The Analog is the monthly newsletter of the Central Texas Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc. New issues are published around the first of each month.  The deadline for inclusion of material is the 26th of the month.  Send submissions, comments, questions to John Purvis, Editor, john.purvis@ieee.org. Archives of The Analog can be found on the CTS web site here.

You can always check on all of the upcoming Central Texas Section activities here


We wanted to try out a slightly different format for The Analog this month. Please let us know how you like it.
John Purvis, Editor, john.purvis@ieee.org

From the Central Texas Section Chair

I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Vacation season is approaching and I hope everyone has a fun summer. There are many quality events planned by several Chapters over the coming summer months.

Congratulations to the Central Texas Section San Antonio Life Members Affinity Chapter for being selected as a 2014 Outstanding Life Members Affinity Group. The Central Texas Section is pleased to announce that our CAS/SSCS Joint  Chapter has been selected by the IEEE CAS Awards Committee to receive the 2014 IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Chapter of the Year Award.  This is a great honor for our Chapter and it was selected out of all the CAS Chapters in the World.  The Section would like to thank everyone for their hard work and attendance which made these two Chapters stand out and be recognized by the IEEE.

Call for nominations

As I mentioned last month, it's time for the nominating process to begin for chapter officers for next year. A member can serve in the same office for up to a maximum of 6 years. Nominations for chapters and affinity groups should go to the chairman of the group. The IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Operations Manual states that all chapter officers are elected annually.  The term of office will date from 1 January through 31 December. Each member of the Chapter Committee shall be an IEEE member of Graduate Student Member, Member, Senior Member or Fellow grade and a member of the parent Society. Elections should take place during the chapter November meeting. If the chapter does not have a meeting scheduled for November then the election should take place during the meeting prior to November.

The Chapter Elections process is specified in the MGA Operations Manual, section 9.6.F Chapter Election Process ( it can be found at https://www.ieee.org/documents/MGA-Manual-Jan2008.pdf ).

Kenny Rice
Chairman, Central Texas Section
krice@ieee.org

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Membership Development

Membership only E-learning tutorials
The IEEE a vigorous E-learning program.  In addition to the many tutorials provided at nominal fee, the following are but a few provided at no charge to IEEE members:
  • Village Energy: Understanding Rural Energy Needs
  • Product Development for the other 90%: Lessons Learned
  • IPR Copyrights Tutorial
  • IPR Patents Tutorial
  • IPR Plagiarism Tutorial
  • And many more …..
Visit the IEEE Member eLearning website and search for free tutorials.

Not an IEEE member and have been waiting to join?
Join now with ˝ year dues!  Join IEEE and receive 8 months of membership for the price of six.  If you have been away from IEEE for more than a year, you can re-join for half price!

Did you know about IEEE - IEEE ResumeLab
IEEE has launched a new member benefit, the IEEE ResumeLab.  The ResumeLab is an online service that allows IEEE members to develop a resume or curriculum vitae using a wide array of resume templates.  The site is great for new engineers just entering the job market or for those seasoned engineers who want to update their resume and interviewing skills.  Log on and check it out at https://www.ieee.org/resumelab

Joe Redfield
CTS Membership Development Chair
J.Redfield@ieee.org
210-522-3729

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News of Interest to the Section

Is Entrepreneurship in the US Dieing?
U.S. businesses are being destroyed faster than they are being created. Is the age of entrepreneurship in the US fading? A study from the Brookings Institution seems to indicate that that is the trend. Read more . . .

Life Sciences significant to Austin
The Austin Technology Council says that it has released the results of a study measuring the impact of the the life sciences industry in Austin and surrounding areas, saying the industry is contributing $1 billion per year, and 6,000 jobs to the region. The study--conducted for the ATC by Civic Analytics LLC---found 206 companies in the sector, with an average wage of $75,209. The ATC said there is a "broad workforce development opportunity" for the region in the life sciences sector.

Make the World a Better Place
The pipeline of future engineers is looking brighter as high school students consider a career in STEM fields after attending a STEM outreach event organized by IEEE. On April 15 volunteers from IEEE met with about 50 Dripping Springs High School students and their parents, at a PACE event organized by Central Texas Chapters of the Education Society and Women-In-Engineering and the K-12 Education program.  The students heard from a panel of 5 women engineers, scientists and business owners in fields as diverse as IT, bio-medical technology, fashion merchandizing and photography about the challenges and rewards of careers in engineering.

The students are part of a pilot program engaging young people in the maker movement, called “Make the World a Better Place.”  Their high school science curricula includes modules on engineering design and trips to Tech Shop in Round Rock, where they can use laser printers, 3-D printers, metal shop, an electronics lab, wood shop, injection molding, water cutters and other equipment to fabricate whatever they design.

The pilot program includes these students as well as faculty from Dripping Springs High School, and soon other central Texas highschools, Texas State University, and volunteers from IEEE.  We wil be conducting summer workshops for the teachers, mentoring for the students, and helping align the curricula between high schools and universities.  Future stages of the program include implementation in additional schools in Central Texas, and developing a scalable, sustainable, and viable model of the program suitable for any community.

