once the interactive visual contents created by broadcasters are received through the mobile’s wireless Internet connection, i.e. a digital packet channel like GPRS, obviously charges will be levied by the mobile operator, as per the usage.

Mobile phones are the most widely used portable device today. It is now continuously being enriched with several additional features, like the digital camera, FM radio and many other value-added services too. Visual Radio is a new kid in the block, which gives a rich radio listening experience to the user. While listening to an FM radio programme, you can use the value-added services dished out by FM broadcasters participating in this new technology initiative. If you like song being played, you can get its ring tone or its video clip. While listening to a Visual Radio- enabled FM channel, you can switch the interactive Visual Radio service on and off. In between, you can enjoy the plain FM radio broadcast just like with any radio station, free of cost. In other words you pay for mobile data traffic only for the period you have used it.

Finland's Kiss FM became the first radio station in the world on March 4, 2005 to begin Visual Radio broadcasts. The radio station uses the Visual Radio Tool software to create the contents to be transmitted over their interactive visual channel. That content is then sent to a server, where it will wait for the programme to start. During the programme, the Visual Radio system makes sure that what it is offering you is kept in sync with the corresponding programme elements on the air. It has been estimated that a typical Visual radio experience can be created by transmitting approximately 200 kilobytes of data per hour, at the lowest end. Depending on the content, especially video, graphics and large amounts of text, this can vary greatly.

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Benefits:

While Nokia has been the first to come out with Visual Radio enabled handsets like 7710, 3230, 6230i etc, other handset manufacturers also would follow suit, to tap this emerging business opportunity. In the broadcast front, after Finland, HP and Infinity have joined hands in US to provide Visual Radio service. Initiatives are already there from radio broadcasters in UK, Sweden, Germany, etc.

Radio, relegated to the back burner with the advent of TV, is surging back with various new flavours like Internet Radio, Visual Radio and the like. Visual Radio is yet another unique case of technologies working in unison to create new opportunities for many stake holders.

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INSIGHT 2005

INSIGHT 2005

A seminar /student paper contest

organized by

IEEE Student Branch of

National Institute of Technology

NIT Campus P.O, Calicut 673601

on

22 October 2005

for Students of Electronics & Electrical Engineering.

There will be two sessions:

1. Power Quality Issues

2. Recent Trends in Digital Communication

Keynote speakers will be :

N.T Nair, Senior Member IEEE

V.Sundar, ITS, GMT Calicut

Last date of submission of paper 12 th Sept 2005

Submit your copies at: nitc@gmail.com and hard copies to any of

the following addresses:

K.P Mohandas, Counselor , kpmdas@ieee.org

Asha Vijayakumar, Chairperson, asha@ieee.org

Presenting Authors will be paid travel expenses

Students who want to attend please contact by email: kpmdas@ieee.org

For more details contact Counselor or Chairperson

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For Memberships & Subscriptions

HOW TO CONTACT THE IEEE ?

IEEE Operations Center
445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331
Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA.
Web: www.ieee.org/memberservices
Phone: +1 732 981 0060 (worldwide)


For latest IEEE news, visit our Web site at:
www.ieee.org

For assistance - call or contact:
IEEE Kerala Section

 

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Global News- News Around IEEE

1. CEREMONY HONORS VISIONARIES:

Some inventors are so far ahead of their time that it can take several decades for their inventions to be turned into practical applications. That was the case for a number of those who received awards at this year's IEEE Honors Ceremony for such technologies as voicemail and hybrid cars. Read more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/596/01224104

2. HELP NEEDED TO EVALUATE COLLEGE ENGINEERING PROGRAMS:

The IEEE Educational Activities Board needs volunteers willing to roll up their sleeves and get out into the field to evaluate the quality of engineering and engineering technology programs at U.S. colleges. The deadline for members to apply as evaluators is 15 November 2005. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/597/01224104

3. VIDEO ON NUCLEAR FUSION WINS PRIZE:

A video project outlining the benefits of nuclear fusion power won a student-teacher team from Washington High School, in Pensacola, Fla., the Vinny 2005 Grand Prize of US $1200. Named after Leonardo da Vinci, the Vinny is a worldwide competition for pre-university students in which teams of three students and one teacher produce a 1-minute video that explains how science, technology, engineering, or mathematics can help solve, or is helping to solve, a global problem. Read more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/598/01224104

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4. MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS:

