VIRGINIA MOUNTAIN SECTION NEWSLETTER IEEE Region 3, Council 9, Section 6 March 1998 ********************************************* CONTENTS 1. March Meeting 2. Reservations for the March Meeting 3. VMS Activities February meeting Student Paper Contest 4. Region 3 Newsletter Excerpts of Interest Sections 5 thru 9 5. Dick Riddle (message) DIRECTOR-ELECT 6. Perry Wheless EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES 7. Andy Hargrove VIRGINIA COUNClL 8. Remaining VMS Meeting Schedule for the 1997-1998 Year 9. Computer/Control/IES Chapter 10. Chapter Chairmen (NOTE) 11. IEEE Virginia Mountain Section (FYI) *********************************************( 1 ) March Meeting FIBER OPTICS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS AT VIRGINIA TECH Dr. Richard O. Claus Worcester Professor of Engineering and Director of the Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center Dr. Claus will discuss the Fiber and Electro-optics Research Center (FEORC) at Virginia Tech. He will outline programs currently in progress at FEORC and will discuss personnel, equipment and facilities available at Virginia Tech that make the institution the leading fiber optics research and education center in the United States. He will illustrate the type of work being conducted at FEORC by describing a process for electrostatic self-assembly of electro-optic devices. Dr. Claus' presentation will be of interest to the non-specialist as well as providing an insight into new technology for those already familiar with fiber optic processes and devices. About the Speaker Dr. Richard O. Claus is the Worcester Professor of Engineering and Director of the Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center at Virginia Tech, where he has worked since 1977. He currently holds a joint faculty appointment in both the Bradley Department of Electrical Engineering, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has participated in more than 375 separate externally funded research programs and has co-authored more than 600 journal and conference papers. A member of IEEE for 25 years, he served as an officer of the Virginia Mountain Section in the early 1980s, and as a member of IEEE Region 3 and Institute Committees. *********************************************( 2 ) Reservations for the March Meeting Date: Thursday, March 19, 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, March 16, 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) 731-0655 *********************************************( 3 ) VMS Activities The VMS annual Student Paper Contest at the February Meeting was outstanding. Members and visitors were treated to three excellent presentations on topics of current interest. First prize of $100.00 went to Mr. Wen-lung Hsu of VMI for his informative discussion of the pros and cons of advanced radar to techniques as a method to improve air safety. Ronald Pawlikowski, Jr., a senior at Virginia Tech, captured the second place award of $50.00 with his analysis of the gain log-periodic dipole antennas. Farzad Valad & Peter Vasquez, also of Virginia Tech, shared the third award of $25.00 for an informative and exceptionally well presented paper on TraceCad human-computer interactive software. ...editor *********************************************(4 ) Region 3 Newsletter The winter 1998 edition of the Region 3 Newsletter contained much (more than usual) information likely to be of interest to the membership. Following are a number of excerpts: From: *********************************************( 5 ) Dick Riddle DIRECTOR-ELECT As Region 3 begins its 35th year of operation with new officers and committee chairs one of the first items of business is the adoption of goals and objectives to guide our activities over the next two years and to serve as our score card at the end of 1999. My assigned objective is to "develop strong Vice Chairs for each Regional Committee to facilitate continuity of Region leadership through a systematic succession program." My first action in attempting to achieve this objective is to work with each Regional Committee Chair in identifying and appointing Vice Chairs who will make strong and effective Regional Committee Chairs. In the meantime, I am requesting the membership to send me the name and e-mail address of members who have exhibited leadership potential and that you feel would be willing to serve on one the committees as a member or Vice Chair. [Some of the Region committees: Awards & Recognition Communications Conference Educational Activities Membership Development Nominations & Appointments Professional Activities Public Information Strategic Planning Student Activities Contact Dick Riddle at R.RIDDLE@IEEE.ORG ...editor] *********************************************( 6 ) Perry Wheless EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES As incoming Chair of the Educational Activities Committee (EAC), I am optimistic that we will be able to achieve a significant service level increase, on multiple fronts, with EAC during 1998. Our top-priority immediate task is to appoint a sufficient number of representatives and volunteers to enable an expansion of EAC activity. After the committee's size is increased and a more formal committee structure is in place, EAC will endeavor to move quickly to determine the new nature and scope of its mission, in accord with both its charter and the recent committee review report, and then proceed to implement new EAC activities. IEEE Region 3 needs and expectations are dynamic. EAC recognizes that this is a period of change with regard to its "customers" and their service requirements, and we view this as an opportunity for Region 3 to again demonstrate the leadership and progressive spirit for which it is well known throughout IEEE. EAC has a lending library of audio and videotape materials available for checkout. I can provide a list of available items by e-mail on request, and the list hopefully will be readily available via the Web in the near future. EAB materials and information are also available through the