APRIL CALENDAR

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

Washington Section Administrative Committee Meeting

Time: Dinner at 6:00 pm; meeting at 6:30 pm
Place: Allie's American Grill, Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Rd., Bethesda, Md.
Directions: From the north, take 270 South to 355 and exit at Wisconsin Ave. From the south, take 495 exit 34 (which is Wisconsin Ave.) to Pooks Hill Rd.
More info: All interested IEEE members are welcome to attend.
Contact: Jackie Hunter 703-803-8701 or j.hunter@ieee.org. Please include the term IEEE in the subject line of your e-mail.

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

WIE Meeting

Sponsor: Washington Area Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group (Washington, Northern Virginia, and Baltimore Sections)
Place: La Madeleine, 7601 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, Md. (301-215-9192)
Time: Dinner: 6:30 pm; meeting: 7:00-8:30 pm
More info: All interested IEEE members, associates, and friends are invited to attend. The Web site is http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/washsec/wie
Contact: Dr. Kiki Ikossi, 703-960-0261 or ikossi@ieee.org

Thursday, April 8, 2004

Bi-fuel Generators (tentative)

Sponsor: Power Engineering Society (PES), Northern Virginia Chapter
Place: KEMA Consulting, 4400 Fair Lakes Court, Fairfax, Va. (703-631-6912)
Time: Social period:5:45 pm; snacks served: 6:00 pm; tutorial presentation:6:30 pm
More info: The menu will include assorted sandwiches, potato chips, dessert; coffee, tea, and soda.
Cost: Free to members and IEEE student members; $10 for nonmembers.
Reservations: Required one day prior to presentation.
Contact: Chuck Sisung, chuck.sisung@mail.swsgpc.com or 703-471-6803; or Amarjeet Basra, amarjeet.basra@ieee.org or 703-324-2821

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Passenger Information Display System (PIDS)

Sponsor: IEEE Land Transport Committee
Speaker: Chris Roberts
Time: 11:30 am
Place: NASSIF Building, 400 7th Street, Washington, D.C.
More info: Lunch will be served. The cost is $15 per person.
Contact: For reservations call Brad Luse 703-247-4491.

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Microplasma Devices in Semiconductors, Ceramic and Polymer/Metal Multilayer Structures: Photodetectors, Optical Amplifiers, and Arrays

Sponsors: IEEE/Lasers & Electro-optics Society (LEOS) and local MTT-S Chapter
Speaker: Prof. Gary Eden, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois
Place: The University of Maryland, College Park, MD: A. V. Williams Building, Room 2460. Please note that there is plenty of parking available after 4 PM. For campus map, see below.
Time: 6:00 pm: Light refreshments and socializing; 6:30 pm: Lecture. Optional dinner with the speaker at a nearby restaurant following the lecture.
Directions: A map to the AV Williams Building [showing nearby parking] can be found under: www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Facilities/Buildings/AVW and
www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/About_UMCP/Maps.
Visit our website and get more information about local activities: http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/wash_nova/leos/.
Contact: Lucy Zheng at 703-578-2721 or lzheng@ida.org, or Mary Tobin at 301-394-2046 or mtobin@arl.army.mil.
More info: See Diamond Story below.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Northern Virginia Section Administrative Committee Meeting

Sponsor: Northern Virginia Section
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Corner Seven Café, Tysons Corner Marriott, 8205 Leesburg Pike at the corner of Crescent Towers Drive
Directions: From the east or from I-495 take Route 7 West. Turn right on Towers Crescent Dr., then immediately right into the Marriott parking lot (free parking).
From the west, going eastbound on Route 7, turn right onto Old Gallows Road just opposite the Marriott. Proceed in a circle to the left; you will go over a bridge over Route 7 and keep going until you almost complete a full circle. Just before reentering Route 7; the entrance to the Marriott is on the left.
More info: The Northern Virginia Section Administrative Committee meets regularly. All interested IEEE members are invited to attend.
Contact: Jackie Hunter at 703-803-8701 or j.hunter@ieee.org. Please include the term IEEE in the subject line of your e-mail.

April 15-18, 2004

2004 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: from Nano to Macro

Place: Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Va.
More info: See the conference website: http://www.biomedicalimaging.org. The meeting will include topical short courses, plenary talks, invited special sessions, and oral and poster sessions selected from contributed papers. ISBI is a joint initiative of the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) and is being organized in cooperation with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).
ISBI offers a forum for researchers involved in all aspects of biomedical imaging from the nano, molecular, and cellular levels through macroscopic and whole-body clinical systems with an emphasis on the development, evaluation, and application of methods for image modeling, image formation, image analysis and image quality assessment. Four short courses precede the conference on the morning of April 15th. There are a significant number of free passes available for qualified students and post doctorals. See the conference website for details.

