In the News......
IEEE JOINS SIMPLE TUITION ONLINE TO
BRING STUDENTS LOAN COMPARISION SOLUTION
IEEE has teamed up with SimpleTuition,
Inc., a company dedicated to helping students and parents
make sense of their education financing choices, to help its
members compare, analyze, and apply for education financing
direct from the IEEE website. Beginning in April, the service
will be available to members attending or planning to attend
U.S institutions of higher education. The partnership gives
members access to the most up-to-date, objective student loan
information available. Student loan information, including
Private, PLUS, Stafford, GradPLUS, Federal Consolidation loans,
and Private consolidation, can be sorted by monthly payment,
total cost of the loan, number of payments, first payment
due date, and APR. To read more:
http://digital50.com/news/items/BW/2001/07/14/20070305005279/ieee-to-feature-simpletuitions-online-student-loan-comparision-solution.html
COMPUTER SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP NOW ACCEPTING
APPLICATIONS
The Computer
Society Richard E. Merwin Scholarship is currently seeking
applications. The scholarship awards leaders in the IEEE Computer
Society Branch Chapters who demonstrate promise in their professional
efforts. Up to ten $4,000 awards will be awarded for one academic
year starting in September. The application deadline is
31 May 2007
To apply, or for more information, visit: http://www.ieee.org/web/membership/students/scholarshipsawardscontests/Computer_Society_Richard_E._Merwin_Scholarship.html
IEEE Executive Committee Meeting at Cedarville University
on April 12, 2005 The Dayton Section
of IEEE would like to thank Cedarville University for hosting
the April Executive Committee meeting on their campus. A
special thanks to Cedarville University Electrical Engineering
senior Matthew Krizo for opening the meeting with the presentation
of his senior design project sponsored by Yellow Springs Instruments
(YSI). Also a note of thanks goes to Matthew Braun, also a
Cedarville University senior EE major and president of the
Cedarville Student Chapter of IEEE for pulling together the
details for the evening including the snacks. The evening
was well received with ten C.U. students and fourteen Dayton
section members present. Thanks to all involved for a profitable
evening, and a note of encouragement to the Dayton Section
members to take advantage of opportunities such as this one
to get into our local universities and stay in touch with
our next generation engineers.
The Student Activities Conference
(SAC) for Region 2 of IEEE, which consists
of Student Branches from the Eastern and Midwest of United
States, was held at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ from April
8th to 10th, 2005.
The conference hosts a Leadership Training Workshop, where
members of IEEE participate in a workshop to sharpen their
leadership skills as well as provide them with fresh ideas
and approaches to solving problems with their student chapters.
Several student competitions are also run, including an Ethics
Competition, where students are presented with ethical dilemmas
and have to devise solution and the creativity and ethical
soundness of these solutions is judged, a Project Showcase,
where student projects are judged and a winning project decided
by popular vote, the Micromouse Competition, a challenging
and popular robotics competition involving the construction
of an autonomous robotic “mouse” that navigates to the center
of a random maze from a specified corner in the shortest amount
of time possible, a Student Paper Competition, where technical
papers written by undergraduate IEEE members are evaluated
by a panel of three judges from the Electrical and electronics
industry and the authors have to deliver a short oral presentation
of his/her work which factors into their final score, and
theHardware Challenge, the classic “Summit Challenge” robot
competition which is run at each Student Activities Conference.
Prizes for the competitions range from $800 for 1st place
to $200 for 3rd place. For many months the Wright State University
IEEE Student Branch has been preparing for their first ever
IEEE SAC.
After spending countless hours building, testing, and preparing,
the WSU team drove nine hours to the SAC, along with their
autonomous Lego robot, Zoolander, named because its initial
programming allowed it to only make right turns. The WSU delegate
of six students competed in three competitions, with Julie
Lee and Thomas Steffen competing in the Ethics competition,
Kiron Mateti and Simarpreet Rattan presenting their paper
on “Grid Base Navigation for Autonomous Robots” in the Student
Paper Competition and Matt Rickey and Arunesh Roy participating
in the Hardware competition. The main focus of the WSU team
was Zoolander, who performed well at the Hardware competition,
but was disqualified in the playoff round for 3rd place due
to a false start. All of the WSU teams did well and received
encouragement from several of the judges even after the competitions.
