VIRGINIA MOUNTAIN SECTION
NEWSLETTER
IEEE Region 3, Council 9, Section 6
January 1998
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CONTENTS
1. January Meeting
2. Reservations for the January Meeting
3. National Engineers Week - Ideas for Your Community
4. Remaining VMS Meeting Schedule for the 1997-1998 Year
5. VMS Activities
November Meeting
6. Student Paper Contest
7. PACE
IS YOUR CAREER KEEPING PACE?
8. What is
IEEE Leadership Wire
9. Correct Your Personal File at IEEE
10. VMS Home Page
11. Message for Chapter Chairmen
12. For Your Information
************************************************* ( 1 )
January Meeting
THE SECRET OF SUCCESS
Jim Watson, P.E.
President, WATSON ASSOCIATES
Engineers are aware of the challenges associated with rapid
changes in technical aspects of the profession. But there is
another important challenge that may be overlooked. In a
world growing more dependent upon practical uses of
technology, the role of engineering is often misunderstood. Jim
maintains that, to be successful in this changing environment,
engineers need to demonstrate many non-technical skills to
their employers and the general public.
"Despite our efforts to promote professional registration,
many non-engineers use the title of 'engineer.' We are the
target of jokes about our profession. In informal settings we
may be perceived by others as quiet, boring, or alone in our
own world. The role of the Electrical Engineering Profession
in the 90's is too important to be undermined by
misconceptions. It is time for all engineers to put more 'polish
on our images.' "
Mr. Watson's talk will expand on this thesis and he will
present his "engineering" approach to solutions for the
problems as he sees them.
About the Speaker
Jim received a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering
from Purdue University. He is a Registered Professional
Engineer, a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of IEEE
Professional Communications Society, a charter member of
IEEE Student Professional Awareness Committee, member of
the 1997 IEEE Presidents Vision 21" Project Team, an S-
PAC speaker, and an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer.
He is the author of the WRITETALK COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM designed to incorporate communication skill
development and exercises within the university engineering
curriculum. His consulting firm, Watson Associates, has
directed the use of this communications program at several
major Universities including California State University -
Northridge, Lehigh University, Temple University, and The
University of Toledo.
Jim has received numerous awards, including the Citation of
Honor for "Exemplary Contributions Toward Securing
Recognition of Professional Activities in the United States"
in 1987, and the Innovation Award, the highest award
provided by the IEEE Regional Activities Board, in 1991 for
his multi-media presentation, "IEEE - From Pole to Pole and
Sea to Sea to Sea," at the 1990 Sections Congress in
Toronto, Ontario.
************************************************* ( 2 )
Reservations for the January Meeting
Date: Thursday, January 15, 1998
Social: 6:30 PM
Dinner: 7:00 PM
Talk: 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Place: Donaldson Brown Hotel
VA Tech
Cost: Member or Guest $12.00
Student $4.00
Please make reservations by Monday,
January 12, 5:00 P.M.
Roanoke: David Livingston (540) 857-6261
Blacksburg: Ira Jacobs (540) 231-5620
Lexington: Ed Wheeler (540) 464-7548
Radford and
Christiansburg: Usha Varshney (540) 731-065
************************************************* ( 3 )
National Engineers Week - Ideas for Your Community
(The following are thumbnail sketches of ideas for National
Engineers Week programs. Details on these and many other
projects are available. Contact Dan Jackson or me for more
information. ...editor)
Here are ideas for interesting National Engineers Week
programs appropriate for every community.
Awards--During planned events, mall exhibits or banquets,
present awards to outstanding teachers, students, employers
or engineers.
The National Engineers Week Committee is sponsoring the
second Outdoor Advertising Campaign, available to college
students. We will provide material to be posted on outdoor
billboards at no cost to you, if you provide the space.
Consultants--Organize a public tour of interesting local
projects the firm has engineered and distribute a brochure a
bout the projects.
Discover "E""-- National Engineers Week Discover "E"
student outreach program. Visit local elementary, middle,
and secondary schools and sponsor extracurricular activities.
Work with scout troops, school clubs, and others to highlight
engineering careers.
Employee Communications--Work with in-house publications
to publicize the Week and the work of your engineers. Develop
ideas for stories about engineer employees. Contact the chairman's
office to ask for a special message in recognition of the
company's engineers.
Future City & trade;--National Engineers Week Future City
Competition & trade; Engineers serve as volunteer mentors
to help seventh-and eighth-grade student teams design and
build a future city, using Sim City 2000 software. Among other
things, teams are required to build a table-top scale model of
their city, and present their city design and model to a panel
of judges. Schools register to compete in local contests and
those winners compete in Washington, DC, during National
Engineers Week
Government Headquarters--Create special exhibits in public
areas showcasing on-going engineering projects. Leave hand-
outs such as bookmarks (see order form) for employees and their families.
Industry Programs--Tie corporate advertising to the week and
produce local public service announcements about the company's
Engineers Week activities. Libraries--As part of "Engineering Goes
Public," sponsor an "Engineering Day" demonstration or exhibit at
your local library. Donate books for a special engineering section
for students.
