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Calendar Archive, September 2009
Time: 6:45 pm
Place: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC
Directions: Use the 12th Street entrance. The AAAS building is one block from Metro Center (Red, Orange and Blue lines).
Street parking is free after 6:30 pm (no parking 4:00-6:30 pm). There is a pay parking lot at the intersection of 9th St. and New York Ave., and an underground parking garage at 14th St. and New York Ave.
See map at www.aaas.org/dcwest.pdf.
More Info: All interested IEEE members are welcome. A video link is available at http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/washsec/video1.html.
Contact: RSVP to Monica Taysing-Lara at m.taysinglara@ieee.org or 202-725-2225.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Northern Virginia Section Administrative Committee Meeting
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Place: Olive Garden Restaurant, 8133 Leesburg Pike (Tysons Corner), Vienna, VA
Directions: From I-495, take Route 7 West (Exit 47A) toward Tysons Corner. Turn left at Gallows Road. Parking garage is behind the restaurant.
More Info: All interested IEEE members are invited to attend.
Contact: Register by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at
http://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/1007.
Sponsor: Life Members
Speaker: James O'Neal, Technology Editor, New Bay Media Publishing
Time: 12:00 noon
Place: Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave, McLean, VA
Directions: Take Exit 46 from the Beltway and proceed on Route 123 North to McLean, VA, about 2 miles. After crossing Old Dominion Dr., turn left at the next street, Ingleside Ave., and then left on Oak Ridge Ave. The library is on the left.
More Info: See Diamond story below. A light lunch will be provided to those who make a reservation.
Contact: RSVP to Dave Booth at 540-364-1350 or dbooth@ieee.org.
Sponsor: Electron Devices Society, Baltimore chapter
Cosponsor: Electron Devices Society, Northern Virginia and Washington chapter
Speaker: Dr. Michael Shur, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Time: Refreshments 5:30 pm, seminar 6:15 pm, adjornment at 7:30 pm
Place: National Electronics Museum (formerly the Historical Electronics Museum), 1745 W. Nursery Rd., Linthicum, MD
Directions: From the Washington Beltway, take Rte 295 (Baltimore-Washington Pkwy.) north to the West Nursery Rd. exit and stay right on the ramp. Go through three stoplights. The museum is on the left, next to the Marriott Hotel. See
www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org/hours-directions-parking.shtml.
More Info: The technical presentation will be preceded by complimentary refreshments. See Diamond story below.
Contact: Please RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 9 to Michael Hurt at mhurt@micron.com.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Accelerating High Performance Computing with Tier Zero Solid State Storage
Sponsor: Computer Society
Speaker: Karl Bendorf, High Performance Computing Consultant, ViON Corporation
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Place: ViON’s Dulles Demonstration Center, 196 Van Buren Street, Suite 100, Herndon, VA
More Info: See Diamond story below. Refreshments will be provided.
Contact: RSVP to Gordon Nelson at
gordon.nelson@vion.com. Please include your name, affiliation and citizenship.
Sponsor: Control Systems Society (Washington chapter)
Speaker: Will Campbell
Time: Lunch 11:30 am; presentation 12:00 noon; discussion 12:30-1:00 pm
Place: Fairchild Controls, 540 Highland Street, Frederick, MD
More Info: See Diamond story below.
Contact: Please RSVP to Dr. Haik Biglari at 240-626-9205.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Advances in Antenna Test and Measurement Techniques: A Colloquium and Exhibition
Sponsor: Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA)
Cosponsors: IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society (Washington and Northern Virginia Chapter, Baltimore Chapter), IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society / Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (Joint Baltimore Chapter)
Time: Registration & continental breakfast 7:30 am, program 8:15 am, reception 4:15-5:00 pm
Place: The Four Points by Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel, 7032 Elm Road, Baltimore, MD
More Info: See www.amta.org.
Cost: AMTA and IEEE Members, received by Sept. 2, $150. Members, after Sept. 2 or at door, $195. Non-member additional charge, $50 (includes 1-yr AMTA membership). Full-time Students with copy of valid Student ID, postmark by Sept. 1, $40. Unemployed and retired attendees, 50% discount off the Member fees above. No charge for AMTA and IEEE members who attend the reception only, provided a registration form is submitted in advance. Thus, if you can’t join us for the entire day, drop by for the reception and exhibition to network with AMTA and IEEE. You can see demonstrations, meet the speakers, and you might even win a raffle prize!
