IEEE Central Texas SectionTHE ANALOG |
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Volume 53-02 |
February 2009 |
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Newsletter of the Central Texas Sectionof the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc. Published monthly. Deadline for inclusion is the 25th day of the previous month. Send submissions, comments, questions to Dennis Ferguson, Editor, dferguson@ieee.org Editor's Note: This is my first issue as Editor of the Analog and it has been quite a learning experience. I hope the results are the same high quality documents that my predecessor, Kevin Nickels, provided each month. CONTENTS1. Section Activities
2. Chapter Activities
3. News & Information
4. Local Conferences5. Other ConferencesIEEE EXTERNAL LINKS
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1. Section ActivitiesChairman's ColumnWell, we're off and running for 2009. Your new crop of leaders for the Section Executive Committee met in San Marcos on 24 January and laid the groundwork for an exciting year of activity. We approved a new budget for 2009. Yes, a little smaller than last year, given the drastic shrinkage of our investment account suffered (along with many others) last October. But still, one focused on helping the Chapters facilitate the networking so vital to our organization. A little training was also done to help prepare the new chapter officers for their leadership role for this year. This covered typical budget responsibilities as well as the sharing of new ideas for successful technical meetings, workshops and symposia. We also heard from our Congressional Fellow, Sherry Gillespie, as she described her exciting year working for Senator Leiberman, and her development of the legislative provision for Trusted Defense Systems (see her final report at https://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/GOVFEL/reports/Gillespie2008Final.pdf, among other activities. Lastly, we had a great report from the St Mary's University student chapter on their amazing growth and lively plans for the coming year. This is a great time to be in the Central Texas Section. We're active and we're growing. This is all due to you and the leadership team of your chapters. Thank you all for that. Garrett Polhamus Back to TOP Engineering in San Antonio - SA Vice-Chair's ColumnE-Week is finally here! There are lots of activities in San Antonio - we have the Proclamation Breakfast and Engineer for a Day (has your company signed up to host a High School student interested in EE? If not, contact Becky Carroll at bcarroll@pape-dawson.com or 210 375-9000 ), we have the golf tournament, and new this year we have a 5K family fun run/walk at McAllister Park on Feb 21 at 7:30. The first 200 will get really cool T-shirts, and bring a can of food for the Bexar County Food Bank. Register online for any events at www.bexartspe.org or on race day at McAllister Park. UTSA is having some E week events - a Career Fair targeted toward students, and a guest presenter - Dr Kay Dee, the Founding Director of the Center for Practice and Scholarship of Education in Indiana will be talking on Feb 16 in the BSE 2.102 (our newest building on the UTSA campus) from 11-12. The title of her talk is "Making the Most of Your Learning Styles". Check out our other E-week activities on the UTSA webpage,as well as the CTS student organization webpages. For your planning purposes, we have colleagues who would like to get a 'Future City' competition (targeted at 7-8th graders) going in SA and Austin. I think we have the interest to get one started - have the first one between the two, and then grow separately. In Future City, a team of students, a teacher and an engineer mentor design a city with a theme (which changes every year and is/was water this year). They design, build, write about, the whole 9 yards, their city for the competition. If we have enough teams (50), the winning team gets airfare and hotel paid for their trip to the National Championship in Washington DC during Eweek! So I need a couple of things - I want you to let your school system know we're doing this - I want to make sure we have enough participation, and I'll need volunteers to help mentor/judge/organize this project. I'll be there, but I sure can't do it alone! The regional competition for North Texas was January 24, so that's a good time to target for next year! Have fun and stay warm! Dawn Roberson Back to TOP Membership DevelopmentRecognizing New IEEE Fellows in the Central Texas SectionIEEE Fellow status is granted to an IEEE Senior Member with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE's designated fields of interest. The honor is conferred by the IEEE Board of Directors. For the Class of 2009 there were only 302 Fellows designated throughout the IEEE. The CTS is honored to have six of these new fellows in our area. Please congratulate these new Fellows, they are:
Do want to make a difference as an engineer and have fun at the same time?Each year there are a number of science fairs in Texas in which the brightest high school students compete for scholarships, cash and other prizes along with the opportunity to advance to state and international competitions. As an engineer, one of the biggest gifts you can give is the gift of being a judge for these outstanding students. Not only do you have the opportunity to interact and contribute to the students, but also participate with other extraordinary engineers in the community. The local regional fairs (29 counties) are the Jr. Academy of Science and Alamo Regional Science Fair and are held in San Antonio. In addition, the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineer Fair is held in San Antonio. Judges are needed for each of these fairs. For more information, please contact John and Rose Perez at jeperez@swbell.net or Robert Fanick at rfanick@swri.org. And I might add that I have judged several of these fairs in the past and have had a blast. Come out and have some fun making a difference! Have you been renewed your IEEE membership for 2009?Don't know? Check it out though your MYIEEE account. Login at: https://www.ieee.org/myieee or simply call 1 800 678-4333. Joe Redfield Back to TOP Continuing EducationWebinars from IEEE Spectrum
