IEEE Central Texas SectionTHE ANALOG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Volume 53-06 |
June 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Newsletter of the Central Texas Section of 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 CONTENTS1. Section Activities2. Chapter Activities3. News & Information4. Local Conferences5. Other ConferencesIEEE EXTERNAL LINKS
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1. Section ActivitiesChairman's ColumnFriends, As we kick off this summer season, I look forward to the announcement that all our new chapter petitions will have been approved by IEEE headquarters. We were recently informed that our new San Antonio Chapter for the Communications Society was approved. There has been an unfortunate delay in our Antennas and Propagation Society Chapter, but hopefully that will be announced soon as well. The accolades continue to pour in regarding the tremendous success of the 125th Anniversary Celebration. That event, held on 30 April, drew excellent attendance from the Austin/San Antonio area, and was the result of some extraordinary effort by Kenny Rice and his team of supporters. Thanks once more to Kenny for making that great event happen. I sincerely hope all will take care to enjoy the vacation months in as safe a manner as possible. Please use extra time on the road and extra care in the water as you and your loved ones have a super summer. Garrett Polhamus Back to TOP Membership DevelopmentHALF PRICE IEEE MEMBERSHIPThat's right half price IEEE membership. Join IEEE for the first time and pay only one half annual dues. If you have been looking to join, but waiting for a good excuse, now is it. Go to www.ieee.org/join for details. myIEEE Membership PortalmyIEEE is a members personalized gateway into IEEE membership. Log in today (IEEE Web Account required) for a comprehensive view of IEEE membership and the latest IEEE has to offer. See www.ieee.org/myieee
Did you know about IEEEThere are a number of interesting bits of information about your IEEE. Each month I include one of the Did You Knows in the Analog Did You Know - As a member IEEE, you have exclusive download privileges to view IEEE Spectrum articles and features. Check out the CURRENT feature articles at: www.spectrum.ieee.org/ Joe Redfield Back to TOP Continuing EducationEngineering Ethics
Webinars 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 NewsWhy 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 VolunteersIEEE Teacher In-Service Program (TISP)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. Back to TOP 2. Chapter ActivitiesJoint Circuits and Systems/Solid-State Circuits
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Topic/Title | The World Community Grid |
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Speaker | Viktors Berstis |
Abstract | WorldCommunityGrid.org is an IBM philanthropic project to harvest unused CPU cycles from personal computers around the world and aggregate that compute power, applying it to nonprofit research projects which benefit humanity and the world. This takes advantage of otherwise wasted energy and at the same time creates a virtual supercomputer that in some ways exceeds the abilities of ordinary supercomputers. The result is that some otherwise impractical or intractable research project can become reality. This talk will give an overview of World Community Grid, its research projects and challenges. |
Date/Time | Wednesday, June 17th, 6:15 - 8:30 pm |
Cost | none |
Reservations | not required |
Location | National Instruments, 11500 N. Mopac Expy Bldg C, Rooms 1S13, - see map |
Notes |
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No Computer Society - San Antonio meetings are scheduled for June. This is the annual summer break for the Computer Society and the next meeting will be September 15th.
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Topic/Title | Introducing the TriTrack |
|---|---|
Speaker | Jerry Roane |
Abstract | Presentation is about an advanced transportation concept and how to implement it on a worldwide scale, both bottom up and top down. Approaching the antiquated transportation spectrum using the semiconductor business and technology model. How do we improve our lives by more fully utilizing energy, creating less pollution, and ending traffic congestion? Jerry Roane is inventor of the TriTrack and ZoomHydro transportation systems. He is currently the CEO of Roane Inventions Incorporated and holds a BSEE from UT Arlington. He has been awarded 19 patents including medical devices, real-time driving monitor for teen driving, chip die stacking processes and computerized credit cards. |
Date/Time | Wednesday, June 24th, 2009, (Please note new meeting date in 2009 is 4th Wednesday of the month), 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 at optional extra cost. |
Location | China Star Restaurant, 6134 Hwy 290E, Austin TX, Westbound access road of 290E, just east of I-35 |
Notes | For more information, contact Ed Gordon ebg@ieee.org or Kai Wong kaiwong@ieee.org |
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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No Electromagnetic Compatibility Society meetings are scheduled for June.