Contact: For registration questions, contact Tom Boughner at tomboughner@emctech.com. Online registration begins July 1 at
www.amta.org. Please do not mail registration forms after Sept. 1.
Sponsor: Land Transportation Committee of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Speaker: Michael Testerman, Vice Chair, RAIL Solution, Richmond, VA
Time: 11:30 am
Place: American Public Transportation Association, 11th Floor Conference Room, 1666 K Street NW, Washington, DC
Directions: Take the Metro to Farragut North station (Red Line, use K Street exit) or Farragut West station (Orange and Blue lines, use 17th Street exit).
More Info: See Diamond story below. The National Capital Land Transportation Committee (LTC) holds monthly lunch meetings from September though June. The LTC is jointly sponsored by the ASME Rail Transportation Division and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society of the Washington and Northern Virginia Sections. All interested persons are invited. Membership in ASME or IEEE is not required.
Cost: $20 cash at the door for lunch.
Contact: Please make lunch reservations by 4:00 pm, Friday, Sept. 11 with Karl Berger at
karl.berger@dcm-va.com
or 703-803-7917, or Ken Briers at
ken.briers@parsons.com or 202-775-3397.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Accounting, Taxes and Payroll for Consultants and Small Businesses
Sponsor: National Capital Area Consultants' Network
Speakers: Eric Johnson and Jon Rizalvo
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Olive Garden Restaurant, 8133 Leesburg Pike (Tysons Corner), Vienna, VA
Directions: From I-495, take Route 7 West (Exit 47A) toward Tysons Corner. Turn left at Gallows Road. Parking garage is behind the restaurant.
Cost: $25 includes dinner from fixed menu and coffee, tea, or a soft drink.
More Info: Future NCA-CN activities will be discussed in a brief business meeting preceding dinner and CPA Eric Johnson’s presentation. Jon Rizalvo from Paychex will give a brief presentation on payroll taxes. See Diamond story below.
Cost: $25 cash for dinner
Contact: Preregister at
http://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/1005. Direct questions to Monica Mallini at m.a.mallini@ieee.org or to Mark Pittelkau at
mpittelkau@acsinnovations.com.
Sponsor: Women in Engineering
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm (meeting starts at 6:45 pm)
Place: NOAA National Weather Service, Conference Room 12246, 1325 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
Directions: The NOAA campus is located at the intersection of East-West Highway and Colesville Rd. NWS is the second building (SSMC2) from the corner of East-West Hwy. A public parking garage is beneath the third building (with hand).
From the Silver Spring metro station (Red line), exit the station and make an immediate left, go under the overpass and cross the plaza between buildings one and two.
Contact: A list of all attendees must be submitted to building security in advance of the event. Please RSVP by Sunday, Sept. 13 to Varetta Huggins at
vhuggins@ieee.org. Please bring a photo ID and check in at the front desk.
Sponsors: Power Engineering Society, Industry Applications Society
Speaker: Chuck Ugalde
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Place: Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute, 4300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 750, Arlington, VA
Directions: From Ballston Metro Station (Orange line), turn right at top of escalator then left on the street. Proceed two blocks toward Macy's, turn right and walk one block to Ballston Point at the intersection of Wilson Blvd. and Glebe Rd. If driving, see www.ari.vt.edu/ari_directions.html. There is a parking garage in the building with a $1 charge for 3 hours. After 6:00 pm, there is limited free street parking.
More Info: See Diamond story below. A light dinner buffet will be served, followed by the program. All interested persons are invited.
Cost: Free for IEEE members; $10 for non-members.
Contact: Rich Phillips at rdphillips@ekfox.com or 800-520-4771 ext. 113.
Sponsors: Computer Society, American Society for Quality (ASQ) Section 509 Software SIG, Society for Software Quality (SSQ)
Speaker: Shahid N. Shah, Netspective
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Video teleconference with sites in McLean and Silver Spring. Addresses are provided at the registration link below.
More Info: See Diamond story below. All interested IEEE members and guests are invited to attend. Pizza and soda will be served.
Cost: Free
Contact: Advance registration is required to enter the facilities. Please register online at
www.asq509.org/ht/d/sp/i/2499/pid/2499.
