pIEEEdmont potentialpIEEEdmont potentialArticles:
Message from the Chair : Next Meeting : South Carolina Council Web Site : Focus
on Ethics : Harvard Business School Publishing Partners
with IEEE : IEEE Virtual Museum : News from IEEE-USA : Global Science &
Technology Week : IEEE Computer Society Software
Development Certification Examination : Directions to
the meeting at Clemson : Officers
IEEE - Piedmont Section thanks AM2002 for providing funds for publishing costs this month.
Mark Stokes
Welcome back from a one-month hiatus. While we took a little time off from section activities, our neighbor section, the Columbia Section, held SoutheastCon. I would like to extend the conference committee’s thanks for all of those that helped make it a success (either in volunteering or attending).
This year’s hardware competition was a project to simulate the computer game of pong. Competitors went "head to head" to keep a small ball on the play field. I wanted to make a note to congratulate the Clemson University Hardware Design Team for placing third in what turned out to be quite an exciting competition. Their robot rode on rails and used a video camera (the competition had one built into the specially designed table) to determine exactly where the ball was at all times. Then, through the use of a very high speed motor (one of the fastest at the competition), maneuvered their robot in front of the ball just in time to eject it back toward their opponent. One of the unique behavior’s of the Clemson robot was their idle detection. If the robot determined that the ball was idle, it assumed the ball was sitting near the robot. This was common since the table was not very angled. When the idle detection code kicked in, it simply ran the robot one way or the other at a high speed. This effectively sling-shotted the ball toward the opponent.
Next year’s conference is going to be held in Jamaica. Keep an eye on http://www.southeastcon.com for the latest information on this conference.
April 25, 2002
Transient Power Quality Events
Randy Collins
Transient Power Quality Events:
Why they happen, what problems they cause, and how they can be minimized.
A Power Quality Event is defined as an abnormal power system condition which
affects end use equipment, such as power supplies, adjustable speed drives,
lighting, etc. Many engineers are familiar with power system harmonics, which
are a steady-state type of power quality problem usually caused by non-linear
power supplies. The more troublesome type of power quality (PQ) event is the
transient types, such as voltage sags, which are usually caused by temporary
faults on the power system. Voltage sags cause power supplies to trip or
mis-operate, magnetic devices such as contactors to bounce, and adjustable
speed drives to malfunction. This presentation will demonstrate why these
phenomena occur, how they are characterized, and how their impact might be
minimized. Demonstrations using Clemson's Voltage Sag Generator will accompany
the presentation. Attendees are invited to bring any 120V single-phase device
(up to 10A) if they want to test the tolerance of their device to a voltage
sag. This is at your own risk!
The meal will be pizza and soft drinks. There is no charge for the meal.
The meeting will be held on the campus of Clemson University in the Riggs Hall (ECE department building) room 223.
Meeting Details:
Please email Sally Surver if you plan to attend and especially if you plan to eat. She will be ordering the pizza's and needs to know how many to buy. Sally's email address is: ssally@clemson.edu. Directions to the ECE Dept. building are on the back page
South Carolina Council Web Site
Lee Stogner
The South Carolina Council of the IEEE has been working to create a web site that will support the professional and career needs of electrical engineers based in our state. The new web site contains important IEEE links, real time news feeds and a wealth of other links that will connect the engineer with technology and job related resources. The South Carolina Council of the IEEE invites all electrical engineers in the state to use this important resource and make it their start page each morning. The page can be found at, http://ewh.ieee.org/r3/south_carolina_council/.
Give it a try and let them know what you think.
By LeEarl Bryant, 2002 IEEE-USA President President's Column, April 2002
Because of Enron and Andersen, many people are now focusing on ethics in the workplace. This opportunity lets us reflect on ethics in our own careers and personal lives. In some cases, we have to know the law to know what is strictly ethical. Otherwise, it's usually a matter of common sense.
I remember working on a project for a defense company when our management cut the engineers' labor estimates to submit a competitive bid. We got the job, but the original engineering estimates were correct - leaving many of us to work overtime without pay to complete the design on time and within budget. And I'm talking about at least 20 hours a week overtime for a large group of engineers. Does this sound familiar?
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Harvard Business School Publishing Partners with IEEE
Lynn Murison
Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) has joined the growing list of premiere university partners of IEEE. HBSP provides selected online courses at a 10% discount for IEEE members. Currently thirteen courses in leadership, management, and strategy are being offered to IEEE members along with one powerful performance resource called Harvard ManageMentorâ .
HBSP courses utilize Harvard Business Review articles, interactive case studies and expert feedback from instructors. Each course is self-contained with all the resources you need provided for you online. In one to two hours at your desktop, you can acquire both new and classic business concepts to apply immediately to your job.
To assure your discount, enter through the IEEE Educational Activities Board at http://wwwww.ieee.org/eab/verify/hbsp/verify.htm. You must pre-register in order to access the course list and see the demonstrations of each course. The pre-registration in no way obligates you to buy a course.
For more information about the Partners Program, see http://www.ieee.org/eab/eduPartners.htm, or contact Jason Prue, IEEE Educational Activities, at j.prue@ieee.org.
Kim Breitfelder
Piscataway, NJ -- Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb, so why does everyone think he did? What was the first computer? How did the patterns in a Utah cornfield lead to the development of TV? What is the "X" in an X-ray? Why are Alvin and the Chipmunks part of a museum about technology?
The answers to these questions and more are found in the new IEEE Virtual Museum launched at http://www.ieee.org/museum. Designed for educators, pre-college students, and the general public, the virtual museum debuted with two exhibits containing audio and video clips and interactive features: Socket to Me! How Electricity Came to Be and The Beat Goes On: How Sounds are Recorded and Played.