Region 3 EAC. I plan to have some handout materials sent directly from IEEE Headquarters to SoutheastCon '98, so that Area/Council chairs will be able to return from the Region 3 EXCOM meeting in Orlando with useful information for their sections and subsections. [note: The list, with more than 50 entries, has been posted at http://sandbox.ieee.org/r3/eac/lending-library.html. Some categories are: S: SELF-STUDY COURSES T: TUTORIAL VC: VIDEOCONFERENCES If you do not have WEB access, we can e-mail or FAX a copy to you. . ...editor] AN IMPORTANT NOTE: The Region 3 Goals and Objectives for 1998 include the following: Encourage every Section to hold at least one educational seminar/program annually outside regular Section or Chapter meetings. EAC is serious about successfully achieving this objective, and Sections should start thinking now about what they would "like" to do along this line. What may constitute an "educational program" is rather broad and it certainly depends on local requirements and priorities. You will be hearing more about this particular initiative soon. If you are especially inclined and motivated to work with EAC, please contact me at your earliest convenience opportunities for volunteers are now available! Finally, keep in mind that EAC contributions to the Region 3 Newsletter should serve as an effective means for publicizing educational materials and opportunities to all Region 3 members, and you should feel free to contribute both relevant ideas and factual material for inclusion in this regular forum. Thank you for your interest and participation! *********************************************( 7 ) Andy Hargrove VIRGINIA COUNClL Since northern Virginia is Region 2 and since IEEE in all of Virginia needs to work with the state government, the Virginia Coordinating Council (VCC), which includes the Virginia Council and the northern Virginia part of Region 2, was formed. Jim Strother chairs VCC. VCC representatives met with the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition (VMSC) in Charlottesville in September and will also attend the VMSC meeting in Richmond in January. VCC plans to form regional and local alliances for science, math and technology education. A letter is to be sent to the each member of the Virginia Assembly soon after they convene in January, The letter along with a copy of the IEEE-USA IO5th Congress Legislature agenda includes a statement about IEEE interest in various programs as they apply to Virginia. The most important topics are education and the workforce. "Mentor by Modem," a program to pair mentors with fifth grade students, is in full swing the Richmond area. A. Hamzey is working with the school system superintendent, principal, teachers and computer specialists. Training sessions were at Virginia Commonwealth University *********************************************( 8 ) Remaining VMS Meeting Schedule for the 1997-1998 Year Date Speaker Topic Place 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 Steel Production Roanoke Electric Steel Roanoke, VA Executive Committee Meetings: 5:30 p.m. on: March 19, 1998; and April 16, 1998 *********************************************( 9 ) Computer/Control/IES Chapter IEEE Computer/Control/ Industrial Electronics Chapter 1998 Meetings Still in Progress The process of putting together the program for this year has been problematical, but we are still hopeful and in fact close. As topics and meeting dates firm up, they will be posted on the VMS Home page: http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms Click on Chapters, then on Industrial Electronics/Computer/Control Systems We are still asking for suggestions for speakers and topics for this year, any time. A backlog of requests would be very nice. The talks are brief, one hour or less, with a half-hour for discussion afterwards. They do not have to be new or original. If you are developing a presentation for a larger audience, here is an opportunity to try it out. The format is informal. Chapter meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the GE Main Plant, 1501 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem, VA. Enter the front door, near the flag pole. An escort will meet you at the reception desk. All IEEE Members and guests are welcome. You do not have to be a member of the Chapter. Soft drinks and snacks are available from the cafeteria for a nominal fee. There is no charge for the meeting. Please come and bring a friend! Dave Geer, Chapter Chair 540 - 387 - 7359 (voice) 540 - 387 - 7631 (FAX) d.geer@ieee.org (email) *********************************************( 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 ) IEEE Virginia Mountain Section VMS OFFICERS Chairman: David Livingston d.livingston@ieee.org (540) 857-6261 Vice Chairman: Usha Varshney 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 Industry Applications Andy Stevenson stevenson-ac@salem.ge.com (540 )387-8471 Industrial Electronics/Computer/Control Systems David Geer d.geer@ieee.org (540) 387-7359 Microwave Theory & Techniques/Electron Devices Hausila Singh hsingh@gtc.itt.com (540) 563-8639 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 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 e-mail Newsletter Subscription Send the one-line message: SUBSCRIBE IEEEVMS your-name to: listserv@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu Anyone may submit material for the Newsletter Deadline: Monday following each meeting Submit To: Editor Change of Address VMS Web Page: http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms/ US Mail: IEEE Service Center 445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331 Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 e-mail: address.change@ieee.org Tel: 800-678-IEEE Fax: 732-981-9667 IEEE Web: http://www.ieee.org/i3e_mailer.html (Changes are forwarded to the Newsletter) Visit the VMS WEB page: http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/ieeevms Section/Chapter meeting notices, and reports. 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