VIRGINIA MOUNTAIN SECTION NEWSLETTER
IEEE Region 3, Council 9, Section 65 February 1997
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_________________ CONTENTS _______________
[ 1 ] February Meeting
STUDENT PAPER CONTEST
[ 2 ] Reservations for the February Meeting
[ 3 ] VMS Section Activities
JANUARY MEETING REPORT
[ 4 ] PACE Patter
Dan Jackson
[ 5 ] Computer/Control/IES Chapter
February Meeting
"An Overview of Artificial Neural Networks"
[ 6 ] January Meeting Report
Dave Geer
[ 7 ] SouthEast Conference 1997
[8 ] Should you Consider the Temporary-Employment
Option?
Roy H. Harris, Editor, Member Services Council
[ 9 ] VMS Info Sources
[ 10 ] Chapter Chairmen
Special Message
[ 11 ] Is Your Membership Listing Current?
[ 12 ] For Your Information
************************************************[ 1 ]
February Meeting
Third Annual VMS
Student Paper Contest
Holiday Inn, Salem
(Note Early Start Time - 6:00 PM)
ADALINE For Practical Communications
Paolo Dadone
Graduate Electrical Engineering Student att VA Tech
Computer Animations in Teaching Power
Engineering Courses
Jason Hess and Chris Richard
Electrical Engineering Students at VA Tech
Fourier and Wavelet Analysis in Speech Signals
Jamie W. Jeter and G. Taylor Edwards
Senior Electrical Engineering Students at VMI
Nanotechnologies
Mr. David Hepper
Student at VWCC
Subject: Short Wavelength Radiation in Detection of
Atmospheric Ice and Snow for Jet Wing Ice Buildup
Predictions.
Prommarat Senakit
Senior Electrical Engineering Student at VMI.
************************************************[ 2 ]
Reservations for the February Meeting
Date: Thursday, February 20, 1997
Time:
6:00 PM Social
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Program
Place: Holiday Inn - Salem
off I-81 at Exit 137,
North on Wildwood, then 1st right
Cost: Member or Guest $12.00
Student $ 4.50
There is no charge for the Program only. If you come for dinner,
please contact one of the following by 5:00 p.m., Monday, Feb.
17, so that we arrange and pay for the correct number of meals.
Roanoke: David Livingston 857-6261
Blacksburg: Anbo Wang 231-4355
Lexington: Dick Skutt 464-7236
Radford and
Christiansburg: Usha Varshney 731-0655
************************************************[ 3 ]
VMS Section Activities
JANUARY MEETING REPORT
Mr. Richard von Gemmingen of Virginia Transformer Corp.
spoke on "Load Tap Changing Transformers". A total of 20
persons (including guests) were present, some from Lexington and
South Boston, and Mr. James Beall, Director of Region 3, graced
the occasion by his presence.
Mr. Gemmingen commenced with an overview of the history of
transmission of electricity and the early problems of voltage
regulation. He went on to the techniques of De-energized tap-
changing and the associated problems.
After introducing the Load Tap-changing (LTC) concepts and
alternatives available, he compared and contrasted different types
of LTCs, such as resistive and reactive. He included explanations
of the mechanical as well as electrical constructional features of
the different devices.
He went on to cover the different schemes of automatic control of
LTCs to provide the desired voltage at the load terminals. He also
spoke about the techniques of paralleling of LTCs. His lecture was
amply illustrated with diagrams and photographs. Mr. von
Gemmingen concluded the session by answering a number of
questions from the floor.
...Subhas Sarkar
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PACE Patter
In the November Newsletter this column described a little of the
annual PACE Conference. This month we will cover in more
detail issues from the Career Policy Council.
In the mid 1990s career turbulence is in full flower with
downsizing and outsourcing. Even with the unemployment of
electrical and electronics engineers much less than in recent years
every engineer, with or without a job, should be looking for the
next job. It may be with your present employer or with a different
one. The best way to maintain secure employment is by
maintaining technical vitality. This means continuing education,
technical and non-technical. In addition, you need to practice
financial self-defense. Here you need to develop a saver's mind
set, understand the costs of alternative sources of funds, and
appreciate your own tolerance for risk. Maximum investment in a
401(k) plan buying the right health care plan, avoiding excess tax
withholding are a few of the steps to take.
There are many forces which individuals cannot control. The
Workforce Committee follows activities in Washington and keeps
the US IEEE member informed on such matters as economic
security, employer-provided educational funding, immigration
reform, independent contractors, service contracts, jobs training.
Many of these issues were in the last Congress and will be under
consideration again. Future trends in employment benefits are not
necessarily to the benefit of the individual engineer. But these
changes to move more of the risk and responsibility from the
employer to the employee are a reality and if you are not informed
you can make poor decisions regarding your financial future.
The factors which you can control are many, but not always easy
to keep track of. A new tool to help all of us in managing our
careers is the Career Asset Manager, (CAM). CAM provides
information on career issues that can encourage and motivate you
to do more planning. It also furnishes a means of keeping in one
convenient form your complete work history and records of
education, professional activities, community activities, and all
other pertinent information. The most essential part of CAM is
the CAMPlan which guides you step-by-step through developing
your own Personal Development Plan. But it is no good if you
don't have the Career Asset Manager and don't use it.