Secret Surfing: Millions of homes around the world have wireless networks that extend far enough beyond the premises that neighbors and even passersby can connect to them and surf the Internet for free. Is there anything wrong with tapping into a neighbor's Wi-Fi network? Weigh in at <mailto:institute@ieee.org>

5. MEMBERS' E-MAIL MESSAGES NOW MORE SECURE:

The privacy and security of members' e-mail communication with the institute have been strengthened, thanks to recent revisions to the lEEE Electronic Mail Policy. The policy sets out the responsible use of electronic communications in the administrative, business, and technical operations of the institute by both members and staff. Read about the changes at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/600/01224104

6. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVES FURTHER DIGITAL UPDATE:

Forty years of back issues of Proceedings of the IEEE are now available for search by IEEE Xplore, the online document delivery platform. More than 12 000 articles in issues dating from 1963 to 1987 join those from post-1988 that are already available. The monthly Proceedings publishes research, tutorials, and reviews of electrical and computer engineering technology. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/601/01224104

7. ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER AT THE IEEE SPECTRUM ONLINE FORUM:

On 20 September, IEEE Spectrum will host its first online Career Accelerator Forum. The forum, which is free, will offer advice on such topics as going on for an advanced degree, staying ahead in your field, landing your dream job, and switching careers. You'll also be able to ask questions of an expert panel from the convenience of your desk. For more information, as well as a list of panelists, visit http://boldfish. ieee.org/u/603/01224104 To sign up, go to http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/604/01224104

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8.NEW HOW-TO CONSULTING BOOK AVAILABLE:

IEEE-USA has released its first electronic book, "The Best of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer: On Consulting." The PDF file includes information on how to manage the transition to consulting from your current job, and how to make sure you get paid for your work. It also provides sample consulting contracts. Members pay US$ 4.95, a discount on the nonmember price of $14.95. Visit http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/605/01224104 log in using your IEEE Web Account, and look for product number UH3010

9. FOCUS ON HOT NEW TECHNOLOGIES:

While the IEEE ended 2004 with a 1.2-percent membership increase to 365 483 members, perhaps the more interesting news is that the IEEE region with the most members is no longer in the United States. Last year saw Region 10 (Asia and Pacific) become the largest region, with 63 548 members, beating out Region 6 (Western United States), which ended the year with 61 540. Read more about 2004 membership numbers at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/region8./01224104

10. IEEE XPLORE STREAMLINES ITS TOOLS:

Members have always enjoyed unparalleled access to IEEE publications through the IEEE Xplore online delivery system. Now, an upgrade to the system - version 2.0 - offers members and other IEEE Xplore subscribers more convenience than ever, including search enhancements. Read more at http://boldfish.ieee.org:80/u/163/01224104

11. EARLY RADIO TRANSMISSION RECOGNIZED AS MILESTONE:

It was in 1895 that Alexander Popov first demonstrated the principle that irks so many of us today in restaurants and movie theaters: that a wireless device can detect an electromagnetic signal flowing through the air and ring a bell. In recognition of that experiment with wireless communication, which less than 100 years later brought us the cell phone, the IEEE Board of Directors named Popov's demonstration an IEEE Milestone in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org:80/u/165/01224104

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12. 2006 IEEE MEDAL AND AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE:

Do you know someone whose work qualifies him or her for an IEEE medal, honorary membership, service award, or prize for a paper? If so, you have until 1 July to make your nominations for an award. For nomination forms, visit the IEEE Awards Web site at http://boldfish.ieee.org:80/u/166/01224104 or contact IEEE Awards Activities at <mailto:awards@ieee.org>.

13. IEEE COMPUTER SOCIETY PARTNERS WITH SAMSUNG:

The IEEE Computer Society and Samsung's Stable Data Services in Seoul, South Korea, have signed a memorandum of understanding, the first step toward developing a partnership. The IEEE Computer Society will offer Samsung its Certified Software Development Professional Program, an exam that covers all areas of software engineering. Approximately 30 Samsung software developers are expected to take the certification exam. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org:80/u/169/01224104

14. EXPLORING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF ELECTRONIC DESIGN:

The ever-shrinking world of electronic circuitry and the increasingly intricate world of electronic systems are to come together at the 42nd Design Automation Conference, the leading forum for design engineers and electronic design tool developers. The conference is scheduled for 13-17 June in Anaheim, Calif. To find out more, visit http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/confcr /01224104

15. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR STANDARDS ASSOCIATION AWARDS:

The IEEE Standards Association Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2005 IEEE Standards Association International Award and 2005 IEEE Standards Association Corporate Award. The international award is presented to an individual member who has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the international goals of the IEEE Standards Association. The corporate award goes to a member organization for providing outstanding leadership and contributions to industry. The deadline for nominations is 31 May 2005. For more information, visit http://boldfish. ieee.org/u/stdscw/01224104

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16. CASH REWARDS FOR YOUR SECTION:

For information on how your Section can earn cash rewards for nominating Senior Member candidates, see Nominate a Senior Member Initiative at http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/sminitiative.html. To check how your Section is doing in terms of Senior Member elevations and nominations this year, go to http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/smstats.html.