If your plans change, please email
ankums@mitre.org to cancel your reservation.
Sponsors: Northern Virginia Section, Communications Society (Northern Virginia chapter), Control Systems Society (Northern Virginia chapter)
Place: Lake Fairfax Park, Reston, VA
Time: 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
Directions: From the Beltway, take exit 47A (Route 7, Leesburg Pike) to Baron Cameron Avenue. Turn left on Baron Cameron Avenue and take the second left onto Lake Fairfax Drive. Follow the signs to the picnic. See
www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/maps/lakefairfaxmap.htm or
www.restonpaths.com/LakeFairfaxPark.
More Info: All NoVA members, guests, and friends are cordially invited. Hamburgers and hot dogs and grilling supplies will be provided. Please bring a side dish, dessert, or something to grill. A special welcome is extended to IEEE student members and prospective members.
Contact: Please RSVP to Jeff Poston at
poston@ieee.org by Friday, Sept. 18. Let us know how many will be attending and what you plan to bring.
Sponsor: Microwave Theory and Techniques Society
Cosponsor: Antennas and Propagation Society
Speaker: Nicholas E. Buris, NEBENS
Time: Social period 5:30 pm, optional dinner 6:00 pm, lecture 7:00 pm
Place: MITRE Corp., Building 2, Conference Room 1N100, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA
Directions: See
www.mitre.org/about/locations/va_mclean_mitre2.html. Free parking.
More Info: See Diamond story below, or
http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/wash_nova/mtt.
Cost: Lecture free (no RSVP needed); $15 for dinner (reservation required, cash payment at the door).
Contact: Please RSVP for dinner only by COB Friday, Sept 25 to Roger Kaul at
r.kaul@ieee.org or 301-394-4775.
Diamond Stories
The complete transition to digital transmissions by America’s full-power television broadcasters is now three months old. What prompted this change in the way many receive television? Is it living up to expectations? What has the nation gained from the changeover? Why did the transition take so long? Are there any problems associated with the DTV transition? Can it be termed fully successful? What are the benefits derived from converting the nation’s full power broadcasters to digital?
James O'Neal, in his role as technology editor at a leading industry publication, TV Technology, has followed the evolution of digital television closely, and will examine these and other issues associated with the June 12, 2009 U.S. transition to digital television broadcasting in his presentation.
O'Neal is a retired broadcast engineer with nearly four decades of experience in that field. He began a second career in 2005 as a technical editor and writer, and publishes on a regular basis in a number of periodicals, including TV Technology, Radio World, and the IEEE’s BTS Newsletter. His topics range from cutting edge and controversial issues such as the implementation of nighttime AM radio IBOC operations, to an in-depth exploration of Reginald Fessenden's 1906 work in radiotelephony. Mr. O'Neal particularly enjoys bringing to light the work of neglected inventors in the field of early radio and television. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, and a member of the IEEE, SMPTE and SBE, as well as a number of organizations dedicated to the history of electronic communications.
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Terahertz electronics holds promise of greatly expanding numerous applications of terahertz technology that now mostly relies on bulky and expensive THz photonics setups. These applications include detection of biological and chemical hazardous agents, explosive detection, building and airport security, and applications in radio astronomy, space research, biology and medicine. Conventional THz electronics uses two-terminal devices such as Gunn diodes and III-V Schottky diodes. However THz transistor technology is now emerging. Short channel Si CMOS and InGaAs Heterostructure Bipolar Transistors (HBTs) and High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) have already reached cutoff frequencies or maximum frequencies of oscillations in the THz range. Si Schottky diodes fabricated using a standard CMOS-compatible process demonstrated millimeter wave detection. GaN FETs have additional advantages at THz frequencies of operation compared to Si or III-V transistors but might require a different (5 terminal) design. For all materials systems, the device feature sizes have shrunk to the point where ballistic mode of electron transport becomes important or even dominant. At THz and sub-THz frequencies, the ballistic transport (which is the manifestation of the electron inertia) also affects devices with relatively large feature sizes. THz radiation excites the oscillations of the electron density (called plasma waves) in transistor channels. Plasma waves propagate with velocities much larger that electron drift velocities and have characteristic frequencies in the THz range even for devices with feature sizes exceeding a few hundred nanometers. The rectification of plasma waves by the device nonlinearity can be used for detecting THz radiation and for imaging and in-situ testing of transistor structures. In very short devices, plasma waves become unstable and cause THz emission. Plasma wave electronics detectors and sources are tunable by applied bias voltage and can be modulated at very high frequencies, approaching or even exceeding transistor cutoff frequencies. The use of synchronized THz transistor arrays instead of individual devices is expected to yield dramatic performance improvements of plasmonic THz electronic detectors and sources and thereby rejuvenate THz electronics.