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Topic/Title | TSV Stress Characterization |
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Speaker | Thuy Dao |
Abstract | Thuy Dao will present an overview of TSV manufacturing, methods to measure TSV stress, and present TSV stress data based on different sizes and layouts. |
Date/Time | Thursday June 25th, 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 | Rio Grande Conference room at SVTC. - Map at https://www.sematech.org/corporate/map.htm |
Notes |
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No Engineering in Medicine & Biology meetings are scheduled for June.
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The Engineering Management Society is becoming the Technology Management Council. Information about meetings can be found in the sections for Technology Management Council - Austin and Technology Management Council - San Antonio
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No Graduates of the Last Decade meetings are scheduled for June.
For more Information contact Jason Polendo jpolendo@ieee.org
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No Laser and Electro Optics Society meetings are scheduled for June.
For more information, contact Ray Chen
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No Life Members Affinity Group meetings are scheduled for June.
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| Topic/Title | Transportation Energy from the Grid - is it real? |
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| Speaker | Joe Redfield, P.E., SwRI |
| Date/Time | Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009, 6:00 - 9:00pm |
| Cost | Dinner is free for full-time students, $12 or $15 for IEEE members and accompanying spouses, and $15 or $18 for non-IEEE members. |
| Reservations | Please RSVP attendence only to Mike Noth via email: mikenoth@ieee.org. |
| Location | El Gallo Mexican Restaurant, 512-444-2205, 2910 S Congress, Austin, Texas |
| Notes | Joe Redfield, P.E., Manager, Advanced Vehicle Technology Section, Southwestern Research Institute (SwRI) specializes in advanced vehicle propulsion system design and energy systems engineering. At SwRI he leads a team of researchers involved in the development, testing and hardware integration of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. He is part of the team at SwRI investigating the integration of transportation energy and the electric grid. He has been a member of IEEE for 30 years and is currently the Membership Officer from IEEE Central Texas Section. He has served in various officer positions in CTS including Chairman. |
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| Topic/Title | Switchgear, Batteries & Chargers |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Larry Rozenberg with Gutor North America |
| Date/Time | Thursday, June 25th, 2009 - 6:00pm Social, 6:30pm Dinner, 7:00pm Program |
| Cost | $10 members, $15 non-members, FREE for students (Cash only please, no checks or credit 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 |
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No Product Safety Engineering Society meetings are scheduled for June.
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Topic/Title | Selective Topics in Micro-Architecture Design - Branch Prediction |
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Speaker | Dr. Lei Chen has more than 10 years experience in computer architecture research and development. He was a key member in the teams responsible for performance modeling and improvement for IBM Power7 and the mainframe z7/zGryphon microprocessors. His branch prediction design dramatically improved Power7 performance and power consumption. He has a number of publications and patents filed during his PhD studies and work at IBM. Dr. Chen received his PhD from the University of Rochester. He is currently open to career opportunities utilizing his expertise in computer engineering research and development. |
Abstract | Branch prediction has played a pivotal role as a micro-architecture design technology to improve modern microprocessor performance. In this talk, we will briefly dissect the components of a modern microprocessor and explain how branch prediction fits in. A historical perspective to the research and development of branch prediction will be presented. A number of predictor designs from both academia and industry will be discussed. We will investigate various design attributes like power, delay, global branch history, history update and multiple predictions. Finally, we will peek into the future of branch prediction. |
Date/Time | Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 6:30 pm |
Cost | Admission is Free |
Reservations | Free Registration Link: https://fcoe.eventbrite.com |
Location | AT&T Labs - 9505 Arboretum Blvd, Austin, TX 78759 |
Notes |
Check our website https://www.cts-comsoc-sp.org for details |
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No Joint Signal Processing/Communications Society - San Antonio meetings are scheduled for June.