Back to TOP Student BranchesSt Mary's University- San Antonio (https://ieee.stmarytx.edu/) Trinity University - San Antonio University of Texas at Austin (https://ieee.ece.utexas.edu/) University of Texas at San Antonio (https://www.utsaieee.org/) Student Member NewsCall for student papersIEEE is holding a student paper contest in conjunction with the upcoming Region 5 meeting, to be held Apr 17-18, 2009 in Lubbock, TX. https://www.r5conferences.org/. The Region 5 Paper Contest has three levels: Local, Area and Region. Look at the Central Texas Section website www.ieee.org/CTS for deadlines and instructions for submission. Central Texas Section award $4000 in grants to UT-San Antonio, St. Mary's University and Trinity University.This was a competitive process where the schools submitted proposals for projects to be funded. Robotics projects were popular as they are a fun way for students to practice what they learn in the class room. It also gives a leg-up on Region 5 robotics competition where UTSA finished in 2007. Community outreach was another popular project where students take design kits into K-12 schools to demonstrate what engineers do. On behalf of our section schools, thanks to CTS for their continued support. Why You Should Stick With IEEEEach year about half the IEEE student members who graduate don't renew and move up to full members--they just drop out. But if they don't renew, these graduates will miss out on a load of benefits that could come in handy as they enter the workforce. Check out the top reasons you should keep your membership after you graduate at https://bmsmail3.ieee.org:80/u/13927/40069599 Back to TOP Calls for VolunteersStudent Paper Contest JudgesIEEE is holding a student paper contest in conjunction with the upcoming Region 5 meeting, to be held Apr 17-18, 2009 in Lubbock, TX. https://www.r5conferences.org/. The Region 5 Paper Contest has three levels: Local, Area and Region. We need some volunteers to judge the CTS and Southern Area entries. Please contact Clif Denny at c.denny@ieee.org for more information or to volunteer. IEEE Teacher In-Service Program (TISP)The IEEE CTS will be hosting its first Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) seminar for local educators on February 25th at TEA Region 20 in San Antonio from 9 am to 4 pm. Any CTS Member who wishes to volunteer to help with the seminar is invited to attend. Please contact Dean Schneider, CTS K-12 Committee Chairman at d.schneider@ieee.org for more information. The IEEE Teacher In-Service Program is sponsored by the IEEE Education Activities Board (EAB) and features IEEE Section volunteers developing and presenting technologically oriented subject matter to local pre-university educators in an in-service or professional development setting. TISP allows IEEE volunteers to share their technical expertise and to demonstrate the application of engineering concepts to support the teaching and learning of science, mathematics and technology disciplines. For more information about TISP, please go to https://www.ieee.org/web/education/preuniversity/tispt/index.html , or contact Dean Schneider at d.schneider@ieee.org. National Engineers Week Future City Competition needs your help, supportWe are in earnest need of your help. Through mentoring, judging, or sponsorship of the 2008-09 National Engineers Week Future City Competition, you and your colleagues can make all the difference. Middle-school students with a keen interest in engineering and those committed to helping them realize their dreams are now preparing for the North Texas Regional event. All are in need of any assistance you can provide, no matter how great or small. HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTEThere are a number of different ways for you and your organization to become involved in this year's North Texas Regional Future City Competition (https://www.dfwfuturecity.org/part.html):
BACKGROUNDThe Future City Competition is the nation's largest not-for-profit engineering education program. Its purpose is to encourage students to pursue a technical career, to address important environmental issues in our world, and to realize their vision of a city of the future. The winner of our regional event will go on to compete in Washington, DC during National Engineers Week. All of it is possible only through the combined efforts of volunteers and sponsors. The students are challenged in a series of fun, hands-on applications to present their unique set of solutions to the real-world problems of creating a livable city. To do so, they will adopt the principles of every branch of engineering to support their assertions. Each competing team is asked to first generate a computerized design of a future city, then build a scale model of that city using as many recycled materials as possible. Additionally, they will research and write a paper - this year's challenge is water conservation. The students must create a home system that minimizes (or eliminates) the use of municipal or externally supplied water for daily requirements. Finally the teams will publicly present their projects to a panel of judges. However you decide to help us, we thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me. My information is provided below. You can also visit the official web site at https://www.dfwfuturecity.org to learn more on how you and your organization can make a difference to the next generation of engineers. Jean Eason Back to TOP 2. Chapter ActivitiesMultiple Society Events