Dr. Michael Shur's area of expertise is physics of semiconductor devices. He received his M.S.E.E. degree with honors from LETI (St. Petersburg, Russia), and his Ph.D. (Physics) and Dr. Sc. (Phys. Math.) degrees from Ioffe Institute. In addition to being the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts Professor of Solid State Electronics, Electrical Computer and Systems Engineering, and Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he is Acting Director of the Center for Integrated Electronics and Director of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center at RPI.
Dr. Shur is co-founder and vice president of Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. He has received multiple IEEE and other awards and holds an honorary doctorate from St. Petersburg Technical State University. Dr. Shur is a Foreign Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of IEEE, American Physical Society, Institute of Engineering and Technology, ElectroChemical Society, Materials Research Society, and The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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In the world of high performance computing, every cycle counts and response times are extremely critical. Please join us for a presentation and open discussion on getting the most from your computing environment by using the fastest storage available. Solid state disks are entering the mainstream from many storage manufacturers these days, but getting the most out of them is no easy job. Learn about the merits of special purpose solid state storage.
Karl Bendorf has worked in the high performance computing world for over 30 years, with the last seven being with ViON Corporation in Washington, DC.
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Software systems deployed in safety-critical applications in aerospace and other industries must satisfy rigorous development and verification standards. One of the most widely used of these standards is DO-178B, "Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification." DO-178B specifies 66 software development process objectives, distributed across various stages in the development lifecycle. It was published in 1992, when most software was hand-coded. As a result, it does not cover advanced software development technologies, and must be mapped onto the processes and tools in Model-Based Design.
During this session, formal verification and validation techniques applied within this workflow will be presented. Maintaining traceability between code and model will be shown during demonstrations of tools to generate C Code from a Simulink model. SystemTest will be used to execute tests and compare C code and Simulink results against expected values. Code-based verification will be shown to prove source code reliability and the absence of runtime errors in the generated code.
Will Campbell holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His coursework specialized in control systems, numerical methods, orbital dynamics, and earth sciences. Upon completion of a thesis in interplanetary navigation, Campbell joined the Aerospace Corporation as the chief architect of the Atlas V closed-loop 6DOF simulation and winds safety verification laboratory. He joined MathWorks in 2007 where he specializes in Simulink solutions for the aerospace industry and defense sector.
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Michael Testerman will discuss how the rail line between Knoxville, TN and Harrisburg, PA is being promoted as a demonstration segment of the National Steel Interstate System. This rail initiative builds upon Norfolk Southern's Crescent Corridor by applying uniform design features and service offerings that enable rail to provide significant throughput capacity by diverting time-sensitive mid-range truck shipments while offering auto-competitive rail passenger service.
The concept of a steel interstate system in the U.S. is analogous to the Interstate Highway System built out over the last 50 years. That has given us a core national network of high-capacity, grade-separated roads that make travel faster and safer than on the old system of U.S. Routes.
Today's railroads are like the old U.S. Routes -- built a long time ago and often seriously under-engineered and lacking in capacity to handle the demands of today’s shipping volumes. Therefore, a dollar of transportation investment made today can often have a bigger impact in increased freight-carrying capacity when invested in rail instead of in more highway lanes.
The railroads have been investing billions of dollars in improved infrastructure, but they are limited in what they can do with internally generated funds from earnings. To restore balance in our national transport network, we need a steel interstate program with state and national funding to augment private capital and create a core network of high-capacity rail freight corridors for the 21st Century.