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No Technology Management Council - Austin meetings are scheduled for June.
Contact Leslie Martinich (lmartinich@ieee.org) for more information about the Austin TMC.
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No Technology Management Council - San Antonio meetings are scheduled for June.
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 June.
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Technology wages remained mostly unchanged in the first quarter of 2009, according to the latest quarterly index from recruiting services firm Yoh. Wages hit a peak of 32.81 early in the quarter, up less than 2 percent from the previous year. Based on conversations with more than 9,000 hiring managers in over 15 US metropolitan areas, the skills most in demand include: .net/C+ developer, Java developer, project manager, SAP consultant, quality assurance, Oracle, clinical research associate, biostatistician, network engineer, and software engineer. "While the market for technology workers remains sluggish, we are starting to see stability in pay rates," said Bill Yoh, president and CEO. "Companies are continuing to hold steady, adopting a wait-and-see attitude." He predicts that as economic recovery takes hold, wages should gradually increase. Read more at: Build Your Career in Computing.
Few words a dentist can utter have a more chilling effect than root canal. So researchers in China and Southern California are racing to develop easy-to-use devices that kill infectious bacteria by delivering a stream of "cold" plasma, thereby cutting down on the number of patients who have to repeat root canal procedures. Read the story at Root Canal.
The latest issue of IEEE Security & Privacy, looks at the technology and policy behind securing the digital communications of US President Barack Obama, over the intial objections of the Secret Service. Read more at Blackberry.
As part of IEEE Spectrum's special report "25 Microchips That Shook the World," we asked some big names in the world of technology such as Gordon Moore and Carver Mead to name their favorite chips. Mead cited the gallium-arsenide MESFET he designed over a fall break early in his teaching career at Caltech. The amplifying devices that resulted are what make it possible for your cellular handset to link up with cell towers. See other luminaries' picks at: Top Chip Picks.
Passive RFID chips in pocket-size devices make it easy to pay for fuel, gain entry to mass-transit stations, and unlock the doors at offices. They are limited, however, because they rely on short bursts of power they receive from readers. But new software would allow an RFID chip to, in a sense, remember what it was doing when it lost power and then pick up where it left off. Among the benefits are more secure data exchanges between RFID cards and readers and the tantalizing possibility of turning items like clothing into passive computing devices. Read on at: RFID.
The start of 2009 marked the official kickoff of IEEE's 125th Anniversary celebration. IEEE is commemorating this milestone with a variety of activities surrounding the theme of Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future. The official 125th anniversary mark is already visible on ieee.org, and is being used on IEEE publication covers and other materials throughout the year. The latest anniversary information is available on https://www.ieee125.org.
Major anniversary events include the first IEEE Presidents' Change the World Competition for college and university students worldwide; a global media roundtable and webcast addressing emerging, world changing technologies on 10 March in New York City; Engineering the Future Day on 13 May and a series of celebrations in major world cities throughout the year:
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2009 IEEE Avionics, Fiber-Optics and Photonics Technology Conference (AVFOP) will be held September 22-24, 2009 in San Antonio, TX. For more information, contact Christine Bluhm at c.bluhm@ieee.org.
2009 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics will be held October 10-15, 2009, in SanAntonio, TX.
2009 IEEE Systems Man and Cybernetics Conference will be held October 11-14, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk in San Antonio. Paper deadline is March 15, 2009. https://www.smc2009.org
2009 Frontiers in Education Conference will be held October 18-21, 2009, in San Antonio, TX. Abstracts are due January 14, 2009. More information, including the call for papers, can be found at https://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie2009/.
IEEE Conference Search can be found at https://www.ieee.org/web/conferences/search/index.html.
See also https://www.wikicfp.com - A place to organize and share Calls for Papers.
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