Society faces some huge challenges, especially in moving to future generations of smart grids for our power infrastructure.  Engineers can have an amazing impact on the future—and we’ll need a talented workforce. This program is an initiative to help address such demands facing most of the STEM disciplines.

You can make a difference as a volunteer mentor, web designer, or project manager (just to name a few possibilities).  Contact Leslie Martinich lmartinich@ieee.org for more information and to help us to launch this extraordinarily important program.

Why Engineers Make Great CEOs
Forbes recently ran this article which many of you may find of interest. Engineers are detail-oriented, analytical and trained in systematic problem-solving. Engineers’ basic qualities make them good candidates for the top.  Article suggested by Steve Pearson.  Read more . . .

2014 IEEE USA/PACE Meeting May 15-18, reported by CTS PACE Chair Fawzi Behmann
PACE (Professional Activities Committees for Engineers) is a grassroots network of IEEE volunteers and committees organized at the section and chapter level in the United States with support from their respective regions and IEEE-USA. The goal of the PACE Network is to promote the professional interests of IEEE's U.S. members as well as provide a mechanism for communication of members' views on their professional needs.

Attended IEEE USA PACE Committee meeting on May 16 and PACE project workshop, Making IEEE Activities relevant for your members on May 17.

A change from last year is to have regions to submit their PACE expenses twice a year May 15 and Nov 15, 2014. This will help to assess mid year performance and financial report before year end. At the same time, this may cause a risk when forecasted expenses may not be realized!

A budget allocation for Regions 1-6 is $125K. Rebate comes from MGA to IEEE Units. It was commented that 25% of section annual budget should directed to professional development.

Ed Kirchner is now the IEEE USA PACE Committee Chair. The chair gave us (R5 Sub-committee on PACE Project automation a time slot of 30 minutes to present the proposal and respond to questions. I知 pleased to see before the presentation as well as during other PACE- Related presentations that many attendees voiced in one way or another the need for a simplified approach and tool to help conduct PACE project. The presentation went very well and committee members saw immediately the importance but also the value and benefits of the project. In summary, the committee gave a high priorty attention by debating the subject and voted on the motion of approving the proposal and moving to the next step. The approved motion is described below:

"IEEE-USA PACE Committee approves implementation of an online process for PACE Projects. A volunteer and staff team will study the options and submit a report with costs and schedules by September 1, 2014."

I知 excited and looking forward to working with the team of volunteer and staff  as well as PACE regional Chairs and other stakeholders  in building the requirements, showing POC and addressing critical elements to move into a Pilot phase.

 Example of some of the PACE projects took place in 2013 include the following areas: Pre-College, Future City, Science Fair, Teacher in Service Programs, STEM project promoting science, technology, Employment Assistance, Job Fairs, career transition, project management, Student Professional awareness Workshops and others.

Congratulations to recently elevated Senior Members!
At the Admission & Advancement (A&A) review panel meeting held in April the following Central Texas Section members were elevated to Senior Member: Jose Conto, Teresa Duepner, and Todd Stahlnecker. 

Free E-Book to IEEE Members in June - Achieving Greater Satisfaction at Work
This IEEE-USA e-book challenges readers to analyze themselves and their current job by completing a self-assessment, writing down their likes and dislikes and listing what their ideal job would be. The reader is then asked to think about their talents and accomplishments, as well as prepare vision statements.

After reading this e-book, you will have a ready reference of knowledge to help you achieve greater satisfaction and impact on the job. 

The “Career Planning Guide” will be available free to members starting 1 June by going to this site.  The cost is $5.99 for non-members.

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Call for Volunteers

Discover Engineering https://www.centexeweek.org/
Volunteers can now sign up at https://www.centexeweek.org/volunteer to be paired with a school for a visit.

Schools/Educators, get all your info at https://www.centexeweek.org/educators if you would like to have engineers visit.

July 17, 2014: Family Science Night at the Library
Organization: Wells Branch Community Library
Date: Thursday July 17, 2014
Time: 6pm to 8pm (not including set up time)
Location: 15001 Wells Port Drive, Austin Tx 78728
Volunteer Request: This program will be a part of our summer reading program. This year's theme is "Summer of Science" and we'd like to provide interactive STEM activities for families to participate in. We're flexible on the topic - perhaps demonstrations and activities covering physics, chemistry, or engineering topics. We're open to any suggestions on specific activities, but would like them to be as interactive as possible. / We're anticipating a large turnout of perhaps 100 - 150 kids & adults, but this can be split up into smaller groups if we have multiple volunteers. Being a public library, we will likely have a broad range of kids from toddlers to teenagers.
Deadline for Volunteering: May 15, 2014
Contact the Following to Volunteer: Brittany Hecker at brittany@wblibrary.org

Continuing Education

- - - IEEE - - -
 - - - Other - - -
Spectrum Tech Insider Webinars
Learn from industry experts about latest technology advances via our free Tech Insider Webinars. This page lists upcoming and available 'on demand' Tech Insider webinars. All the live webinars are archived and are available on demand for 12 months. IEEE members can also earn PDH certificates for each webinar. Go to https://spectrum.ieee.org/webinars

Computer Society Webinars
Register now for our latest free live technical webinars. Or check out our past webinars at your convenience.  See this site  for more information. 