Michael Testerman grew up in the railroad city of Roanoke, VA. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1971 and moved to Richmond for a 30-year career in social work. His rail advocacy sojourn began in 1975 on the heels of the OPEC oil embargo when he helped several counties in southwest Virginia in their failed attempt to retain their branch line service. In 1980, he was one of the founders of the Virginia Association of Railway Patrons, and he has served as its president ever since. He organized the breakout session, "Cargo and people in shared rail corridors: A win-win?" for the 2000 Southeast High-Speed Rail Conference and Expo. One year later he co-wrote, with former RF&P Railroad president Richard Beadles, the Virginia Rail Plan for the Virginia High-Speed Rail Development Committee.
In 2001, Testerman took early retirement from the City of Richmond to devote himself to full time rail advocacy. In 2003, he helped establish the grassroots coalition known as RAIL Solution, to promote a viable rail alternative to the proposed super-sizing of Interstate-81 in Virginia. He serves as that group's vice-chair and General Assembly lobbyist.
Testerman organized the Virginia Light Rail Symposium in November 2006. Through his membership on the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee of the Richmond Metropolitan Planning Organization, he has participated in several regional-rail, streetcar and transit studies, and worked on the Richmond Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan. He is a board member of Virginians for High Speed Rail, and serves as treasurer for that group and the Virginia Rail Policy Institute. He is also a council member of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Accounting, Tax, and Payroll for Consultants and Small Businesses
One of the most burdensome requirements for small business owners is record keeping as well as accurate and timely tax filing. Are you correctly recording your income and expenses? Have you claimed the maximum deductions to legally pay the least amount of taxes? Is your accounting system organized and efficient? Are you able to quickly determine profit and loss, outstanding receivables, etc.? Accurate records are critical to valuing your business, getting a loan, planning cash flow and much more. Is your accounting and tax preparation being done cost effectively? Do you understand the legal requirements for payroll taxes?
Successful businesses maintain good accounting records. This presentation will cover some of the common accounting challenges faced by the small businessperson and different options for meeting the filing requirements. From choosing an accounting professional to avoiding common taxpayer mistakes, this talk will help you run your business more efficiently.
Eric C. Johnson, CPA, is the owner of the accounting firm Eric C. Johnson, CPA, PC located in Falls Church, VA. He has over 15 years experience preparing taxes in the Washington metropolitan area for a wide variety of clients. He has many small to medium sized business clients and is familiar with the challenges small business owners face.
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The goal of the Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) presentation is to promote awareness about the various nuances of COOP/DR that may affect an organization’s ability to support, execute, and maintain a successful COOP/DR program. The presentation will focus on tools and methodologies that facilitate an organization's ability to continue operations under adverse conditions by the introduction of appropriate resilience strategies, recovery objectives, continuity of operations and crisis management plans in collaboration with or as a key component of an integrated risk management initiative.
Chuck Ugalde is the Director of the Unisys Business Continuity Management line of business within the Unisys Federal Enterprise Security Group based in Reston, VA. He has performed COOP/DR and Information Technology Contingency Planning on numerous contracts with city, state and federal government agencies.
His most recent engagement was with the U.S. Army Logistics Innovation Agency where he was responsible for delivering an IT Contingency Plan as part of the overall upgrade of the U.S. Army Logistics Innovation Agency's COOP program.
From 2006 through 2008, Ugalde worked with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where he provided COOP Program and Exercise support for several HHS OPDIVs in addition to Forward Challenge 2006. In his role as Deputy Engineering Manager for the HHS ITSC program, he assisted HHS in streamlining their COOP Program to meet the new requirements of FCD-1, FCD-2 and the NCP Implementation Plan as well as aligning their COOP Response and Recovery Strategies with the various HHS alternate facilities and information technology platforms.
Prior to joining Unisys, Ugalde managed the planning, re-design, and implementation of major data center upgrades for the NYC Departments of Correction and Probation. The effort involved the implementation of a multitude of Response and Recovery Strategies incorporating the major data centers, 25 detention facilities and 30 branch offices throughout the NYC metropolitan area. During the NYC blackout of 2003, he executed and coordinated all data center incident response, backup and recovery operations prior to full power restoration.
Ugalde has been designing, building, and operating data centers as well as providing disaster recovery services for the last 20 years for clients such as UBS Paine Webber, Polo Ralph Lauren, BMG Music Company, G&J Publishing, and Mitsui-Sumitomo Insurance.
He attended the State University of New York Farmingdale and studied mechanical engineering. He holds multiple industry certifications in routing, switching, security, and operating system and storage disciplines, including MCSE, CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP, CSMDS, and CBCP.