Multiple ChaptersNo multiple chapter events are scheduled for February Joint Circuits and Systems/Solid-State Circuits
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| Topic/Title | Packaging Effects on Mechanical Reliability of Cu/low K Interconnects |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Dr. Paul S. Ho, Director of the Laboratory for Interconnect and Packaging at the University of Texas at Austin |
| Date/Time | Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:00-7:30pm |
| Cost | None. |
| Location | Freescale Semiconductor, Long Canyon Conference Room in Bldg C 7700 Parmer Lane Austin, TX 78729 |
Chair: Om P Mandhana
IEEE-CPMT Chapter in Austin
Networking and Multimedia Group
Freescale Semiconductor, Austin, Texas
(512) 996-6063
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| Topic/Title | How to handle decimal floating point arithmetic in binary floating-point computer world |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Most computers today contain binary floating-point hardware. Though this satisfies some calculation requirements, binary floating-point logic is not useful for financial, commercial and user-centric applications, or for Web services. The decimal data that these applications use cannot be represented exactly by using binary floating-point, which, many times, cannot precisely represent decimal fractions. This presentation introduces different DFP standards, and available software and hardware which applications can take advantage of their DFP operations. |
| Speaker | Calvin Sze, IBM AIX Performance |
| Date/Time | Wednesday, February 18, 6:30PM Networking 7:00PM Program |
| Cost | none |
| Reservations | not required |
| Location | National Instruments, 11500 N. Mopac Expy Bldg C, Rooms 1S13, 1S14, 1S15 - see map |
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| Topic/Title | Embedded System Portability |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Matthew Sealey and Dr. Kevin Nickels, Genesi USA and Trinity University |
| Date/Time | Tuesday, February 17, 2009 6:30 networking, 7:00 dinner, 8:00 program |
| Cost | $10 IEEE Members, $13 Non-members, $0 students |
| Reservations | RSVP to Yu Zhang by Monday before meeting, (210) 999-7399 |
| Location | Skyline Room, Coates University Center, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX |
| Notes | See www.ieee-cs-cts.org for directions and parking information. This meeting is open to the public. |
| Abstract | The Embedded Systems Portability (ESP) project investigates how to acquaint Trinty Engineering students with several important modern trends and practices in embedded system design - those of modular programming and functional portability - while minimizing prerequisite knowledge. Since Spring 2007, Genesi and Trinity have been collaborating on utilizing the EFIKA 5200B evaluation board, based on the Freescale MPC5200B Power Architecture (TM) System-on-a-Chip, in design and research projects. This collaboration evolved into the ESP project, where PCI-based boards for Altera CPLD development are fitted into an EFIKA running Linux. Mr. Sealey and Dr. Nickels will describe the control architectures and hardware developed in this project, as well as the course content that we hope to develop. |
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| Topic/Title | Green Living, Green Building and Green Collar Jobs |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Susan Meredith: Susan Meredith is the author of "Beyond Light Bulbs: Lighting the Way to Smarter Energy Management" a complete and comprehensive framework in layman's terms while giving concrete examples of how you can contribute and benefit. Susan is also founder of HumanExcel, a corporate educational firm based in Austin , Texas . As an engineer and MBA graduate with expertise in business process improvement, Susan helps organizations improve efficiencies, reduce wastes, and save energy. She has taught and mentored over 600 Process Improvement projects, including those with measurable impacts exceeding $1Million. For more information see www.beyondlightbulbs.com. |
| Date/Time | Wednesday, February 25, 2009 (Regular meeting is on 2nd Thursday) Networking at 6:00 pm, Business and program from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm |
| Cost | $5.00 minimum charge for the restaurant. Supper is optional at extra cost. |
| Reservations | Not required. All interested parties are invited to attend. |
| Location | China Star Restaurant, 6134 Hwy 290E, Austin TX. Westbound access road of 290E, just east of IH 35. |
| Abstract | There are six key areas and three crucial support areas that are critical to the success of a global energy solution. Green collar jobs and new business opportunities abound. In addition, changes in our habits and households will save us money, save energy, and help the environment. This session will address how each of us can take action now to have a bright energy future, and move away from the gloom, doom and information overload of global warming, the energy crisis and the economy. |
Do a friend a favor. Bring your colleague to grow the Consultants Network
The Consultants web directory is to be found at https://www.alesu.com/xltrp/ieeecons/listzero.htm
Do the Consultants Network a favor. Give a talk or get a speaker for one meeting this year. Email the bio and summary to the Chairman.