If you have questions about PACE or want to know more career
activities of IEEE-USA or about the Career Asset Manager
contact the section PACE chair, Daniel W. Jackson,
d.jackson@ieee.org, (540) 774-0484.
...Dan Jackson
************************************************[ 5 ]
Computer/Control/IES Chapter
February Meeting
"An Overview of Artificial Neural Networks"
David L. Livingston Virginia Western Community
College
Tuesday, February 11 5:30 - 7:00 PM Cafeteria A
GE Industrial Systems 1501 Roanoke Boulevard Salem, VA
The field of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) is the study and
application of mathematical models of neurons which are
"coarsely" based on nerve and brain cell functions. ANNs are
making the transition from basic research to commercial
implementation and can be found in a wide variety of applications
such as automated speech recognition, control systems, and
financial forecasting.
This presentation will be an overview of ANNs. Topics will
include a short history of ANN research, basic neuron models,
various network paradigms, and the applications of ANNs to
engineering problems. The application areas to be discussed will
be selected based on audience interests.
David L. Livingston received the BSE, ME and Ph.D. degrees in
electrical engineering from Old Dominion University in 1976,
1978, and 1986, respectively. He worked as a Senior Associate
and Staff Engineer in Intelligent Workstations at IBM, Endicott
from 1981 to 1986. He then joined the faculty at Old Dominion
University as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering from 1986 to 1993. Dr. Livingston is currently the
Program Head and an Associate Professor of
Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology in the
Engineering/ Industrial Technology Division at Virginia Western
Community College. He is the president of Integrated Intelligence,
Inc. and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth
of Virginia. He is a member of the IEEE Computer Society; the
IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society; Eta Kappa Nu; and
the Virginia Academy of Science. His research interests include
computational intelligence and embedded systems.
All IEEE Members and Guests are Welcome. There is no charge.
RESERVATIONS are appreciated! Call Dave Geer, 540-387-
7359 by 5 PM Monday, Feb. 10
************************************************[6 ]
January Meeting Report
On January 14, Tim Cribbs, Manager of Process Automation
Engineering at GE Industrial Systems, discussed the mathematical
models used in controlling the cold rolling of steel. His talk began
with an overview of the steel making process and the part played
by cold rolling. He then discussed the need for models in the
control of cold rolling, to maximize productivity and minimize
yield losses, quality defects, and commissioning time.
At a typical cold mill, such as the 5-stand at USS Irvin works,
coils weighing up to 16 tons are threaded at 100 feet per minute.
After threading the mill accelerates at 500 fpm/sec to about 3500
fpm. Before tail-out the mill decelerates to 150 fpm. Models are
used to calculate the optimum thread and run setpoints for roll
gaps, stand speeds, and roll bending forces under a number of
constraints. These include the force and bending limits of the rolls
and stands, power, torque, and speed limits of the motors and
gears, tension limits imposed by the strip material and draft limits
set by rolling physics.
Cold mill models use a number of formulas for these calculations.
The gauge meter equation calculates the roll gap needed to
achieve a target strip thickness. This equation takes into account
the stretch of the mill housing under thousands of tons of force.
The mass flow equation calculates relative speeds from entry and
exit thicknesses. The deformation equation calculates roll force
from entry and exit thicknesses, strip tensions, roll diameter and
stiffness. Since these equations are inter-related, their solution
requires multiple iterations to find the optimal answer given
multiple constraints. In addition, many quantities such as material
yield stress and roll to strip friction are only approximately
known. An adaptive approach is used to account for variations in
these quantities.
Mr. Cribbs ended his talk with a discussion of future directions for
model development. These include new, lower-cost platforms,
more modern formulations for optimal solutions, and new
technologies, such as neural networks and fuzzy logic.
A lively discussion followed the talk. About a dozen engineers
attended.
...Dave Geer, Chapter Chair
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SouthEast Conference 1997
The VMS is sponsoring the 1997 Region Conference to be held at
Tech, April 12 - 14, 1997.
Check out the Secon97 Web Page and obtain details at
http://www.vt.edu:10021/org/ieee/secon97/
See the Conference Overview, Student Conference information,
and a growing number of other items.
************************************************[8 ]
Should you Consider the Temporary-Employment
Option
(Reprint from IEEE-USA Impact)
You may be one of a growing number of engineers considering
temporary employment as an alternative to taking a "regular"
job with industry. If so, you should consider the rationale for
becoming a "temp", the view of industry on hiring engineers on a
temporary basis, and help that is available from IEEE-USA for
members wishing to pursue this option.
The Employee Perspective
There are several personal situations that might make temporary
employment the appropriate alternative to permanent
employment:
-obtaining specialized experience for career development;
in lieu of taking regular employment until the right career job
is located;
-after leaving one "permanent" job and prior to finding the
next "permanent" job; and
-continuing activity in the profession after retirement, or to
supplement retirement pay.