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Course on Web Site Design

(Sponsored by the Washington Section)
The course will include a lecture, discussion, problem-solving, and a hands-on lab.
Topics include:
- The Basics of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
- Using Fonts, Images, Frames and Tables in HTML code
- Forms and JavaScript
- Techniques for Designing User Friendly Web Sites
Learning objectives: By the end of this class, students will:
- Have a working knowledge of HTML
- Know how to correct Web site problems
- Create their own Web site
Exercise: Interactively design a new Web site based on the concepts learned.
Instructional materials: Handouts, slides, and disc showing samples and problems.
Instructor: Mr. Dorek Biglari has a B.S. degree in Computer Science. He has seven years of experience designing Web sites for both personal and commercial purposes. In addition to his Web design experience, Dorek has experience in real time software design in C, C++, C#, and Java. He currently works for Simomatics (www.simomatics.com).
Place: Computer Lab, A.V. Williams Building Annex, University of Maryland.
Directions: From Capital Beltway/I 495, take exit at Rte 1 South; continue south and turn right onto Campus Drive, then immediate right onto Paint Branch Drive, go 1.5 blocks to A.V. Williams Bldg. on right, after intersection with Stadium Drive. Park adjacent to the building or in Lot G on left.
Fee: The fee is $80 for IEEE members and $100 for nonmembers.
Registration: Contact Ms Jackie Hunter at 703-803-8701 or j.hunter@ieee.org to register. (Include IEEE in your subject line.)
Contact: For technical information, contact Dr. Haik Biglari, 301-228-3538, or hbiglari@fairchildcontrols.com.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Roundtable Discussion on Marketing

Sponsor: National Capital Area Consultants' Network
Time: Dinner: 6:00 pm; meeting 7:30 pm
Place: Dinner location: Seven Seas Restaurant, 8503 Baltimore Blvd. (Route 1), College Park, Md. Meeting location: University of Maryland, College Park Campus, AV Williams Engineering Building, Room 2460
More info: We will focus on methods of marketing our services and getting more business.
Directions: See meeting announcement for March 23.
Contact: Geoff Howe at 703-507-5151 or geoffhowe@ieee.org

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Course on Database Management

The course will include a lecture, discussion, problem-solving, and a hands-on lab.
Topics to be covered:
- Basics of Databases and Database Management Systems
- Principles of Relational Databases
- Data Modeling
- Database Design process and implementation using Microsoft Access
Learning objectives: By the end of this class, students will be able to: - Explain the purpose of database management systems
- Define key database management terms
- Understand relational databases and their components - Describe good database design practices
- Design a well founded database on their own
- Know how to use Microsoft Access for their database design.
Exercise: Interactively design and develop a new database based on the concepts learned.
Instructional materials: Handouts; slides, and disc showing samples and problems.
Instructor: Mr. Youssef Slitine has a B.S. degree in English and has 12 years of experience in both computer software and hardware, mainly Web development and hosting. He has also taught several courses with a hands-on lab component. He taught a course on database management for the IEEE National Capital Area Council in June, 2000, which received a very favorable rating by the attendees. He currently works for Stallion Technology and has a small Web development and hosting company. He also offers classes in web development, Visual Basic programming, and application usage.
Directions: See above entry story for March 20 course.
Fee: The fee is $80 for IEEE members and $100 for nonmembers.
Registration: Contact Ms Jackie Hunter at 703-803-8701 or j.hunter@ieee.org to register. (Include IEEE in your subject line.)
Contact: For technical information, contact Dr. Haik Biglari, 301-228-3538, or hbiglari@fairchildcontrols.com.

Saturday. April 24, 2004

Creativity and Innovation in Engineering

Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); Engineering Management Society; Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE); National Capital Chapter of Women in Engineering (WIE); and International Council on System Engineering (INCOSE), Chesapeake Chapter
Speakers: Dev Raheja, author and consultant
Time: 8:30 am: Registration, networking, continental breakfast; 9:00 am to1:30 pm: Program and lunch
More info: See Diamond Story below.
Cost: $25 per person to cover expenses and meals, collected at the door; $10 for full-time students
Place: University of Maryland College Park in the A.V. Williams Building, room 2460. Directions are available at http://www.umd.edu/visitors/#destinations or 703-538-8324.
Reservations: To ensure adequate seating and food, please contact Jackie Hunter by 8:00 pm, Tuesday, April 20, to reserve your place. Contact Ms. Hunter at 703-803-8701 or j.hunter@ieee.org (include IEEE in the subject line).