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| Topic/Title | Exploring the CISPR-Average and CISPR-RMS detectors and FFT scan techniques |
|---|---|
| Speaker | James Young, RF Applications Engineer, Rohde & Schwarz, Inc |
| Date/Time | Wednesday, February 25, 2009. 6:30 social/dinner, 7:00 program |
| Reservations | Not required |
| Cost | Free |
| Location | National Instruments, Building C, 11500 North Mopac Expwy., Austin, TX 78759 |
| Notes | See https://ewh.ieee.org/soc/emcs/chapters/centraltexas/index.html for directions and parking information. This meeting is open to the public. |
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| Topic/Title | Lattice Vibrations in Amorphous Thin Films - A Path to Nanocomposite based Energy Conversion? |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Professor Bruce White, Binghamton University, NY |
| Abstract | In this presentation we will discuss how the anomalous low temperature lattice vibrations of glassy materials manifest themselves in thin amorphous films. We will demonstrate that the universal anomalous lattice vibrations remain intact in these films down to thicknesses corresponding to two monolayers. We will also show that it is possible to create similar lattice vibrations in metallic thin films that are polycrystalline in nature. With these results in mind, we will ask the question of whether the surfaces of reduced dimensionality structures can be manipulated to produce a thermal conductivity that is below that expected from diffuse scattering of phonons at surfaces. If so, this could provide a path to artificially created solids with the optimum electronic and thermal properties required for efficient, thermoelectric based, solid state energy conversion. |
| Date/Time | Thursday February 26, 2009 6:00-7:30PM |
| Refreshments | Light refreshments are provided |
| Reservations | Please RSVP to Christian Catalan at Christian.Catalan@amd.com. We need an accurate count to purchase refreshments. |
| Location | SEMATECH Room F-C - Map at https://www.sematech.org/corporate/map.htm |
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No Engineering in Medicine and Biology meetings are scheduled for February
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No Graduates of the Last Decade meetings are scheduled for February
For more Information contact Jason Polendo jpolendo@ieee.org
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No Laser and Electro Optics Society meetings are scheduled for February
For more information, contact Ray Chen
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No Life Member Affinity Group meetings are scheduled for February
We are looking for a few more volunteers to round out our Chapter's planning Committee. We currently have three, Scott Atkinson, Bob Harris and Ernest Franke. We meet monthly for lunch to review IEEE, Central Texas Section and Chapter activities. Interested folks should contact scott.atkinson@fullarmorgroup.com or 210-481-4932.
If a Life Member is not receiving email from our Chapter, please contact Scott Atkinson at scott.atkinson@fullarmorgroup.com or 210-481-4932.
For more information, contact Scott Atkinson
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| Topic/Title | Modern Transformers to Today's Modern Electrical Environments |
|---|---|
| Speaker | David Simmons, P.E. - Product Manager - Specialty & Value-Added Transformers, Eaton |
| Date/Time | February 24, 2009, 6:00 - 9:00pm |
| Cost | none |
| Reservations | Contact Catalina Martinez for details and directions. |
| Location | El Gallo Mexican Restaurant, 512-444-2205, 2910 S Congress, Austin, Texas |
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| Topic/Title | Power Quality at CPS Energy |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Jose Escamilla, CPS Energy |
| Date/Time | Thursday, February 25, 2009 - 6:00 PM Social, 6:30 PM Dinner, 7:00 PM Program |
| Cost | $10 members, $15 non-members, FREE for students (Cash only please, no checks or cards) |
| Reservations | Please RSVP to John Brogan @ 210-353-3375 or jabrogan@ieee.org |
| Location | Grady's BBQ, 6510 San Pedro, San Antonio (210-806-8036) |
| Notes | For more information please go to our web site at https://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/centraltexas/sanantonio |
Upcoming Meetings:
As always you do not have to be an IEEE member to attend.