Employer Perspective Fred Brauns, president of Lucent
Technologies Services Co., provides some comments on
temporary employment that should interest engineers
contemplating this career option.
IMPACT: Why does your company hire eng1neers on a
temporary basis?
Brauns: We hire on a temporary basis to meet the fast build-up
required at the beginning of a project; to eliminate expensive
moves of employees for short-term projects; and to smooth out
permanent employment roll fluctuations.
I: What is your average length of employment of temporaries?
B: Six to nine months. However, rehiring possibilities are very
good or other projects.
I: What types of projects lend themselves to temporaries?
B: Start-up and special short-term intense projects. Military
projects, which have special security requirements, are least
amenable to temporary employment, due to the length of time
required to obtain clearances.
I: Do you foresee industry using temporary employment for
mainstream engineering requirements?
B: Yes, I think industry will add some small percentage of their
engineers as temporaries to hedge against the cyclical nature of
staffing requirements. According to the first-quarter '96 issue of
Staffing Industry Report by Staff Leasing, 2.2 million contract
employees were on industry's payroll in late 1995. Approximately
11 percent were technical professionals, compared to 5 percent in
1993.
IEEE-USA Can Help
According to Dick Riddle, Employment Assistance Committee
chair, IEEE-USA offers these services for those seeking temporary
employment:
Employment-Assistance Information Package: This free
information packet for unemployed, non student US IEEE
members includes a copy of the Employment Guide for
Engineers and Scientists, salary information, reviews of job-
searching tools, advice on local employment assistance
programs, and a variety of other job-search services.
IEEE-USA National Job Listing Service: This highly rated,
free member service offers Web, Gopher and e-mail versions
of regional job posting files at Web URL
www.ieee.org/jobs.html; and e-mail autoresponse files at
info@.ieeusa.jobs.r0x@ieee.org, where x = [Region] 1
through 6, cal, mass, ill or other [non-US].
Electrotechnology Resumé Referral Service: IEEE-USA
cosponsors Resumé Link's Electrotechnology Resume
Referral Service, a national database that is accessed by
employers with job openings. US IEEE members may register
at no charge for the service by contacting Resume Link at
614-529-0429 or at Web URL www.resume-link.com/.
Electro-Technology Industries (ETI ) Database: Developed by
Region 3 and now available to all US IEEE members, the ETI
Database provides information on thousands of companies
that develop, manufacture or service electrotechnology
products nationwide. Register and access via Web URL
sandbox.ieee.org/r03/eti/eti.html.
IEEE-USA's Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks
(AICN): The AICN holds workshops throughout the United
States where experienced consultants share their expertise in
starting a consulting business, marketing, setting fees, tax
laws, referral services, and other networking options. It has
also published IEEE-USA's National Directory of
Electrotechnology Consultants. For more information on
AICN, contact Bill Anderson at IEEE-USA's Washington
Office. [IEEE-USA, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202,
Washington, DC 20036.]
...Roy H. Harris, Editor, Member Services Council
Editors Note:
Rapid access to the services mentioned above is available on your
VMS Home Page:
URL.... http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms/
Click on Resources & Information, then on VMS Quick-Guide
to IEEE
************************************************[ 9 ]
VMS Info Sources
Electronic Newsletter
Almost 15 percent of our members now subscribe. If you have
not yet signed up, you are strongly encouraged to do so.
IEEEVMS_info Sever
Storehouse of recent IEEE info/news/bulletins. Submit your own
notices, comments, "Letter to Editor".
VMS Home Page
About VMS, its Chapters, officers, by-laws, and links to IEEE,
Region 3, the Student Chapter, and a few more. Still an infant so,
please take a look and send your suggestions. You can do that
while you are looking at it. The URL is:
http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms
To Subscribe to any or all three, see instructions in the For
Your Information section.
************************************************[ 10 ]
Chapter Chairmen
Places have been reserved in the Home Page for any and all
kinds of information about your Chapter: History, function,
requirements, activities, schedules, flash announcements,
meetings, speakers ... . Please send your material to the
editor or submit it with the auto-mail feature.
************************************************[ 11 ]
Is Your Membership Listing Current?
The IEEE membership data base is now in good shape. It is fairly
reliable for purposes such as mailing this Newsletter to you,
keeping your officers and Chapter Chairmen current with
membership data, and as a platform underlying many IEEE
services of potential benefit to you. However, there are still small
errors which only you can correct. Some are simple typos, some
are nearly epidemic. A case of the latter is an incorrect area code
(703). A number of addresses are not current and, do you now
have an e-mail address? Your technical affiliation should be
checked, membership grade and status and, optionally, school
information and degree(s). There is also considerable confusion
over the two addresses, for those who list them. There is a
"preferred" address to which all correspondence is normally sent,
and another. The two are usually home and office addresses and
you can choose the ordering. The non-preferred is generally an
FYI item only.
So. Please take a minute to check your listing. You can look at the
address on this mailing or your Spectrum mailer cover for the
basic items, or if you wish, I can send you a copy of your current
full listing (preferably via e-mail). Also, be sure to examine your
listing when you renew your membership.
...editor
************************************************[ 12 ]
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Alternate: Anbo Wang
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