Home Meetings Fall 2006 Section Conference

On Thursday, November 2, 2006 we will hold our 2006 Fall Section Conference and Dinner.

The keynote speaker will be John M. Ford, Electronics Engineering Division Manager from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), Green Bank, West Virginia. He will be speaking on:

Keynote Talk Title:
"The World's Largest Fully Steerable Single Aperture Radio Telescope"

Keynote Abstract:
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is a 100 meter diameter radio telescope located in Green Bank, WV. It is the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world. In this presentation, John will discuss the optical and mechanical performance of the telescope, sensitivity of its instrumentation, and challenges to its operation. The GBT is on the web at http://www.gb.nrao.edu.

Keynote Biography:
John has been working at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory since 1995, first in the role of Monitor and Control System engineer, and lately as Electronics Division Head. Currently on sabbatical from the Division Head position, John is Project Engineer for the GBT Precision Telescope Control System, which will allow the GBT to observe frequencies as high as 115 GHz. John holds the MSEE degree from the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee.

NRAO operates the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the world's largest fully steerable single aperture antenna. Many technical areas come together to make this telescope a mechanical, electrical, electronic, astronomical, RF/Microwave control, and measurement system. See http://www.gb.nrao.edu.

Thursday, November 2, 2006
5:00pm to 9:00pm
Fairlane Center Building
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Web registration will be open in October. Get on the mailing list on our listserv page.

Download the keynote poster as a PDF file.

Registration will be online beginning in October. See http://www.ieee-sem.org.

Prices: $25 for IEEE Members (including members of other ESD Affiliate Council Societies), $30 non-members, $10 students/retirees/unemployed. Early registration begins in October. Dinner seating is limited to the first 120 registrants.

Location is: 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, Fairlane Center Building, University of Michigan – Dearborn. Contact: Mark Ciechanowski, P.E. (mark.ciechanowski "at" ieee.org) Section Chair, or Prof. Chris Mi (mi "at" ieee.org), Conference Chair.

This event is put on as a technical and professional service to the local IEEE members – this is not a "fundraiser".

You get your choice of two (2) of the fourteen technical session, plus networking, vendor showcases, dinner and the keynote speaker. Here is the evening schedule.

Start Time	End Time	Activity
4:30pm	5:00pm	Registration and Check-In
5:00pm	5:45pm	First half technical sessions, seven parallel sessions
5:45pm	6:00pm	Vendor exhibition and networking
6:00pm	6:45pm	Second half technical sessions, seven parallel sessions
6:45pm	7:15pm	Vendor exhibition and networking
7:15pm	8:00pm	Buffet Dinner from Park Place Catering
7:30pm	8:00pm	Awards program during dinner
8:00pm	9:00pm	Keynote speaker

Twice per year we hold our Spring and Fall Section Conference and Dinner, in April and November respectively. This evening meeting begins at 5pm where all fourteen technical chapters (including us as one of the chapters) hold an hour-long technical session. We always have a speaker presenting a management topic, and other chapters have speakers on other technical topics. We then have dinner and a keynote speaker. We typically have about 150 people attend the conference. Members and their guests are welcome to attend, as are prospective members, engineers, managers, technical professionals, and engineering students. Business attire is preferred. Registration information, including fees, is available about one month before the event. See our meetings page.