However, the competition was stiff and unfortunately WSU did
not win any awards this year. Zoolander finished 4th in the
field of 8 entrants. Despite the setbacks, participating in
the SAC itself was a rewarding experience for all of the student
members. “…the conference was a good experience. The hardware
competition helped me experience an almost contract like job.
It was interesting work with a team on a given project with
a deadline.” said Thomas Steffen, who was responsible for
the sensor interfaces to Zoolander. Kiron Mateti who participated
in the Student paper competition and did most of the construction
of Zoolander’s robotic base said “I learned invaluable communication
skills by presenting to a large audience and fielding questions
from the judges of the SAC. Learning to deal with the stresses
involved in speaking with a microphone in a huge auditorium
benefits us engineers, who stereotypically lack communication
skills”. The conference brings IEEE members together and helps
them share ideas and activities that are going on at campuses
all over the US. The students get to sharer their experiences
and the challenges that each team faced and talk about how
they solved these issues. All of the students who participated
in the SAC felt it was a fun and rewarding experience with
many eager to come back for next year’s SAC at Drexel University
in Philadelphia. For more information on the IEEE, visit,
www.cs.wright.edu/~ieee. The SAC conference webpage is at
www.sac2005.com.
Dayton's
Ad-Supported Cloud Posted on Wednesday, November 24 @
14:56:08 PST by samc City Clouds The City of Dayton, Ohio
is creating a free wireless cloud. City leaders said all a
person needs is a WiFi card. The city is teaming up with the
Harborlink Network.
More links http://www.cityofdayton.org/news/news_data/wifiannouncement.asp
Free WiFi access will be available in a one
square mile radius of downtown, including the Oregon District,
RiverScape, Fifth-Third Field, Webster Station and Tech Town.
If the pilot program is successful, city leaders hope to expand
it all cross the city. A “Request for Proposals” (RFP) to
expand the system may be solicited from interested vendors
by the middle of 2005. "It really shows a commitment on our
part that we really are serious about being a player in the
technology space and that we are going to do everything we
can to attract technology companies and technology-minded
people," City Commissioner Joey Williams said. According to
William Hill, director of the city's information and technology
services, “HarborLink will basically offer some advertising
to the end user to offset the cost that would normally have
been passed on to the user. This allows the service to be
offered at no cost. The City will be leveraging access to
areas on City-owned facilities and in the rights of way to
allow installation of the access points. The City will also
be providing the backhaul connectivity to the Internet. Quite
a small investment for such a great possibility.” "This is
one of the most cutting-edge concepts around," said Hill.
"Since there's no burden on the taxpayer, this (would) be
the model everyone else wants to emulate."
IEEE History Center - IEEE Milestones
United States Naval Computing Machine Laboratory, 1942-1945
Copyright:
Smithsonian Institution Dayton, Ohio, October 2001, IEEE Dayton
Section
In 1942, the United States Navy joined with the National
Cash Register Company to design and manufacture a series of
code-breaking machines. This project was located at the U.S.
Naval Computing Machine Laboratory in Building 26, near this
site. The machines built here, including the American "Bombes",
incorporated advanced electronics and significantly influenced
the course of World War II. Read
More and "Dayton
CodeBreakers"
I.T.
Will Drive Business Change
Gartner is predicting radical change will occur as businesses
realize that I.T. must act as a key driver for business change...