17. IEEE OVERVIEW PRESENTATION AVAILABLE:

There is now an MS PowerPoint presentation available that gives an overview of IEEE. The presentation can be found on the Membership Development web pages at http://www.ieee.org/mdresources (under the heading of Recruitment Tools). This presentation can be shown at Section meetings, Conferences and Society/Council meetings. These slides were used successfully in Region 8 at Section meetings and conferences to provide information about IEEE and to attract potential IEEE members. Feel free to download the presentation and customize the slides for your IEEE Unit. The presentation is also posted on the Section Chapter Volunteer Forum online community at https://www.ieeecommunities.org/section-chapter_vol. Please log on (or join) the online community to share your ideas for personalizing the presentation or adding information.

18. TURNING VOLUNTEERS INTO LEADERS:

The IEEE is built on the hard work of its volunteers. How do we find and nurture the talented and energetic people who eventually rise to be leaders in the organization? One answer lies in the various training and leadership programs the IEEE offers at the chapter, section, region, and corporate levels. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/364/01224104

19. INVESTING IN TOMORROW'S ENGINEERS:

The IEEE Board of Directors has approved US $98 000 to fund the Center for Pre-College Engineering Education, an outreach program meant to encourage students to study engineering in college. It is hoped that the center, to be directed by IEEE Educational Activities, will also be useful to educators, engineering associations, and industry. Find out more at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/365/01224104

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20. INVESTING IN TOMORROW'S ENGINEERS:

With the race for the 2006 IEEE President-Elect under way, it's time the voters got to know more about the candidates. So The Institute spoke on a range of personal and professional topics with first-time candidates Leah Jamieson and Gerald Peterson. Read their responses at
http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/309/01224104

21. SAMSUNG, GRAINGER FOUNDATION SPONSOR IEEE AWARDS:

Samsung Electronics Co., in Seoul, will become the new sponsor of the IEEE Edison Medal, starting in 2006. The medal has been presented annually since 1904 to an individual for achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or electrical arts. The Grainger Foundation, in Lake Forest, Ill., which funds a variety of initiatives to expand the power engineering field, has agreed to cosponsor the IEEE Nikola Tesla Award. The annual award recognizes an individual or team that has made outstanding contributions to the generation and utilization of electric power. Read more at http://boldfish. ieee.org/u/314/01224104

22. NEW PROCEEDINGS HIGHLIGHT ADVANCES IN IMAGE PROCESSING:

The newly published proceedings from the 11th IEEE International Conference on Image Processing consolidate current research findings in theoretical, experimental, and applied signal processing. From traditional image processing to evolving multimedia, image, and video technologies, the papers in this volume assess technology highlights that advance the field of image processing. For more information, or to purchase the
proceedings, visit ShopIEEE at http://boldfish.ieee.org/u/317/01224104

23. MAKE SURE YOUR SECTION’S VOICE IS HEAD: REGISTER FOR SECTIONS CONGRESS:

The goals of Sections Congress are three: leadership training; networking; and guiding the future of the Institute through the development and prioritization of recommendations for action. Your Section's ideas cannot be brought forward if your leadership is not there! For example, in response to recommendations from Sections Congress 2002, IEEE has made measurable improvements in the quality of email addresses maintained as part of a members' primary record and has enabled Section volunteers to easily query, view and download member data through the web based SAMIEEE tool. Register your Section's primary delegate by visiting http://www.ieee.org/sc2005 and then click on the links to register for Sections Congress, and to make hotel reservations. You can also find on the SC2005 web page links to visa and travel information, and a registration guide which provides details about the event. The deadline for Congress registration and hotel reservations is 12 September 2005. If you have any questions, please contact sc-coordinator@ieee.org.