Computer Society 2014 Professional Development Courses
Expand your knowledge base by taking a professional development course in your area of technical interest. Half-day webcast formats (3.5 hours) enable you to quickly get up to speed in a specific technology area without leaving your desk. And each are at a low cost of $49. For a limited time, sign up for three courses and receive the fourth one for free.  See the list of training courses. 

ComSoc Training
See this calendar  for a list of upcoming courses. 

Other learning opportunities
IEEE e-Learning Library - https://ieee-elearning.org/
IEEE Online Education Portal
IEEE-USA Webinars (attendees can earn professional development hours -- PDHs)
 CodeAcademy
Learn to code interactively for free https://www.codecademy.com

Corsea.org
A web site that provides an aggregate of university course offerings. Their tag line is "Take the World's Best Courses, Online, For Free." That site is https://www.coursera.org/.  They have 16 course categories, most in technology areas from 16 major universities. 

MIT Open Courseware
MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. More can be learned here.

Saylor.org: Free Education
(https://www.saylor.org/). The tag line of the Saylor website is "Harnessing Technology to Make Education Free." Although Saylor.org does not grant degrees, students can download a certificate of completion for successfully passing the exam at the end of each course. There are thirteen areas of study that visitors can choose to explore, including Computer Science, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Mechanical Engineering.

University of Texas Professional Development
UT Center for Lifelong Education provides several courses (these are NOT free). The list can be found here.

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Career

Articles of possible interest
 Dr. Dobb's & InformationWeek Salary Software Developer Salary Survey
The survey was done of more than 2200 US developers. See how you stand.  Read more . . .

IEEE ResumeLab
IEEE members have a new tool to help gain a competitive edge in the employment process. IEEE ResumeLab is a new online service that allows IEEE members to develop a resume or curriculum vitae using specialized tools tailored for each step of the job seeking process. This new product is added to the list of offerings that assist members as they find jobs and develop their careers.

The IEEE Job Site
The IEEE Job Site has undergone a makeover with new features and easier navigation to better serve IEEE members. Its still easy for IEEE members or IEEE member job seekers to conduct job searches or create and upload a resume, but with the use of HTML5 technology, the site boasts a cleaner layout and crisp contemporary design making the IEEE Job Site more user-friendly.

Visit the redesigned IEEE Job Site today to view open positions or simply to stay current with career-related news and information.

The IEEE-USA Career Manager (https://www.ieeeusa.org/careers) is organized into eight categories designed to help you manage and advance in your career:

* Career Management Interactive Workshop
* Salary Service
* Consulting and Entrepreneurship
* Professional Development Webinars
* Employment Assistance and Job Search
* IEEE Online Distance Learning
* E-Book Library
* IEEE.tv

Some Perspectives on Engineering

Engineers can share while focusing in their areas of expertise.
In a unique project in October 1991 at Hili-Fun City at Al Ain, the largest amusement park in the United Arab emirates, the new multi-engineering applications Dynamic Motion Theater Simulation ride required working with the global leader in simulation rides, Showscan who created the first major ride and was started by Douglas Trumbull, the American legendary filmmaker and visual effect pioneer in the 1970s. Synchronizing the films with the ride required the involvement of another mechanical high-pressure hydraulic systems contractor from Switzerland.  After signing the agreement with both companies, my responsibilities were defined and my role beside the design and construction of the electrical power system, was working with Showscan engineering and the Swiss contractor in compatibility of their designs with the local electrical and safety codes which promote the installation and operation of safe electricity wiring systems and are based on the general principles defined in the British Standard BS 7671 known as the IEE Wiring Regulations, UK, which are also similar to the International Standard IEC 60364. The principles have been common practice in Abu Dhabi since 1972.

During this complicated process which required all the new industrial wiring to be in consistence with the local electricity codes, I had to work closely with both engineers from Showscan and the Swiss contractor in reviewing the electrical designs provided by their companies and apply changes to the wiring and protection devices. As a licensed engineer from Al Ain Distribution Company, the sole distributor of water and electricity in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Al Ain and its surrounding rural areas) I had to pass a written and verbal tests in the IEE wiring Regulations contained in the British Standard BS 7671 which classified me in the class B and enabled me to design and construct facilities power systems. I was familiar with the local codes but not with the American and Swiss codes which required that three of us to spend long hours and big effort to update all the electrical designs. Due to the moral and ethical discussions we all had, all my suggestions, updates and changes were accepted without assuming each person has something to force.

In another project, I had to work with a lighting masts company from Italy to design a Soccer field lighting system for the Military Academy in Al Ain in 1995 and we had to go thru similar situation to redesign the Civil foundation structure and the lighting masts to meet the client specifications.

What I have learned from these projects and all over the years till now, that, in addition to agreemet on all the technical and administrative issues between project partners, chemistry between them has to be right, and that was behind the success of the Dynamic Motion Theater project which was covered by the local media.