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=28039
_____________________________
Web
Customers Still Prefer Other Channel
No one should announce the arrival of the entirely online
consumer -- not just yet. In fact, those who shop online continue
to spend significantly more through offline channels...
http://crm-daily.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=27884
_____________________________
6
Tips to Get Your Email Opened and Read
Doubleclick's newly released 2004 Consumer Email Study gives
interesting insight on how recipients really feel about marketing
related emails, and provides some great take-aways for email
marketers. http://www.doubleclick.com/us/knowledge_central/
_____________________________
NEW UCE/SPAM
FILTERING SERVICE
The IEEE Email Alias Service now includes a new optional feature
to help IEEE members manage the amount of unsolicited commercial
email (UCE), or spam, that they receive. The service is offered
free-of-charge to all active IEEE members with an IEEE email
alias. Members who elect to take advantage of this new service
will have the option of either tagging or completely blocking
suspected unsolicited commercial email. Read the description
of this service at https://uce.ieee.org/uce-filtering-service.html.
Signup at https://uce.ieee.org.
IEEE STANDARDS
INFORMATION NETWORK WEB SITE
The Web site for the IEEE Standards Information Network offers
information on the publishing operation's titles as well as
the opportunity to sign up for peer reviews and submit book
proposals. IEEE Standards Information Network publishes leading-edge
guides, handbooks, tutorials, and other materials that enhance
the understanding and implementation of standards. Visit online:
http://standards.ieee.org/standardspress/.
IEEE Dayton is
looking for a volunteer to fill the position of: " PACE Chair"
The Professional Activities Committee for Engineers (PACE)
Chair will coordinate professional development activities
for the Dayton sections members. The PACE chair will have
IEEE funds at their disposal and will have freedom to bring
his or her creativity and desires to this position and decide
what activities to offer Dayton. The PACE chair will be a
part of the Dayton section executive committee. Be a part
of making Dayton a better place for IEEE members! Contact
Paul Kladitis if interested 937-255-3636 ext. 4595 Email:
paul.kladitis@afit.edu
Microelectromechanical
Systems (MEMS) is the cutting edge field of microscopic
machines with parts on the order of size of human red blood
cells. MEMS involves research into miniaturizing current sensors,
actuators, and systems; and the realization of new systems
by exploiting the micro domain. If you are interested in pursuing
a Master’s or Ph.D. in the field of MEMS contact: Capt. Paul
E. Kladitis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor AFIT, Department of
Electrical & Computer Eng AFIT/ENG 2950 Hobson Way, WPAFB,
OH 45433-7765 Tel: 937-255-3636 ext. 4595 Fax: 937-656-4055
Email: paul.kladitis@afit.edu
Thanks to Dave Perez and Ken Normand, Erv Gangl was able
to set up the booths in Indianapolis at the IEEE DASC conference.
Also helping in the setup, manning and tear-down was Bob Adams,
a local Indy IEEE member from the Power Group. Bob is a fast
learner and we really appreciated his help! The exhibit booth
looked great.
The booth was seen by the AESS Board of Governors and was
a hit! That's unfortunate since that made them ask us to ship
it to PLANS in Monterey, CA next April (confirmed) and they
are talking to the IEEE Aerospace Conference people (tentative)
to set it up at their conference in Big Sky, MT next March.
If you wonder who they are its Jim Leonard, IEEE-USA President
and Russ Lefevre, AESS President and the new AESS President
for 2004, Paul Gartz. We hope the booths can survive shipping.
A picture of the double booth is on the cover of the October
AESS Magazine.
NAECON came up in the discussions as it does every BOG meeting.
They heard that NASTC was no longer going to be supported
by ASC and AFRL and the AF is substituting a high level summit,
a smaller by invitation only forum, to take its place meeting
in April and again in September. If you know more about this
let Erv Gangl know. Does that mean that the convention center
dates are open? Can we have a new beginning with a technical
NAECON as Barb put on in 2000? Erv is to explore and report
back to the BOG. If anyone wants to call a meeting to discuss
this, Erv will gladly participate.