Telecasts-- February 25, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (ET), National Technological
University hosts an interactive satellite telecast, "Discover
Engineering." Engineers, students and Pictel interaction will be
featured. Thursday, February 26, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET),
"International Space Station: Open for Business" offers
dialogue among experts on research opportunities aboard
the International Space Station.
Get The Details
Engineers Week Homepage: http://www.eweek.org
************************************************* ( 4 )
Remaining VMS Meeting Schedule for the 1997-1998 Year
Date
Speaker
Topic
Place
February 19, 1998
Student Papers
Competition
Various
Donaldson Brown
Hotel Blacksburg
March 19, 1998
Richard O. Claus
Fiber Optics and
Electro-optics at
Virginia Tech
Donaldson Brown
Hotel Blacksburg
April 16, 1998
IEEE Distinguished
Lecturer: Ronald W.
Waynant
Applications of
Lasers in Medicine:
Current/Future
Status
Donaldson Brown
Hotel Blacksburg
May 21, 1998
Industrial Field Trip
Manufacturing
Roanoke or Salem
Executive Committee Meetings: 5:30 p.m. on:
January 15, 1998;
March 19, 1998; and
April 16, 1998
************************************************* ( 5 )
VMS Activities
November Meeting
Spouses night 1997 achieved the largest turn out of
members and guests in many years. More than 40
people heard Bev Fitzpatrick present the New Century
Council's view of "Virginia's Technology Corridor".
While optimistic about the economic and cultural
future of Southwest Virginia, Mr. Fitzpatrick stressed
the need to expand on recent improvements in scope
and availability of its educarional facilities. He cited
advances by the community colleges, Virginia Western
in particular, and pointed to areas in which he thought
Virginia Tech should assume a greater role. He
asserted that Tech has a wealth of untapped potential
and referred to it as "a sleeping giant" in this regard.
He praised Representative Boucher for bringing new
industry to the entire region through his indutrial park
initiatives, and lauded the state legislature for
modifying its revenue sharing bans on local
governments. Financing of the upcoming major park in
Pulaski, tailored to the needs of microchip
manufacturing, would not have been possible without
them.
Bev also used this new park to underscore his remarks
on education. Industry such as microchip manufacture
requires a large pool of technically aware employees.
The park will not succeed if the human resources are
not available.
...editor
************************************************* ( 6 )
Student Paper Contest
Attention all UNDERGRADS. The VMS annual
Student Paper Contest will be held on February 19,
1998. This year's competition is open to
undergraduates only. Prizes for best papers and
presentations will be:
$100 - first place
$50 - second place
$25 - third place
In case of tie(s), awards will be combined, then split
equally. Contact your local IEEE student advisor:
VWCC Prof. David Livingston
Va Tech Prof. Yilu Liu
VMI Prof. Edward Wheeler
************************************************* ( 7 )
PACE
IS YOUR CAREER KEEPING PACE?
Is your career keeping PACE with industry? IEEE members
can find the tools they need for the future through the PACE
network of IEEE-USA. Every year there is the annual
Professional Activities Conference over Labor Day which I
discussed in this column in October. There is in addition the
biennial Careers Conference sponsored by the Career
Maintenance and Development Committee. The Tenth
Biennial Careers Conference will be in Phoenix, AZ, April
30 and May 1, 1998. This conference is for engineers who
want to remain employable and effective; for managers who
want to find new tools for motivating and developing
engineers; for organizations and human resource
professionals who want to maximize the use of engineering
talents; and for academics who want to effectively prepare
students for work. For additional information contact Scott
Grayson, s.grayson@ieee.org, phone (202)785-0017, or
Dan Jackson, d.jackson@ieee.org phone (540) 774-0484.
IEEE-USA has many other products available which can
help you with your career. Two new ones are IEEE-USA
Guidelines for Professional Employment: A Framework for
Communication, and Career Issues for Engineers to Monitor
in a Global Economy. The first document lists
recommendations on specific workplace practices for both
employers and engineers under current conditions of global
competition. The second, an audio tape, calls attention to
some of the career issues engineers in the United States face
today. There are other publications as well. The Engineer's
Guide to Lifelong Employability is a practical resource book
on locating and obtaining engineering jobs which will teach
the skills you need to prosper. The 1997 IEEE U.S.
Membership Salary and Fringe Benefits Survey provides
current information regarding salaries and benefits for U.S.
electrical engineers which you can compare with your own.
There are Proceedings from the 1996 and 1997 PACE
Conference and Workshop, and records of the first seven
biennial IEEE-USA Careers Conferences (1977-91), and the
1996 IEEE-USA Careers Conference, Winning in a Global
Environment. Also available is Career Advice for Engineers
in the 1990's which contains selected papers from the IEEE-
USA Careers Conferences which can help bolster your
engineering career and prepare you for a more secure future
in your profession.
THESE PRODUCTS WILL REMAIN USELESS
TO YOU
IF YOU DON'T USE THEM.
For additional information on any of these or any career
related material contact Daniel W. Jackson
d.jackson@ieee.org, (540) 774-0484 or the IEEE-USA
Office ieeeusa@ieee.org, (202) 785-0017.