For the Swiss Engineer and me, the Toblerone Chocolate bar he gave me upon his departure going back home, was with its distinctive triangle shape a good advertisement for Switzerland and for me it was a reminder of great friend and fun time we had working together.

Contributed by Qusi Alqarqaz
M&S Engineering
qalqarqaz@msengr.com

Tips, Tools and Gadgets

I recently came across two apps recently that might be of interest. The first is iExit for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices. With many of us preparing to travel over the summer this app may come in handy. iExit tells you what's coming up in real time when driving on the interstate. My wife and I tried it while on the drive to the R5 conference in Corpus Christi. It can come in handy at times, and the price is right - Free.

The other app is strictly for Android users. This is Droid NAS. Droid NAS allows you to share folders over a Wi-Fi network, making your Android device visible as a Bonjour computer in Finder on your Mac. Turn your phone or tablet into a wireless flash drive with a single tap! Different profiles can be used to quickly choose which folders to share. Assign your home or office Wi-Fi networks to profiles and Droid NAS will auto-select profiles on start.
You can additionally share any folder on your device (including external SD cards) or remove unnecessary shares. Just tap and hold on the list of shares.
Supported systems:
- Mac OS X.
- Android: apps like ES File Explorer, Solid Explorer, GTVBox Video Player.
- Windows is NOT supported because it can't connect to SMB servers via a non-standard port.

If you have comments, or suggestions as to something I should mention in a future issue, please let me know at john.purvis@ieee.org.  I look forward to reading your comments and suggestions.  

Student Branches

St Mary's University - San Antonio (https://engineering.stmarytx.edu/ieee/)
Faculty Adviser: Djaffer Ibaroudene, email: dibaroudene@stmarytx.edu
Branch Chair: Omar Garcia, email: ogarcia21@mail.stmarytx.edu

Texas State University - San Marcos
Faculty Adviser: Larry Larson, email: Larry.Larson@txstate.edu
Branch Chair: Alexander Katrenick, email: ak1338@txstate.edu

Trinity University - San Antonio
Faculty Adviser: Farzan Aminian, email: faminian@trinity.edu
Branch Chair: Zachary Meicler Garcia, email: zmeicler@trinity.edu

University of Texas at Austin (https://ieee.ece.utexas.edu/)
Faculty Adviser: Sriram Vishwanath, email: sriram@ece.utexas.edu
Branch Chair: Tyler Walker, email: chair@ieee.ece.utexas.edu

University of Texas at San Antonio
Faculty Adviser: Paul Morton PaulMorton@utsa.edu
Branch Chair: Patrick Stockton, email: pstockton@ieee.org

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Useful IEEE Links

IEEE

IEEE-USA

IEEE Region 5

IEEE Central Texas Section

What's New at IEEE

SocietyNews from IEEE

IEEE Regional News

      

Call for Papers

IEEE Standards Association

IEEEXplore - full text access to IEEE Publications

The Spectrum Online - The Magazine for Technology Insiders

IEEE Member Newsletter https://theinstitute.ieee.org

Conferences, Other Meetings and Events

Local IEEE Conferences, Events or Workshops

  • June 25-26, 2014: Smart Grid Overview: Technology, Impact, Issues
    Austin, TX - June 25-24, 2014
    PES Plain Talk courses are designed to help non-technical people who work in this very technical industry, or engineers new to the industry, gain a greater understanding of the power industry so they can perform their jobs at a higher level of performance.
     
    Full event listing, along with brochures and online registration, can be found   HERE.
     
    You Can Register NOW for This Event
    (See Course Description Below)
     June 24-25 in Austin, TX  (Early Bird Ends May 27th)
    Course fee includes breakfast, lunch, and course materials.
     
    Course participants are eligible for Continuing Education Credits.

  • September 22-26, 2014: 2014 IEEE International Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization for Measurement, Control, and Communication (ISPCS)
    Hilton Austin
    500 East 4th Street
    Austin, TX
    https://www.ispcs.org/2014/index.html

  • September 24, 2014: 2014 Rock Stars of Cybersecurity
    Austin, TX
    Secure Your Business Operations from Threats

    The unprecedented Target breach and government spying scandal have put cybersecurity in the global spotlight. With cyberattacks on the rise, it is now even more important to learn how to identify weaknesses and protect company infrastructure from incursions.

    At the Rock Stars of Cybersecurity conference, well-respected cybersecurity authorities from leading companies will deliver case studies and actionable advice that you can immediately put to use.

    Speakers include:
    • Peter Allor, Cyber Security Strategist - Federal, IBM
    • Peter Fonash, Chief Technology Officer, US Department of Homeland Security
    • Peder Jungck, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, BAE
    • Sarath Geethakumar, Senior Director – Global Information Security, VISA
    • Gary McGraw, Chief Technology Officer CTO, Cigital
    • Brett Wahlin, Chief Information Security Officer, HP

      For a limited time, you can take advantage of Super Early-Bird registration and save more than 30 percent off full price. Register now to assure your seat at the affordable rate of $229 — for an entire day's worth of presentations, networking, and more. Team, member, and student pricing are also available.