Gunning for search engines
A recap of the latest in the rising competition
between Google, Yahoo and Microsoft over the "red-hot" web
search business. Google's biggest customer, Yahoo, "is about
to become its biggest competitor in the wake of Yahoo's acquisition
of search engines Inktomi and Overture. And rival Microsoft
MSN has been injected with a dose of competitive urgency,"
comments USA Today. "Analysts say the software giant has been
backed into a corner and must weigh whether acquiring Google
or Yahoo might be the surest way to remain a contender in
the crucial web search space." Danny Sullivan: "Google has
the cake, Yahoo at least is able to open up the instant cake
mix and start putting the ingredients together, and Microsoft
is just opening up the cookbook." http://www.corante.com/internet/redir/28116.html
_____________________________
PowerPoint is evil
Power corrupts and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely,
claims Edward Tufte. The ubiquitous presentation program puts
a little information - eight seconds' worth of reading material
- on each of a lot of slides. ''Audiences consequently endure
a relentless sequentiality, one damn slide after another.
When information is stacked in time, it is difficult to understand
context and evaluate relationships.'' PowerPoint emphasizes
form over content and turns everything into a sales pitch,
argues the article. Its conclusion: ''PowerPoint is a competent
slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing
a presentation, it has become a substitute for it.'' http://www.corante.com/personal/redir/28095.html
_____________________________
Five Technologies That Will Change the
World
It's hard to believe in advances that are poised
to change the world when everyone's just trying to survive.
But these tireless innovators are developing technologies
that are making the future worth looking forward to again.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/74/5tech.html
_____________________________
Managing Your Windows XP
Passwords
By Fred Langa
Windows XP (like Win2K and NT before it) can
be made reasonably secure if you make use of the appropriate
settings, tools, and techniques. For example, you can easily
create different types of user accounts with varying levels
of permissions and expose only the limited-permissions accounts
to the online world; you can use the NTFS file system and
encrypt some or all of your hard drive; and so on. Coupled
with well-thought-out passwords, your XP system can be made
acceptably secure against routine external attacks.
(See "How Much Protection Is Enough?" http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10OhD0A3
;
"Good And Bad Online Security Check-Ups" http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10Os70A1
;
and "Ten Windows Password Myths" http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10B6RH0AR
).
And if you do a good job of controlling access
to the PC, your data can be made not just "acceptable" but
very safe indeed. For example, you can help control electronic
access to the system with good firewall and network practices
(see "Firewall Feedback" http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10BbIe0AV
and "How Much Protection Is Enough?" http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10OhD0A3
),
and you can control physical access through simple expedients
such as locking your office door, or, if that's not an option,
through BIOS-level passwords, security access keys, "dongles,"
and the like (see examples at http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/hcTH0EgDx80V10B6RI0AS
).
_____________________________
Dayton Microcomputer Association presents Computerfest.
Admission ticket is $8 advance or $10 day of the show. Find
computer hardware, software and more importantly, attend one
or several of the seminars designed to help you understand
and use your personal computer with Windows, Linux and Macintosh
operating systems. Find more information at www.computerfest.com.
Those interested in being a vendor should call 937-22C-FEST.
CyberSecurity
& Homeland Security
DHS RELEASES STRATEGIES TO PROTECT CYBERSPACE AND CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURES (from IEEE - Eye on Washington) On Feb. 14,
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released two National
Strategy documents. The first, a National Strategy to Secure
Cyberspace focuses on improvement cooperation between the
federal government, state and local governments, the private
sector and the American people to increase security awareness,
reduce threats, coordinate responses to cyberattacks, and
help U.S. allies do the same. The second strategy addresses
the physical protection of critical infrastructures and key
national assets, and seeks to identify infrastructures and
assets critical to national security, provide timely warning
of threats, and encourage cooperation to assure protection
of critical infrastructures. See Cybersecurity Strategy at:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/National_Cyberspace_Strategy.pdf
See Infrastructure Strategy at: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/Physical_Strategy.pdf
IEEE Member
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Featured Member Benefit: ComSoc
Digital Library
The Communications Society commemorated its 50th anniversary
by adding over 22,000 papers to its Digital Library, expanding
coverage to recent conference proceedings, and introducing
other features such as an ontology-based search function (CommOntology),
citation linking, and author biographies. Our thanks to those
of you who have assessed the EPP during this introductory
period of unlimited access; your suggestions have been most
helpful. Review the ComSoc Digital Library at www.comsoc.org/dl
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