Three more exhibits are in production and are scheduled for release by third quarter 2002. These will explore the different applications of microwaves, the works of Thomas Edison, and contributions women have made to electrical and information technologies.
The IEEE Virtual Museum explores the global social impact of electrical and information sciences and technologies and demonstrates the relevance of engineering and engineers to society. It is supported by the IEEE Foundation, the IEEE Life Members, and the Trustees of the IEEE History Center.
Chris McManes
WASHINGTON (21 March 2002) - IEEE-USA endorsed U.S. Sens. Jean Carnahan (D-Mo.) and Bill Nelson's (D-Fla.) successful proposal to increase the Department of Defense Science and Technology budget over the next five years.
Carnahan made her proposal to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), and Nelson offered an amendment to the Federal FY2003 budget resolution, which the committee passed today. IEEE-USA joined the senators in encouraging the Administration and Congress to provide 3 percent, or $11 billion, of the Defense Department budget for S&T program accounts for basic research (account 6.1), applied research (6.2) and advanced technology development (6.3) in FY2003.
More information can be found at: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/policy/02march18.html.
Global Science & Technology Week 28 April to 4 May 2002
Lynn Murison
Science and Technology: Serving our Global Community is the 2002 theme for Global Science & Technology Week (GSTW), 28 April to 4 May 2002. Engineers are needed to alert schools, teachers, superintendents and school boards that GSTW is coming.
The event gives engineers another way to help their local schools reinforce the worldwide importance of technology. There are a variety of activities that engineers can do to engage, encourage, and enlighten students, teachers, and parents about engineering.
During this week, engineers can:
The Office of Science and Technology Policy of the Executive Office of the President (USA) and representatives of over 27 public and private organizations have combined to make this weeklong celebration of science and technology a success. Activities and materials for students, educators, and parents will be posted by 3 April at www.ostp.gov/html/gstw.html.
First-of-Its-Kind IEEE Computer Society
Software Development Certification Examination Offered
Marsha Longshore
Washington, DC - After a rigorous three-year development process, the IEEE Computer Society will offer its new Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) examination twice in 2002, 15 April to 30 June and 5 to 26 October. The new CSDP credential is intended for mid-level professionals. The 3.5-hour examination covers topics such as software design, software requirements, and software testing. Candidates are required to have a baccalaureate or equivalent university degree and a minimum of 9,000 hours of experience in at least 6 of 11 knowledge areas. The CSDP is designed to elevate educational standards and recognize those who demonstrate knowledge essential to the practice of software engineering.
Further information about the CSDP examination and the CSDP preparation program is found at http://computer.org/certification.
(Continued from Page 2)
So, one case of ethics might be a company requiring people to work overtime without pay to make money for the stockholders. Although this practice approaches abuse, I understand it is not illegal, and is a typical way to do business. In the meantime, a Defense Department audit found that the engineers were working 60 hours per week, while the proposal called for a per-hour rate bid of 40 hours per week. Apparently, this discrepancy was against the law.
The government then modified its payments to the company for this and other projects based upon taking the average number of hours worked per week and averaging the per-hour bid across 60 hours instead of 40. So, management instructed us to put only 40 hours on our time cards, regardless of the number of hours we worked overtime without pay. As loyal employees we did as told, although I did protest to my supervisor. After all, with this process management had lost sight of how much overtime the engineers had worked.
I later understood that we were not only enabling the company to break the law, but also engaging in unethical conduct. In this particular case, most of us were innocent - because we didn't have enough information to know why we were being asked to do this, or that a law was even involved.
As far as I know, the company wasn't caught and our bid rates eventually returned to normal because of how management treated the time cards. A few years later, though, management did get into trouble when it required employees to charge work on one project to another project to avoid cost overruns.
So - do yourself a favor and explore the code of ethics for professional engineers and engineering organizations like the IEEE. In addition, use common sense. If you're asked to hide design weaknesses or erroneously fill out time cards or financial reports, realize that you're being asked to engage in unethical, and possibly illegal, behavior. The career you save may be your own.
Directions to the meeting at Clemson:
From Anderson or Greenville: turn left on Hwy 93 (either from Hwy 123 or Hwy 76). Come to the second light past Hwy 76 and make a left. Proceed straight through the stop sign (you’ll be facing the clock tower) and follow the road around a slight left curve. Straight through another stop sign and Riggs Hall is straight ahead.
From Seneca: Exit on Hwy 76 from Hwy 123. Follow the above directions from there.
A Parking pass is needed!!! Park in any valid non-handicapped/non-service vehicle parking space, we will have parking passes at the meeting you can take back down to your car.
IEEE - Piedmont Section thanks AM2002 for providing funds for publishing costs this month.
Officer List (available online):
CHAIRMAN Mark Stokes (864) 647-2065 m.stokes@ieee.org
VICE-CHAIRMAN
SECRETARY/TREASURER Nick Pasquerilla (864) 886-1771
n.pasquerilla@ieee.org
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Allen Thomas (864) 228-4322
a.thomas@ieee.org
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Nick Pasquerilla (864) (864) 886-1771
n.pasquerilla@ieee.org
STUDENT ACTIVITIES Dr. John Komo (864) 656-5916
john.komo@ces.clemson.edu
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Lee Stogner (864) 281-8276
l.stogner@ieee.org
NEWSLETTER EDITOR Mark Stokes (864) 647-2065 m.stokes@ieee.org
AWARDS Dr. Randy Collins (864)656-5920
randy.collins@ces.clemson.edu
The Piedmont section of the IEEE is still offering sections of its newsletter for advertising space. If you are interested in supporting this effort, please contact one of the officers listed above.
-Mark