    At the Rock Stars of Cybersecurity conference, you will learn:
    • Effective strategies for securing business operations
    • New and innovative approaches to responding to today's security threats
    • How government agencies are balancing cybersecurity threats and privacy
    • How to implement a secure enterprise architecture
    • Big data's implications for security analytics
    • Implications of the cybersecurity skills shortage on the ability to respond to attacks

      Don't miss this opportunity to expand your security knowledge. Register today.
    https://computer.org/cyber-security

  • October 14-17, 2014: 2014 IEEE Broadcast Symposium (BTS)
    Hilton Palacio del Rio
    200 South Alamo
    San Antonio, TX
    https://bts.ieee.org/

  • December 5-7, 2014: International Performance Computing and Communications Conference
    Renasance Marriott Auboritum
    Austin,  Texas
    Register here
    https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/23653

  • December 8-12, 2014: GLOBECOM 2014 - 2014 IEEE Global Communications Conference
    Hilton Austin Hotel
    Austin, TX

    IEEE GLOBECOM 2014 will include a Technical Program comprised of 12 specific symposia, tutorials and workshops as well as an Industry Program featuring panels, posters, demonstrations, tutorials and workshops.

  • April 18-19, 2015: 2015 IEEE Region 5 Conference
    InterContinental New Orleans
    444 St. Charles Ave
    New Orleans, LA
    https://www.r5conferences.org

  • May 31 thru June 4, 2015: 2015 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (PPC)
    Hilton Austin
    500 East 4th Street
    Austin, TX

  • November 15-20, 2015: 2015 SC - International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis
    Austin Convention Center
    TX

  • 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.


Non-IEEE Meetings and Events of interest suggested by the membership
See the Door64 calendar for other local tech events
 See the Texas Tech Pulse Calendar of Texas High Tech Events

Second & Fourth Friday of evey month: TechRanch Austin, Campfire
Come join our entrepreneurial community
every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month.

Want to connect and network with local tech entrepreneurs? Validate your business idea? Interested in getting more involved with Tech Ranch? Come out for a Campfire!

Campfire is all about connecting you to the larger tech startup community. Every 2nd and 4th Friday at 3:30 PM, we gather interesting, accomplished people from across Austin’s vast entrepreneur ecosystem so you can get the introductions, insight, and help you need to move your business forward, while also helping others.

https://techranchaustin.com/programs/campfire/

June 2-6, 2014: DrupalCon Austin 2014
Find out more here.

June 10, 2014: CapMac User Group montly meeting
Silent auction with written bids - You must be a current CapMac member or employee of the donating company to participate. New members can sign up before the meeting. Download the complete inventory and terms here.
https://www.capmac.org

June 13-14, 2014: Texas Linux Fest 2014
It's that time... TxLF 2014 is here!

Are you as excited as we are for the 5th annual Texas Linux Fest?!

We are going to be at the Austin Convention Center June 13th and 14th, 2014.

This year we are planning to do two full days of expo-floor in a much larger venue. This means more vendors. More free stuff. More prizes. And more awesome-ness.

Pre-Register for the best price!

We are now accepting registration for this year's event. Sign up now!

Call for papers is officially open!

If you would like to submit a talk, please check here for more info.

Want to be a vendor? Have an awesome idea? Maybe you want to volunteer to help out?

For any other questions, feel free to shoot an email over to info@texaslinuxfest.org

Austin Convention Center
500 E. Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, Tx
https://texaslinuxfest.org

July 4-6, 2014: RTX 2014 gaming conference
The fourth annual RTX gaming conference, a creation of Austin digital media company Rooster Teeth, is expected to draw 30,000 attendees this year. The conference, set for July 4-6 at Austin Convention Center, has grown to become a leading gaming industry event. Read more . . .

August 4-7, 2014: NI Week


January 10, 2015: Data Day Texas
The event will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at the AT&T Conference Center.
https://data-day-texas-2015.eventbrite.com/

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Events and Information

Texas Girls Collaborative Project
The TxGCP Google Group is the best way to be connected in your region with all things K12 STEM - are you connected to the conversation? Join the group in your region of Texas - https://txgcp.org/k12-stem-outreach-google-group/.

STEM Summer Camp Registration Open!
STEM Innovation Camps located in Lakeway and East Austin offer several fun camps including: Junior FIRST® LEGO® League, Scratch, Minecraft, Solar Racers, and Maker Camps. Opportunity Grants available. Register here

Local Chapter Activities

The IEEE is organized into Societies and Special Interest Groups.  The full list as well as a link to join each can be found here.  The Central Texas Secion has several Society and  Special Interest Group Chapters with their own local activities as listed below. Note that some Joint Chapters represent more than one Society.

You can subscribe to an RSS feed of all Central Texas Section meetings that have been scheduled through vTools here

Click Meetings to see the next 180 days of planned activity.

