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A PUBLICATION OF THE PIEDMONT SECTION OF THE IEEE

March, 1997

http://www.carol.net/ieee/

Articles:
Chairman : Next Meeting : Editor : Officers

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Glenn Bishof

Dr. Charles Alexander, the 1997 president of the IEEE delivered a speech at the 1996 Sections Congress titled "Vision 21". Dr. Alexander illustrated his perception of the role of engineers and computer scientist in society in the 21st century and how we (IEEE members) need to prepare to meet the challenges. During his talk, Dr. Alexander quoted Will Rogers: "Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there". This quote was used to drive home a point about engineering professional development. Engineers are going to find it more and more difficult to advance their careers unless they pursue development themselves. The non-technical society does not understand what we do, so they cannot appreciate our accomplishments or recognize what we need to know to continue to innovate. Only we, as engineers, can determine our needs.
The goal of Dr. Alexander, as a leader in the educational activities of the IEEE, is to "position the IEEE Sections as the major resource of information and programs for self-controlling careers". Just as members take advantage of the group insurance and other financial programs of the IEEE, they should take advantage of the "group knowledge base" of the organization. The best way to do this is to let the section officers know what you recognize as a need in your professional development. Most Electrical Engineers I have met have many interests, but only have time to concentrate on a few specialties. These are usually related to their current employment. With a little cooperation we could share expertise in a systematic way so that all of us can keep from being left in the dark about subjects outside our respective areas of concentration.
The Piedmont Section has demonstrated that it can organize educational seminars at a cost to participants much lower than the typical public offerings. Many speakers have been selected for section meetings by the officers which proved interesting to many members. However, none of the officers are clairvoyant (as far as I know), so we need input from the general membership to determine what is interesting to enough members to warrant the effort of finding an appropriate speaker. Making arrangements for a seminar is a lot of hard work, but most of the officers and past officers are gluttons for punishment. If enough members express an interest in having training on a particular subject, someone will step forward to make it happen. Please call or send an e-mail message to one of the officers listed on the back of this newsletter to let your needs be known.

Next Meeting

March 20, 1997
"Soft-PLC’s" - Using a PC platform instead of a PLC

Topics will include:
The presenter is Steve Griffin of Regan Controls. Steve is Regan’s main technical support person in the area of PC-based controls. Regan Controls provides cutting-edge solutions to integrators and end-users. Regan Controls’ main office is in Charlotte, and has offices around the southeast.
Meeting details:
When: Thursday, March 20
Location: Colonial Quest, formerly Colonial Inn, 755 Wade Hampton Blvd. Dinner will be served.
The cost is $8.00 for members and guests and $4.00 for students. Please make reservations by calling one of the officers by Tuesday, March 18, 1997, even if you plan on attending the meeting only!
The cost is $8.00 for members and guests and $4.00 for students. For reservations please contact one of the officers listed in this newsletter by Tuesday, January 18, 1997.

From the Editor

Mark Stokes
Don't forget to let me know what method you would prefer to receive the newsletter. Three are available:
If you would like to receive the newsletter via some other method than USPS, please email me your full name and e-mail address.

Officer List:

CHAIRMAN Glenn Bischof (864) 638-3601ext 4357 email
VICE-CHAIRMAN Nancy Gunderson (864) 882-2414 ext. 357 email
SECRETARY Bob Richardson (864) 587-4435 email
TREASURER Mark Stokes (864) 647-2065 email
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Allen Thomas (864) 862-5718 email
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Nick Pasquerilla (864) 882-2414 ext.271
STUDENT ACTIVITIES Dr. John Komo (864) 656-5916 email
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Lee Stogner (864) 281-8276 email
NEWSLETTER EDITOR Mark Stokes (864) 647-2065 email
AWARDS Dr. Randy Collins (864)656-5920 email

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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