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No Product Safety Engineering Society meetings are scheduled for February
We encourage you, others in your organization, or other interested parties to participate in our meetings. The PSES meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30, with the program starting at 7pm. For further information about the PSES, please contact Dale Ritzen at (512) 651-5338 or Gary Schrempp at gary_schrempp@dell.com.
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| Topic/Title | Trends in Video Communications Towards Hi-Definition |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Casey King, CTO Lifesize Communications |
| Date/Time | Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 6:30pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Reservations | Please RSVP to Saurabh Sureka sab@ieee.org for registering. |
| Location | AT&T Labs - 9505 Arboretum Blvd, Austin, TX 78759 |
| More details on our website: | https://www.cts-comsoc-sp.org |
| Abstract | TBS - check our website for updates |
Upcoming Meetings:
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No Technology Management Council - Austin meetings are scheduled for February
Planned 2009 meetings:Contact Leslie Martinich (lmartinich@ieee.org) for more information about the Austin TMC.
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No Technology Managmeent Council - San Antonio meetings are scheduled for February
Contact Nils Smith (nils.smith@ieee.org) for information about the San Antonio TMC.
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No Women in Engineering meetings are scheduled for February
Women in Engineering has been an Affinity Group of the Central Texas Section since the Fall of 2002.
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If you're a teacher looking for hands-on projects for your first-year class in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science, your search could be over. Eight projects are available that cover such things as designing a prosthetic hand and developing error-correction codes for wireless communication systems. The projects were winners of IEEE's Real-World Engineering Project contest. There's more at https://bmsmail3.ieee.org:80/u/13926/40069599
Four IEEE journals were the most frequently cited in their fields, according to the 2007 Journal Citation Reports. Find out which IEEE journals made it to the top of the list at https://bmsmail3.ieee.org:80/u/13931/40069599
IEEE-USA hosts Washington Fly-Ins to help IEEE members discuss specific legislative issues directly with Members of Congress. Studies have shown that constituent meetings in Washington are the best way for voters to influence legislation. U.S. IEEE members are invited to come to Washington for these events. No experience is required to attend a Fly-In --all that is required is a sincere interest in shaping public policy to improve the engineering profession and American society.
"To learn more about IEEE-USA's Washington Fly-Ins, visit the websites below or contact IEEE-USA's Russ Harrison at r.t.harrison@ieee.org.
The 2009 IEEE-USA Fly-Ins are:
Career Fly-In: 23-24 March - The Career Fly-in will focus on high-skill immigration issues, especially efforts to improve access to green cards for international Masters and Ph.D. students. https://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/careerflyin/
Congressional Visits Day: 28-29 April - CVD focuses on the importance of federal spending for basic research. This event brings together a broad alliance of science and engineering groups. https://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/cvd/
Energy Fly-In: Mid June - This new event will focus on energy policy issues, especially efforts to promote alternative energy production and distribution. Stay tuned for event details.
Celebrate the profession during National Engineers Week (EWeek), 15-21 February. As always, a number of high-profile events are planned for the week in Washington, across the country and around the world. EWeek 2009 concludes with DISCOVER ENGINEERING Family Day, sponsored by IEEE-USA, on Saturday, 21 February, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. For more information on EWeek, visit: https://www.eweek.org
For more on DISCOVER ENGINEERING Family Day, visit: https://www.eweekdcfamilyday.org Check out PDFs of the posters IEEE-USA is sponsoring on Metro cars and stations in Washington at: https://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/eweek/
Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors Fellowships for qualified IEEE members to spend a year in Washington serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress and to key U.S. Department of State decision-makers. IEEE-USA's Congressional and Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowships link engineers with government; providing a mechanism for U.S. IEEE members to learn, first hand, about the public policy process through personal involvement. Government fellows must be U.S. citizens. Postmark application deadline for 2010 Fellowships: 13 March 2009 For more information, visit: https://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/
The IEEE recently announced its class of 2009 Fellows, which consists of members from around the world who have demonstrated an "extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest." They join a group of thousands of other IEEE distinguished Fellows who have contributed to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology. The IEEE Board of Directors awards the honor of Fellow to no more than 0.1 percent of the voting membership as of 31 December of the preceding year. To view the list of 2009 Fellows, visit https://www.ieee.org/web/membership/fellows/Fellows_Class_of_2009.html or to learn more about the IEEE Fellow Program, please visit https://www.ieee.org/fellows.
Read the Membership Development column for a list of fellows from the Central Texas Region!
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