The Central Texas Section Chapters
AP Antennas and Propagation Society
CAS Circuits and Systems Society
CEDA Council on Electronic Design Automation
COM Communications Society - Austin | San Antonio
CN Consultant's Network
CPMT Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology Society
C Computer Society - Austin | San Antonio
ED Electron Devices Society
E Education Society
EMB Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility Society
GOLD Young Professionals
IA Industry Applications Society
IE Industrial Electronics Society
IM Instrumentation and Measurement Society
PHO Photonics Society
LM Life Members - Austin | San Antonio
MTT Microwave Theory and Techniques Society
PEL Power Electronics Society
PE Power & Energy Society - Austin | San Antonio
PSE Product Safety Engineering Society
SMC Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society
SP Signal Processing Society - Austin | San Antonio
SSC Solid-State Circuits Society
TMC Technology Management Council - Austin | San Antonio
WIE Women in Engineering

Antennas & Propagation/Microwave Theory and Techniques (AP/MTT)
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/ap_mtt/


Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

Date/Time

Cost

Reservations

Location

Notes

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Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA)
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/ceda


Topic/Title

 Semiconductor Market & Technology Trends

Speaker

 Ken Hansen, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
Ken Hansen is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with Freescale Semiconductor. Prior to becoming CTO, Ken was Vice President and led Freescale’s Chief Development Office where he improved design efficiency and reduced product cost for all Freescale business units. Previously, he held several senior technology and management positions at Freescale and Motorola leading research and development teams. He received the BSEE and MSEE degree from the University of Illinois where he also has been recognized as an ECE Distinguished Alumni, is a Fellow of the IEEE, and holds 11 U.S. patents. Ken is an industry veteran, with 38 years of analog and digital design experience in bipolar, CMOS, and BiCMOS technologies primarily in the area of wireless communications.

Abstract

 Semiconductor chip technology has had a profound impact on all of us in ways we never imagined. Growth in the industry has been driven by driving the cost per transistor down generation after generation combined with higher levels of integration. This has enabled affordable exponential growth in computational power that has fueled new applications and products. Traditional CMOS scaling has encountered another roadblock yet there remains an insatiable desire for continued increases in computational power. Additionally, new markets are needed to support the scale required for the semiconductor industry to continue to grow. This paper will discuss some of those industry market and technology trends that extend the roadmap into the future.

Date/Time

 06/16/2014
6 pm to 9 pm

Cost

 Free. Food and Drink will be provided

Reservations

 https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26131

Location

 Building A, Freescale auditorium
   Room Number: Auditorium
   7700 W Parmer Ln.
   Austin,  Texas

Notes

 Location may change. Please check out the latest vTools for the final location
Joint meeting with CAS/SSC Chapter

Topic/Title

 Learning OpenAccess, Problem Areas Programmers Need to Understand

Speaker

 Kevin Nesmith of Silicon Integration Initiative, Inc.
Kevin Nesmith graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington in 1995. Kevin has worked with many companies in the semiconductor and EDA industry over the past 10 years while working at Si2 where he is the Chief Architect. Prior to Si2, Kevin worked as a programmer, CTO, and CEO in the financial industry where his software went on to be used by Spear, Leads, and Kellogg, Instinet, Schwab, and Goldman Sachs. He has over 19 years of experience writing for complex, realtime systems. Kevin leads many projects including the Si2 oaDebugging Suite and extending OpenAccess to integrate optoelectronic schema for the Silicon Photonics Technical Advisory Board. He is also directly involved with many other working groups and their activities. In his spare time, Kevin is an avid cyclist, runner, and swimmer competing in countless races including half and full marathons, and half and full Ironman Triathlons.

Abstract

Learning OpenAccess can be a daunting task. There is a steep learning curve, along with many fine details. Even once the user has learned the ins and outs of OpenAccess, many bad habits may be developed over time. This presentation is to help the new and experienced alike. Whether learning the material for the first time, or reviewing to help break some bad habits developed over the years. This should help users get past some of the harder aspects of OpenAccess. This presentation is going to review and explain the top areas that programmers continually have problems with. These areas include environment variables, compiling problems, how the lib.defs file works, explaining how observers work and when to use them, understanding OA’s Namespaces, and the most misunderstood hierarchical design references. Users should have a much better understanding and reference point on these most problematic OpenAccess topics. This in depth tutorial should help programmers who have never dealt in programming with the OpenAccess API and those masters who can use a refresher coarse.

Date/Time

 June 24: 6:00 pm to 9 pm

Cost

 Free. Food and Drink will be provided.

Reservations

https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26031

Location

 Building A, Freescale auditorium
   Room Number: Auditorium
   7700 W Parmer Ln.
   Austin,  Texas

Notes

 Location may change. Please check out the latest vTools for the final location

The CEDA chapter normally meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month. This meeting is open to the public and interested parties. Additional details will be posted at the website. If you have any questions about this meeting or this group, please contact zhuoli@ieee.org.