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

A Paradigm for Quality of Service in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks Using Synchronous Signaling and Node States

Sponsor: Communications Society, Northern Virginia Chapter
Speaker: Dr. John Stine, MITRE Corporation
Time: Dinner: 6:00 pm; Speaker: 6:45 pm
Place: The MITRE Corporation Building 2, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, Va.
Directions: See Map.
Cost: Free
Contact: RSVP to fseelig@mitre.org

Friday, April 30, 2004

National Capital Area Awards Banquet

Sponsor: Washington and Northern Virginia Sections of the IEEE
Time: Reception begins at 6:00 pm; Dinner at 7:30 pm; awards presentation at 8:30 pm
Place: Rockville Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.
Directions: Visit www.doubletree.com for a map.
Cost: $45 per person.
Reservations: Send a check and the name(s) of attendees to Jackie Hunter, P.O. Box 220521, Chantilly, VA 20153, by April 16.

Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Patent Litigation and IP Licensing Panel

Sponsor: National Capital Area Consultants' Network
Special Guests:    Allan Soobert and Adam Ruttenberg of Cooley Godward
Time:    Dinner: 6:00 pm; Meeting 7:00 pm
Place:    Law Offices of Cooley Godward in Reston, VA, One Freedom Square, Reston Town Center,
11951 Freedom Drive, Reston, VA
More info:    (See Diamond Story.)  Cooley Godward will host and present on the topics of patent litigation and intellectual property (IP) licensing.  The patent litigation presentation will focus on practical considerations for both the patent owner and the accused infringer.  The IP licensing presentation will focus on the practicalities of IP licensing in the real world. 
Directions:    Take Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) to Reston Parkway North (Exit 12).  Turn left on New Dominion Parkway (fourth traffic light after the Toll Road).  Turn left on Fountain Drive.  Turn right on Freedom Drive.  Pass through the stop sign at the intersection of Library and Freedom.  Turn right into the parking garage-visitor parking is on the lower level.  Exit the parking garage at the street level and proceed directly across Freedom Drive.  Cooley Godward is located in One Freedom Square (11951 Freedom Drive), with reception on the 15th floor.
Contact:    Please RSVP to Geoff Howe at 703-507-5151 or geoffhowe@ieee.org by April 30, 2004.

Saturday, May 8, 2004

A Symposium on Developing Winning Proposals

Sponsor: IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) in the National Capitol Area
Speakers: from Booz Allen Hamilton, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the State of Maryland with practical experience in preparing, critiquing and evaluating proposals for DoD, NSF, and NIH.
Time: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Place: The University of Maryland College Park campus
More info: Speakers will address: About the Speakers:

Rosemary Budd, Senior Associate at Booz Allen will present an overview of the proposal writing process. With 25 years of program and technical management experience, Ms Budd has developed numerous successful proposals totaling more thangeoffhowe@ieee.org 3 billion dollars in awards.

Dr. Frederica Darema, Senior Science and Technology Advisor in NSF's Division of Computer and Network Systems will discuss her experiences at NSF in reviewing proposals, including common mistakes and deficiencies. Dr. Darema's responsibilities include development of parallel applications, parallel algorithms, programming models, environments, and performance methods and tools for parallel and distributed systems.

Dr. Dennis Glanzman is Program Chief for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He previously served at the U.S. Army Natick Research Laboratories, was a program director at the NSF, and a tenured professor at Arizona State University.

Morgan Allyn from the State of Maryland, an expert on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposals will also speak on SBIR/STTR funding mechanisms for ventures and for technology innovation.

Cost: Pre-registration period until May 5, 2004.

After May 5:
(No Credit cards can be accepted for on site registration)

Continental breakfast and lunch will be served as part of the symposium, and the cost is included in the registration fee.
Detailed information may be found at: http://www.isr.umd.edu/ISR/wie.
Online registration using a credit card at:
https://icm3.ieee.org/eventmanager/onlineregistration.asp?eventcode=RSZ.

Contact: Jackie Hunter at j.hunter@ieee.org or 703-803-8701 (voice); 703-222-3208 (fax).
Checks should be made out to IEEE-WIE and mailed to:

IEEE-WIE
c/o IEEE/NCA
P.O. Box 220521
Chantilly VA 20153

Monday, May 11, 2004

Future Plans for AMTRAK

Sponsor: IEEE Land Transport Committee
Speaker: David Gunn or David Hughes
Time: 11:30 am
Place: NASSIF Building, 400 7th Street, Washington, D.C.
More info: Lunch will be served at each meeting. The cost is $15 per person.
Contact: For reservations call Brad Luse at 703-247-4491.