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24. CALLING GOLD MEMBERS ATTENDING 2005 SECTIONS CONGRESS:

As part of IEEE's strategic planning activities, the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board (PSPB) is interested in talking with GOLD (Graduate Of the Last Decade) members about their technical information needs. As we move to more content being delivered electronically, the way we work is changing and evolving. Search features are more powerful and services like electronic modeling tools are readily available with the click of a mouse. PSPB would like to invite about 50 GOLD members who are attending the 2005 Sections Congress meeting to come a few days earlier to attend a focus group session where we will discuss the current and future information needs of young practicing engineers. The meeting will start on 12 October with an afternoon session and continue through 13 October. An agenda will follow in a few weeks. PSPB will pay for the additional two nights at the hotel (12 and 13 October).

If you are a GOLD member, or know of a GOLD member that is attending Sections Congress and would like to participate in this very important event, please respond to Luis Villegas (l.f.villegas@ieee.org) by 15 July with the following information: Name, Member number, Year of degree, Type of degree, Specialty, Current employer and approximate year of employment, Email address, Telephone, Section name, Region.
Thank you in advance. If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Lange at b.lange@ieee.org or Josephine Germano at j.germano@ieee.org.

25. TECHNICAL SYMPOSIA GRANT PROGRAM 2005 :

IEEE Regional Activities will provide grants of $500 each to Sections or Chapters sponsoring a one-day technical symposium that meets the program's qualification guidelines. The purpose of the program is to encourage and enable IEEE Sections and Chapters to support their members through local technical symposia and workshops. For the detailed guidelines and the grant request form, visit http://www.ieee.org/scs and click on "FORMS". Questions can be sent to symposia-grants@ieee.org.

26. IEEE EMAIL POLICY REVISED :

At it's February meeting, the IEEE Board of Directors approved a revised version of the IEEE Electronic Mail Policy. The language has been simplified to more easily explain the responsibility of email users, new sections were created, and policy statements and definitions were renumbered. The IEEE's position on email privacy and security is now more clearly defined, and includes the following addition to the policy: "As a part of the maintenance process, IEEE IT Department employees may have incidental contact with email (or other digital transfers) passing through IEEE systems. Information about such documents is held in confidence." The IEEE Electronic Mail policy is available online at http://eleccomm.ieee.org/email-policy.shtml.

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Tencon'05

A Meeting Place for Converging Technologies

and People

Dear IEEE Region 10 Colleague,

Our apologies if you receive this call for papers through multiple channels. We would appreciate it if you could circulate this email within your organisation.

Tencon'05 now includes a poster session and a student paper prize.
It gives us great pleasure to invite you to Tencon'05, to be held in

Melbourne, Australia

from 21 - 24 November 2005 .

Tencon - the annual technical conference of IEEE Region 10 - is a prestigious event attended by researchers, academics and practicing professionals from all parts of the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The IEEE is the leading professional electrical and electronics organisation with 300 000 members globally, 60 000 of whom are in Region 10.

Tencon'05 will be hosted by IEEE Victorian Section, with the co-sponsorship and support of several other professional bodies in Australia. ATNAC05 will
be a technical co-participant with Tencon'05.

Tencon'05 seeks original research and application papers for peer review publication, with a submission deadline now extended to 30th May. The theme for Tencon'05 is

"A Meeting Place for Converging Technologies and People" ,

the scope of which not only includes extensive coverage of topics in computing, communications, signal processing and power engineering, but also pertinent issues in technology and society, such as biomedical engineering, and legal, privacy and security issues.

Please see http://www.tencon2005.org/authors_centre/ for more information.

Keynote speakers at Tencon'05 are Radia Perlman from Sun Microsystems, and Professor Rod Tucker from the University of Melbourne. In addition, Professor Fred Harris from San Diego State University and Malin Premaratne are invited speakers at the conference.

Applications for presenting a tutorial are now open, with a deadline of 15 July. See http://www.tencon2005.org/tutorials/, for more details.

Registrations for Tencon'05 open on 1 June. Interested authors and attendees are invited to visit our website, http://www.tencon2005.org for more information about the conference. In addition, a poster can be downloaded from our website for display on notice boards etc for publicising Tencon'05 within your organisation.

We look forward to meeting you in November.

Hugh Bradlow - Chair, Tencon'05 Organising Committee.

Enn Vinnal - Chair, IEEE Victorian Section

Please respond to:

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Printed and published by K.Gopalan Nair, T.C.10/1368(2), Vattiyoorkavu,
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