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Joint Circuits and Systems/Solid-State Circuits (CAS/SSC)
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/cas_ssc/

Topic/Title

 Semiconductor Market & Technology Trends

Speaker

 Ken Hansen, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
Ken Hansen is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with Freescale Semiconductor. Prior to becoming CTO, Ken was Vice President and led Freescale’s Chief Development Office where he improved design efficiency and reduced product cost for all Freescale business units. Previously, he held several senior technology and management positions at Freescale and Motorola leading research and development teams. He received the BSEE and MSEE degree from the University of Illinois where he also has been recognized as an ECE Distinguished Alumni, is a Fellow of the IEEE, and holds 11 U.S. patents. Ken is an industry veteran, with 38 years of analog and digital design experience in bipolar, CMOS, and BiCMOS technologies primarily in the area of wireless communications.

Abstract

 Semiconductor chip technology has had a profound impact on all of us in ways we never imagined. Growth in the industry has been driven by driving the cost per transistor down generation after generation combined with higher levels of integration. This has enabled affordable exponential growth in computational power that has fueled new applications and products. Traditional CMOS scaling has encountered another roadblock yet there remains an insatiable desire for continued increases in computational power. Additionally, new markets are needed to support the scale required for the semiconductor industry to continue to grow. This paper will discuss some of those industry market and technology trends that extend the roadmap into the future.

Date/Time

 06/16/2014
6 pm to 9 pm

Cost

 Free. Food and Drink will be provided

Reservations

 https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26131

Location

 Building A, Freescale auditorium
   Room Number: Auditorium
   7700 W Parmer Ln.
   Austin,  Texas

Notes

 Location may change. Please check out the latest vTools for the final location
Joint meeting with CEDA Chapter


The joint Circuits & Systems/Solid State Circuits Societies normally meet on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. This meeting is open to the public and interested parties. Additional details will be posted at the website. IIf you have any questions about this meeting or this group, please contact zhuoli@ieee.org.
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Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology (CPMT) - Austin
https://cpmtaustinchapter.org/

Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

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Computer Society (C)

Austin
https://www.austin-cs.org/

Topic/title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

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San Antonio
https://www.ieee-cs-cts.org/

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
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Abstract
Date/Time
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Central Texas Consultants Network Affinity Group
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/cn

Topic/Title EMC, EMI, What, Why and Which Engineering Rules to Apply
Speaker Richard F. Gillette of R.F. Gillette, Inc.
Speaker Bio Mr. Gillette holds a BSEE from the Illinois Institute of Technology, an MBA from Loyola University Chicago and is an Illinois, Licensed Professional Engineer. He worked as a technician at a number of companies and as an engineer at Beltone Electronics and Knight Kit while earning his degree. He started at Hallicrafters as an engineer designing ECM receivers. During the next 30 years he held many positions in engineering, research, marketing and program management, including VP of Engineering. He has hands on experience designing many ECM systems, all requiring full military environmental qualification including MIL-STD-461, the “Requirements for the Control of Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Subsystems and Equipments. Richard retired from Northrop Grumman nee Hallicrafters and became an independent consultant. His consulting projects include: Converting a bandwidth limited go-no go test set to measure performance of an pulsed IR
jammer, Solving problems in military qualification of a LASER PPLN crystal, designing a sapphire window heater to withstand 60,000 v/m without heater failure or the heater leads transmitting the RF power to the circuitry behind the window and engineering a minimal mod to allow an existing medical product to pass EURO EMI qualification. He is an IEEE life senior member, a charter member and treasurer of the IEEE Houston Consultants Network, a Director Emeritus and past Chair of the IEEE Chicago/Rockford Consultants Network, an Old Crow and holds Amateur Radio License W9PE. He also serves as Executive Director of the Save Community College Organization Incorporated, a 501 © 3 educational charity.
Abstract The presentation will cover Electromagnetic Interference from introduction through product verification with emphases on engineering design rules. Hence no mater what level of EMC/EMI expertize you have, you should find it of interest. Please note: This subject is not covered in many colleges, invite an engineering student or/or colleague.
Date/Time 25-June-2014
6:00 to 6:30pm -- Networking
6:30 to 8:30pm -- Business and Program
Location PoK-e-Jo's Smokehouse
2121 West Parmer Lane at Lamplight Village Ave.
Austin,  Texas
Cost 5.00 minimum cost for the restaurant. Supper is at optional extra cost.
Reservations are not required. All interested parties are invited to attend.
Reservations https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26385
Notes

Do a friend a favor. Bring your colleagues to grow the Consultants Network.

More information on Consultants Networks: https://www.ieeeusa.org/business/whatis.asp

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EducationSociety (E)

Topic/title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

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Electromagnetic Compatibility Society (EMC)
https://sites.ieee.org/ctx-emcs/

Topic/title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

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Date/time

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Electron Devices Society (ED)
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/eds/

Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

Date/Time

Refreshments


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Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMB)
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/embs/index.html

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
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Young Professionals (GOLD) Affinity Group

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
Speaker


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Location
Notes

More information on GOLD: https://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/gold/index.html

GOLD Launches Mentoring Connection Webinar
Are you interested in becoming a mentor or finding a mentor to help with  your professional development? If the answer is yes, check out a free new IEEE Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) webinar aimed at
helping mentors and mentees connect with each other. Learn more at https://bmsmail3.ieee.org:80/u/17953/32170

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Instrumentation and Measurement Society (IM)

Topic/title

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Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

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Photonics Society (PHO)

No meeting scheduled at this time.