Tuesday, May 25, 2003

A Venture Capitalist's View of Emerging Technologies in Electrical Engineering

Sponsor: Communications Society, Northern Virginia Chapter
Speaker: Charles Ross, Vice President, Telecommunications Development Fund, Washington, D.C.
Time: Dinner: 6: 00 pm; Speaker: 6:45 pm
Contact: RSVP to fred.seelig@ieee.org
Place: The Mitre Corporation, Building 2, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, Va.
Directions: See map.
More info: See Diamond Story below.

Monday, June 15, 2004

ASCAP System

Sponsor: IEEE Land Transport Committee
Speaker: Ted Giras
Time: 11:30 am
Place: NASSIF Building, 400 7th Street, Washington, D.C.
More info: Lunch will be served at the meeting. The cost is $15 per person.
Contact: For reservations call Brad Luse 703-247-4491.

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Major Technical Areas of Focus within the ARRL Today

Sponsors: The Northern Virginia Communications Society and the Life Members chapters
Speaker: Walt Ireland, WB7CSL, Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), Fairfax, Va.
Time: Dinner: 6: 00 pm; Speaker: 6:45 pm
Contact: RSVP to fred.seelig@ieee.org
Location: The Mitre Corporation, Building 2, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, Va.
More info: See Diamond Story, below.
Directions: See map.

DIAMOND STORIES

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Microplasma Devices in Semiconductors, Ceramic and Polymer/Metal Multilayer Structures: Photodetectors, Optical Amplifiers, and Arrays

Microplasma devices are a new generation of micro-optical sources and detectors that have been fabricated in semiconductors, ceramics, and metal/dielectric/metal structures. Capable of producing photons from the infrared spectral region to the vacuum ultraviolet, these devices are well suited for integration with micro-optoelectronic, fluidic, and mechanical systems. Photodetection in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared has also been observed with microdischarge devices having pyramidal Si photocathodes. Recently, gain on the 460.3 nm transition of the singly-charged Xe ion has been observed in a segmented, linear array of microdischarges, fabricated in a ceramic multilayer structure and having a gain length of ~1 cm. The optical and electrical characteristics of devices as small as ~10 µm in diameter and arrays with ~103 pixels at packing densities >104 cm-2 will be discussed.
J. Gary Eden, Ph.D. University of Illinois (1976), was appointed a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC) and, as a research physicist in the Laser Physics Branch (Optical Sciences Division) of NRL from 1976 to 1979, he conducted experiments on the rare gas-halide (ultraviolet) excimer lasers. Since joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1979, he has been engaged in research in molecular and ultrafast laser spectroscopy, the discovery and development of visible and ultraviolet lasers (including the first ultraviolet and violet fiber lasers), and microplasma devices. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, the Optical Society of America and the American Physical Society, Past Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics and, in 1998, served as President of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS). At the University of Illinois, he has served as Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research, Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering, and Associate Dean of the Graduate College. Dr. Eden was the James F. Towey Scholar at the University of Illinois from 1996 through 1999, is currently Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well as a Research Professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory and the Microelectronics Laboratory.

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Creativity and Innovation in Engineering

As we face an increasingly competitive and challenging engineering environment, finding new ways to get things done has become increasingly important. This seminar will teach out-of-the-box techniques for improving the ability to create and methods to maximize profits through innovation, through a mixture of concept presentation and illustrative case histories.
Topics will include:
* Intelligence vs. creativity
* Techniques to unlearn wasteful logic
* The need for more intuition, less logic
* Principles of innovation
* The role of the fear factor
* Case histories in creativity and innovation
* Michael Jordan's approach to creativity
* Bruce Lee's approach to creativity
* Larry Ellison's meditative approach for innovation
A former executive at General Electric and at Booz Allen & Hamilton, Dev Raheja shares a wealth of practical experience at his seminars.
Bring your boss, a friend, a coworker, or a client!

Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Patent Litigation and IP Licensing Panel

This meeting is hosted by Cooley Godward. Cooley Godward's attorneys are counselors, strategists and advocates for foremost private and public companies across a wide variety of industries and in all major technology fields. Cooley clients include entrepreneurs, venture capiervice organizations and research institutions. Cooley has 500 attorneys practicing in more than 20 industries. The panel will feature attorneys from two practice groups, presenting on two hot topics of interest. All IEEE members are welcome.