...Dan Jackson, PACE Chair
************************************************* ( 8 )
What is
IEEE Leadership Wire
A recent addition to your Web Page is a file of the current and
past issues of the IEEE Leadership Wire. The Wire is
a bi-weekly posting of news items of interest to IEEE
members but not commonly disseminated through other
media. A wide range of topics are covered, even updates on
the headquarters staff.
A sampling of topics from recent issues:
o MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ON THE WEB
o STANDARDS SEEKS MANAGING DIRECTOR
o IEEE-USA TO ASSIST OLDER WORKERS
o FELLOW LIST POSTED
o FARADAY LECTURE
o COMSOC NETWORKS WITH PCIA
o IN THE NEWS
o BOARD NOTES
o ON-LINE STUDENT APPLICATION
o HealthCare OPEN ENROLLMENT
o ON-LINE CATALOG COMING SOON
o LEWIS CHOSEN FOR TECH COUNCIL
o ABOUT ELECTION RESULTS
o IEEE PARTNERS WITH BELLCORE
o IEL SITE LICENSES
o DATA INTEGRITY UPDATE
o A STAR ASSIGNMENT
o IEEE SPECTRUM SPEEDS DELIVERY
o NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK
o PRINCETON RETREAT
o ANNUAL MEDIA BRIEFING
o FORTESCUE APPLICATIONS
We encourage you to scan past issues for tidbits of IEEE
news and happenings. It's a neat way to gain insight to your
professional organization. Now available on your Web Page,
at:
http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms/
...editor
************************************************* ( 8 )
Correct Your Personal File at IEEE
ERRORS ERRORS ERRORS
When was the last time you checked your personal data file
at Headquarters? Many member records at IEEE are in
error.
Most, but not all, names are correct. Common errors are
area codes, we still show a lot of 703 and 801(!) codes for
local numbers.
Do you have an e-mail address, please add it. Are your
preferred and secondary addresses correct? Yes, there are
two.
A minimum listing includes:
Name
Grade
Member Number
Work Address, Phone
Preferred Address, Phone
E-Mail Address
Employer Name
Society Memberships
TIP (Technical Interest Profile) Codes
School
Most Recent Graduation Date
Original Admit Date
If you are unsure about any of these data, send an update:
Tel: 1-800-678-IEEE (1-800-678-4333)
Fax: 1-732-981-9667
e-mail: address.change@ieee.org
If you would like to see your current listing, send a request
to the editor (see page 6 for contact info.).
************************************************* ( 9)
VMS Home Page
Use your Virginia Mountain Section Web Home Page
(http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms/) Keep current on information
about the Section, the Region, and National, and items of
interest to engineers.
You will find quick access to schedules, details about the
Section, numerous publications and articles normally not
distributed to the general membership (in complete format).
Links to professional, federal, and private organizations and
groups active in national issues affecting our profession. Includes
links to particular IEEE services such as Education, Employment
Assistance, PE-Licensure. Standards and Publications, Address
and Membership Info Changes, and more.
Check it out and use the autofeedback to the editor (available on
the main page) to let us know what you would like to see there to
make it even better.
... editor
************************************************* ( 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 ... . Send your material to the editor or
submit it with the auto-mail feature on the Web Page,
http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms
... editor
************************************************* ( 11 )
For Your Information
IEEE Virginia Mountain Section
VMS OFFICERS
Chairman: David Livingston
d.livingston@ieee.org (540) 857-6261
Vice Chairman: Usha Varshney
varshney@usit.net (540) 731-0655
Sec./Treasurer: Ed Wheeler
wheeler@vmi.edu (540) 464-7548
VMS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Lynn Abbott
e-mail: abbott@vt.edu (540) 231-4472
Russell Churchill
arcova@swva.net (540) 731-0655
Ira Jacobs
ijacobs@vt.edu (540) 231-5620
Andy Stevenson
ac@salem.ge.com (540) 387-8471
Junior Past Chairman:
Anbo Wang
awang@vt.edu (540) 231-4355
VIRGINIA COUNCIL
Representative: vacant
VMS CHAPTER CHAIRS
Microwave Theory & Techniques/Electron Devices
Hausila Singh
hsingh@gtc.itt.com (540) 563-8639
Industrial Electronics/Computer/Control Systems
David Geer
d.geer@ieee.org (540) 387-7359
Power Engineering
Subhas Sarkar
vtc@roanoke.infi.net (540) 345-9892 x-152
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Awards :
Vacant
Membership Development:
Russell Churchill
arcova@swva.net (540)-731-0655
Nominations:
Anbo Wang
awang@vt.edu (540) 231-4355
Lynn Abbott
abbott@vt.edu (540)-231-4472
Wayne Scales
wayne@starchild.ee.vt.edu (540)-231-5622
PACE : Dan Jackson
d.jackson@ieee.org (540)-774-0484
Program : Usha Varshney
varshney@usit.net (540)-731-0655
Publicity : John Fennick
j.fennick@ieee.org (540) 552-0052
Student Activities:
Ira Jacobs
ijacobs@vt.edu (540)-231-5620
NEWSLETTER
Editor: John Fennick
j.fennick@ieee.org (540) 552-0052
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