Ugalde is a regularly featured speaker at many government technical forums and is a frequent guest instructor for the Potomac Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing continuing education for government staff in COOP program management.
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The cloud is being discussed everywhere today – and it's a great offering that almost every government agency and commercial firm is at least thinking about. However, there are lots of myths and untruths about cloud computing that need to be dispelled so that executives and technical team members alike can make proper decisions. The cloud is not going to take over the world and there's no such thing as "ubiquitous computing" yet. Shahid Shah, an expert in networking and cloud technologies, will discuss what clouds are and aren't and dispel some of myths and discuss real security and performance issues of the cloud. As an architect for OMB, he is also familiar with the government's general direction on cloud computing and will share some information on what's already available in the public domain.
Shahid N. Shah is the CEO of Netspective Communications, a software consultancy whose actionable advice and disciplined approach delivers custom software for in-house, outsourced, or offshore solutions. For the past 15 years, Shah has held the positions of CTO, vice president of technology, chief software architect, or enterprise architect at large enterprises. His technology expertise includes service-oriented and event-drive architectures, Java/JEE, .NET, and agile development and his healthcare focus starts with an emphasis on e-health, EMRs, data integration, and legacy modernization.
Shah is an expert at discovering practical technology solutions to real-world business initiatives, especially in the government, healthcare and financial services industries. His expertise includes standards development, enterprise architecture analysis and design, interoperability planning, legacy modernization, and related work. He has worked at NIH on standards, Executive Office of the President (White House) and OMB on helping define the needs for standards, and at various commercial healthcare firms like CardinalHealth and COMSYS.
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Smart Antenna Systems use the additional degrees of freedom offered by their multiple antennas to exploit, among other things, multipath in the propagation environment. Therefore, by construction, antenna design of smart antenna systems cannot be assessed by simple performance metrics such as gain, polarization and efficiency alone. At a minimum, performance has to be considered in the context of the nature and degree of the multipath. Capacity, the maximum possible throughput, is an appropriate performance metric when the antennas are properly combined with their propagation environment but nothing more is known about the system. When, additionally, the specific Link and Media Access Control (MAC) layer characteristics of the system are taken into account, the actual throughput of the communication link becomes a more appropriate performance metric.
A Cross-Layered design approach of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna systems is presented in this talk. An electromagnetics exact formulation from baseband-to-baseband of a Smart Antenna System is given. The formulation consists of full wave analyses of the antenna arrays involved on both sides of the link and a plane wave decomposition for the propagation environment. Subsequently, the baseband signals are fed into link simulators, specific for each system of interest, to provide estimates of the Bit Error Rate (BER) and throughput. Calibration and Channel estimation algorithms are described for Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, such as the IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX). The state of the art in designing antennas for terminals and for base stations is outlined. Examples of actual product designs for WiMAX and IEEE 802.11n are also given. Finally, the talk ends with some recommendations on research topics to further the state of the art.
Nick Buris is the founder of NEBENS, a small company in Deer Park, IL focusing on cross layer design aspects (antenna, coverage and algorithms) of Smart Antenna based wireless systems.
Dr. Buris received a diploma of electrical engineering in 1982 from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the North Carolina State University in 1986, where he worked on microwave propagation in inhomogeneous thin ferrite films. In 1986, he was a visiting professor at NCSU working on space reflector antennas for NASA. In 1987, he joined the faculty of the ECE dept. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research work there focused on microwave magnetics, phased arrays printed on dielectric and ferrite substrates and broadband antennas. In the summer of 1990, he was a faculty fellow at NASA Langley Research Center working on calibration techniques for dielectric measurements and an ionization (plasma) sensor for an experimental reentry spacecraft.
In 1992, he joined the applied technology organization of Motorola's Paging Product Group and in 1995 he moved to corporate research to start an advanced modeling effort. At Motorola, he was until recently a director, managing large projects on antenna product design, RF propagation measurements, RFID's, mm waves and the development of proprietary software tools for electromagnetic and system design and optimization.
Dr. Buris is an IEEE fellow and a distinguished lecturer of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. He is a member of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques technical program committee and has been member and chair of various IEEE and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards committees on antennas and RF exposure.
For more information about NEBENS, see www.nebens.com.
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Updated 1/2/10
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