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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., 29 October, 2009. The IEEE Computer Society will participate in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences' 40th anniversary of the Internet on 29 October 2009. On that day in 1969, a UCLA team led by computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock sent the very first message over the Arpanet, the computer network that later became known as the Internet. That event, recognized today as the moment the Internet was born, ushered in a technological revolution that has transformed communications, education, culture, business, and entertainment across the globe, leading to dramatic changes in our social, political and economic lives. The daylong celebration and forum will feature influential Internet leaders, activists, and analysts offering valuable insights on the online opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The speakers include: Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child and chairman emeritus of MIT Media Laboratory; Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post; Duran Duran bassist John Taylor; Blizzard Entertainment co-founders Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce; Shiva Shivakumar, vice president and entrepreneur-in-residence, Google; Thomas Gewecke, Warner Bros. president of digital distribution; Symantec CTO Mark Bregman; and Cisco senior vice president Gary Bridge. The IEEE Computer Society has covered the Internet since its early days and launched IEEE Internet Computing in 1997. In conjunction with the UCLA event, the magazine has posted an interview with Kleinrock, from the March/April 1997 issue, about the Internet's origins, as well as a piece from the January/February 2000 issue in which he predicted where things might be today with the Internet. The articles are available for free download and viewing on Computing Now, the Computer Society's online periodicals portal. The March/April 1997 issue includes a detailed interview with Kleinrock about the Internet’s origins. The other article, running in the January/February 2000 issue, looks at the Internet's future. Two waste-to-energy plants are slated for early construction, which will see the country saving some US$60 million in the fuel importation bill, annually. This was announced on October 16, by Minister of Energy and Mining, Honourable James Robertson, at a two-day Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James.
"Jamaica is on track for the development of waste-to-energy plants and as part of its mandate, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has advanced an international tender process that has resulted in the selection of Cambridge Project Development Company and its partners, to finance, design, build, own and operate two waste-to-energy facilities in Jamaica," he said. "Provided that all goes well with the due diligence being conducted, these plants will be operated over a 20-year period through a joint venture of PCJ and the Cambridge Project group," Mr. Robertson pointed out. The Minister said that a total of 65 megawatts of electricity from the waste-to-energy project, would offset power that was today being generated with expensive imported fuel oil. "In fact, these two plants will save or avoid the importation of over 700,000 barrels of fuel each year, representing a savings, at today's relatively low oil prices, of approximately US$60 million annually. The two waste-to- energy plants will sell power to the national grid under power purchasing agreements and their power sales price will not be driven directly by international oil price, as the imported fuel oil is today. This means that the two facilities will represent a significant hedge against future oil price spikes, like the one experienced globally in 2008," the Minister said. He noted that the power to be generated from these two waste-to- energy facilities represents about 18 per cent the current electricity needs of the country, excluding the energy-intensive bauxite/alumina industry. "If the bauxite/alumina industry is included, then the two plants could generate approximately 7 per cent of the nation's electricity requirements. We therefore look forward to the success of this project," the Minister said. Turning to the E-10 fuel diversification programme started in Jamaica in 2008, Mr. Robertson said that the present demand had exceeded projections. "Early next month, there will be a full rollout of the E-10 programme to all parishes in Jamaica. The development of the Bio-fuels industry is targeted to provide ethanol from locally grown feedstock and to also provide export opportunities under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. In that regard, in November last year, Jamaica accepted an invitation to join the MOU between America and Brazil for the advancement of co-operation on Bio- fuels. This will be advanced in the near future," the Minister said. IEEE-USA and IEEE Computer Society Teaming Up to Develop Professional Exam for Software Engineering.IEEE-USA and the IEEE Computer Society will be working together to develop an examination requested by state licensure boards for prospective use in licensing software engineering professionals. The National Council of Examiners of Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) approved the development of a Principles and Practice of Engineering examination -- PE exam -- for software engineering in August. NCEES develops and administers the engineering and surveying competency exams used for licensing purposes in all U.S. jurisdictions. NCEES had received requests for the software engineering exam from engineering licensure boards in 10 states, a requirement that must be met prior to beginning the development of a new exam. These boards contend that because software engineers play a significant and ever- increasing role in the design and operation safety-critical systems, they should be regulated in the same manner as other engineering disciplines. Projects affecting public safety require licensed engineers to verify that the engineering was done properly. Software engineers agree. Nearly two-thirds (62.9 percent) of respondents to a September 2008 survey of software engineers conducted by the Computer Society said that they should be licensed if they practice in areas affecting public health, safety and welfare. In addition, 61.5 percent supported development of a path to software engineering licensure through the NCEES Model Law. The Computer Society has been laying the foundation for greater professionalism in the software engineering field with "The Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge," or SWEBOK (http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/swebok), a 2004 guide that established a baseline for knowledge in the field and is now being updated. Under the new ISO/IEC 24773 standard approved in October 2008, all software certifications must conform to SWEBOK. The Computer Society's two certifications -- the entry-level Certified Software Developer Associate credential and the mid-career Certified Software Developer Professional credential (http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/ getcertified), are the first two