Patent Litigation:  Practical Considerations for both the Patent Owner and the Accused Infringer. This presentation will focus on the practical considerations of patent infringement disputes, both before and after they blossom into litigation, and will cover various aspects of dealing with such disputes from the differing perspectives of both the patent owner, on the one hand, and the accused infringer, on the other.  Various hot topics in patent litigation will also be highlighted.   The presentation will be made by Allan Soobert, www.cooley.com/asoobert, a partner and litigator in Cooley Godward's IP Litigation Practice Group, www.cooley.com/iplitigation.  Cooley Godward's IP Litigation Practice Group helps clients--from emerging growth companies to large, established businesses--pursue and defend against intellectual property infringement allegations, including "bet the company" patent litigation.   The Group works with the firm's Patent Group to counsel such clients on the best way to design and build valuable intellectual property portfolios and use the emerging, global intellectual property framework to secure the maximum potential return on the commercialization of their products and services worldwide.

IP Licensing:  A view of the practicalities of IP licensing in the real world.  This will be a presentation of the issues surrounding commercial licensing both inbound and outbound.  The presentation will focus on the commercial issues that arise when structuring commercial deals, negotiating commercial deals and implementing those deals.  The presentation will be made by Adam Ruttenberg www.cooley.com/aruttenberg, who heads Cooley Godward's Technology Transactions Group, www.cooley.com/technology, on the East Coast. The TTG helps companies maximize the value of their strategic relationships and the return on their intellectual property investments both domestically and internationally by providing strategic guidance in the creation, acquisition, use and commercial exploitation of technology. Cooley combines the elements of an intellectual property practice with a commercial transactions practice so that it can help clients address their technology and revenue needs efficiently and effectively.

Tuesday, May 25, 2003

A Venture Capitalist's View of Emerging Technologies in Electrical Engineering

Mr. Charles E. Ross will present the evaluation criteria used in deciding which companies to fund. Mr. Ross is vice president of the Telecommunications Development Fund (TDF), a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital group specializing in telecommunications technologies. In his role as Principal for TDF, Mr. Ross serves as part of an experienced investment team actively sourcing and screening early-stage communications-based opportunities. Mr. Ross provides corporate governance, strategic counsel, and tactical support to TDF's portfolio companies, with a particular emphasis on harvesting opportunities that embrace broadband wireless applications and technology.

Prior to joining TDF, he served as a director for the Chicago-based venture capital division of Ameritech, focusing on wireless communications and data networking investments. He also managed telephony, cellular, and information services units, having worked on network planning, operations, network engineering, and business development. He also coordinated product evaluations of optical and microwave radio networking equipment and managed, designed, and budgeted Ameritech's cellular communications network. Additionally, he negotiated interconnection agreements with local and long distance carriers, including the first cellular interconnection agreement with the Polish PTT.

Mr. Ross holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University and an MBA degree from Indiana University. He is a member of the National Black MBA Association, as well as IEEE. Mr. Ross resides in Virginia with his wife and two children.

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Major Technical Areas of Focus within the ARRL Today

Walt Ireland, a former member of the Insitute of Radio Engineers (IRE), a predecessor of the IEEE, joined the American Radio Relay League's (ARRL) Technical Relations Office in Fairfax, VA in April 1997. He is responsible for technical representation to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Department of State, and other federal agencies dealing with spectrum allocated to the amateur and amateur-satellite services, and allocation requirements. Most of his work is related to international and domestic frequency spectrum matters.

Walt participates in International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Study Group and Working Party meetings domestically and internationally. He is currently the chairman of the U.S. Working Party 6E (USWP 6E), dealing with broadcasting below 30 MHz and other HF issues, and the heads the US Delegation at international meetings. He chaired an international Special Rapporteur Group dealing with HF issues, including the harmonization of the amateur 7 MHz band with the HF broadcasting service, in preparation for World Radio Congress 2003 (WRC-2003). He is currently the vice chair for the FCC's Informal Working Group 4 (IWG-4) for WRC-07 agenda items related to broadcasting and amateur radio issues.

Before joining ARRL, he worked for the federal government in telecommunications-related assignments throughout the world, including 17 years in the Far East and South East Asia, and assignments with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Voice of America, and the Department of State. He was the Attaché for International Broadcasting at the U.S. Embassy in Israel from 1988 to 1991. Ireland retired from the federal government in 1997, having served approximately 35 years, including three years in the U.S. Army.

Walt Ireland has been a licensed radio amateur since 1962. His first call was K1FUW. He has held amateur operator licenses in Korea (HL9KV), Japan (KA2ID), Hawaii (KH6HLA), and Thailand (HS1WI). He is currently the trustee of the club station K4ITU for U.S. delegates to the ITU, and is a member of the ARRL's Technical Advisory Group.

4/22/04