certifications that conform to the new ISO/IEC 24773 standard. NCEES expects the software engineering PE exam to take between 24 and 30 months to develop. The Computer Society, NCEES, the National Society of Professional Engineers, IEEE-USA and the Texas Board of Professional Engineers will share the cost of developing and maintaining the exam, and will provide subject matter experts to help develop it. Draft ICT Policy Going to Cabinet in September - Issued by: Office of the Prime Minister Thursday, August 27, 2009 . The Office of the Prime Minister will be submitting a draft Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy to Cabinet next month. This will include a recommendation to establish a Single Regulator for the converged ICT sector, which will be empowered to treat with select competition issues that are specific to the industry. Separate treatment for content regulation is also indicated in the document. The move reflects Government's recognition that national development imperatives are linked to a robust ICT infrastructure that will facilitate the delivery of emerging ICT-based services relevant to government, business and the society in general. The draft addresses a wide range of matters, inclusive of creating a modern, cohesive and responsive legal and administrative framework; efficient spectrum planning, allocation and assignment; facilitating the accelerated deployment of affordable and accessible high capacity networks islandwide; in addition to building the human capacity to support investments in the continued growth of ICT. Focus is also given to the objective of having an ICT environment in which consumers enjoy efficient and reliable communication services that conform to international Quality of Service Standards. The draft policy document is the outcome of close consultation with the industry, members of the Opposition and a technical team, led by the Information and Telecommunications Department of the Office of the Prime Minister, along with representatives from the Attorney General's Chambers; Broadcasting Commission, Central Information Technology Office (CITO), Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) and Universal Access Fund (UAF).The final draft will be mounted on the website of the Office of the Prime Minister to allow final comments before it is tabled in Parliament. Government is opening up new business opportunities by providing licenses to allow service providers to roll out wireless-based services to Jamaicans. Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects in the Office of the Prime Minister, Daryl Vaz in his contribution to the Sectoral debate in Parliament on Wednesday (July 22), announced that a wireless broadband licence has been issued to a service providser that would provide wider choices to a greater number of consumers. Government is also offering two wireless cable licences to facilitate greater choices to consumers. Mr. Vaz noted that the mobile phone has become the most phenomenally successful access device spanning all social and economic strata. With the introduction of the new wireless-based services, users will literally be able to carry their business in their pockets through the cell phone. The new services he said, would allow users to access their e-mail, internet, converse, watch television and movies, engage in video conferences, record videos and remotely monitor activities in their offices or from their homes. Mr. Vaz said the Information and Telecommunications Policy is to be presented to the Parliament shortly. This would help to build confidence around the use of mobile applications, provide the environment for persons to seize new opportunities and allow service providers and regulators, the platform on which to institute measures that enhance security and mitigate breaches. IEEE Expert Now e-Learning Outreach ProgramAfter completing a successful two year pilot program, IEEE Educational Activities has officially launched the IEEE Expert Now e-Learning Outreach Program (formerly the IEEE Expert Now Section- Chapter Pilot Program). The program's purpose is to provide quality educational materials to enhance local IEEE educational activities and further support the value of IEEE membership. This e-Learning Outreach Program makes courses in the IEEE Expert Now library available to IEEE Members through their local Geographic Units, such as Regions, Sections, Chapters, or Student Branches, during a live educational event. Courses are available for a rental fee and IEEE Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are also available to those who attend these events. For more information, e-mail the Expert Now team New IEEE Distinguished Lecturer Program Page PublishedIn order to provide a more accessible resource for Section/Chapter Distinguised Lecturer program information, a new IEEE Distinguised Lecturer Program web page has been created to assist Sections/Chapters looking for a Distinguised Lecturer. The web page includes a list of direct links to Technical Society/Technical Council program pages, replacing the former password-protected database that required a login. This new web page allows Sections/Chapters to easily link to specific Section/Chapter Distinguised Lecturer program pages. Click here for more informnation Update on IEEE Sections Congress RecommendationsThe highlight of every Sections Congress is when delegates develop and vote on recommendations that IEEE will address in order to best serve the needs of its members. The MGA Board has taken ownership of each of the top 10 recommendations that were developed during IEEE Sections Congress 2008. These recommendations focus on the following areas:improving the benefits of membership, increasing membership, improving the growth and development of members, improving IEEE business/ financial operations. and enhancing IT operations. A progress report on each of the recommendations has been provided and is available on the IEEE Sections Congress web page. Feedback on the progress reports is welcome via e-mail. Collection of Payment in Local CurrenciesSecond Life® is an online 3-D virtual world within which residents are able to establish identities (avatars), explore, create, and communicate. Referred to as "inworld" by its residents, this interactive environment lends itself well to social networking, collaboration, and learning. IEEE has created in Second Life® a virtual infrastructure and presence to support its staff, volunteer, and member needs. This presence is spread across two islands and serves as a gateway for people to explore and participate in the activities of IEEE. Opportunities to help develop the IEEE islands are open to IEEE staff, volunteers, and member groups. View IEEE in the Virtual World . If you' d like to participate, please e-mail the IEEE Second Life Team expressing interest to become involved. April Membership HighlightsIEEE membership reached 336,167 in April 2009, an increase of 2.6 percent from April 2008. Society membership decreased to 284,389, a 0.9 percent decline. Complete details are available in the Membership Development Report. In order to access this site, you must use your IEEE Web Account. You can easily create an IEEE Web Account if you do not already have one. ----------------------------------- |