For more information, contact Mikhail Belkin

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Life Members (LM) Affinity Group

Life members must be at least 65 years of age and have been a member of IEEE or one of its predecessor societies for such a period that the sum of his/her age and his/her years of membership equals or exceeds 100 years. When an individual achieves Life member (LM) status, their basic membership dues and Region assessments are waived on 1 January of the year following attainment of LM status.

More information on LM

Austin

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
Speaker
Abstract
Date/Time
Location
Cost
Reservations
Notes
 For information email Tom Grim

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San Antonio

Topic/Title Tour of the Briscoe Western Art Museum
Speaker
Abstract Tour of the Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St, San Antonio, TX. Guests should arrive at the museum at 10:00am. After the admission charge of $4 is paid, San Antonio Life Member Vice Chair, Richard Wiggins, will conduct a tour which is expected to end at about 11:30am. Following the tour, those who want to can dine as a group at Schilo's ( a German Delicatessan). This will be the end of the organized activity. Afterwards, guests may return to the museum and visit at leisure using your previously paid admission ticket or enjoy a visit to the riverwalk. Parking for this tour is at downtown paid parking facilities. Some guests may choose to meet outside of downtown and car pool.
Date/Time 19-June-2014
10:00AM to 01:00PM
Location 210 W. Market St.
San Antonio, TX,  Texas
Cost
Reservations https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26635
Notes

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Power and Energy Society - Austin (PE/PEL/IA/IE)
https://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/centraltexas/austin

Topic/Title Engineering Ethics
Speaker TBD
Abstract TBD
Date/Time 26-August-2014
06:00PM to 09:00PM
Location El Gallo Mexican Restaurant
2910 S Congress
Austin,  Texas
Cost
Reservations https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/24139
Notes

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Power and Energy Society - San Antonio (PE)
https://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/centraltexas/sanantonio

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
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Abstract
Date/Time
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Product Safety Engineering Society (PSE)
https://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/pses/

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
Speaker
Abstract
Date/Time
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Notes

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 6:30pm, with the program starting at 7:00pm. For further information about the PSES, please contact Dale Ritzen at (512) 651-5338.

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Joint Signal Processing/Communications Society (COM/SP)

Austin
https://sites.ieee.org/ct-comsp/

Topic/Title

 Measuring the Immeasurable: How geospatial technologies are changing the way we understand disaster risks and community vulnerability

Speaker

 Dr. Tarek Rashed, Chief Scientist and President, GSAREH LLC
Dr. Tarek Rashed is the Chief Scientist and President of GSAREH LLC, a geospatial startup and consulting company based in Round Rock, TX. He has over 20 years of experience in GIS and spatial decision making and their applications. Has a BS in Architecture Engineering, a Masters in Computer Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management and a doctorate in Geography. Has published and presented extensively; accomplishments include a text book in remote sensing, several refereed papers in leading GIS and remote sensing journals and chapters in and lead authorship of prominent GIS and remote sensing books, and manuals and technical reports presented internationally. Dr. Rashed is an experienced leader and manager having variously served as Business Development Consultant, Technical Advisor, Associate Director and President. International GIS project and technical development and management experience in Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Emirates, Qatar, Afghanistan, Croatia, UK and USA. He has a profound expertise in GIS education and an award-winner of numerous national and international awards including the prestigious Gilbert White Award for the best hazards dissertation from the Association of American Geographers, Young Scholar Award from the Consortium of Geographic Information Science, and a GIS Award from the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. Served for 2 years as a Secretary of the Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), and for 4 years as a Board Director in the Central Region of the American Society for Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). He is also a co-founder of Urban Remote Sensing specialty group of the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL). Tarek holds professional membership in several professional and scientific organizations.

Abstract

 Assessing risks from and vulnerability to disasters can generally be regarded as an ill-structured problem. Many of current risk models are divergent in terms of the meaning of vulnerability and risks; hazard-specific; essentially descriptive and not of operational value to disaster managers; and short of metrics to measure and compare vulnerability; and do not include ways to assess sensitivity to policy and mitigation measures. Geospatial technologies provide a new way to address these shortcomings and proactively manage risks and reduce vulnerabilities. The purpose of this presentation is two-fold: (1) to provide a brief review of the evolution of current analytical models of disaster’s risk and vulnerability; and (2) to examine how geospatial solutions have been used sets the stage for a new era of understanding and managing natural and technological disasters.

Date/Time

 19-June-2014
06:00PM to 08:30PM

Location

 AT&T Labs  , 9505 Arboretum, Austin,  Texas

Cost

Reservations

 https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/26631

Notes

 For further information, please contact IEEE COMSOC/SP Austin Chapter Chair Fawzi Behmann at  f.behmann@ieee.org

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San Antonio
https://ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/satx

Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

Date/Time

Location

Cost

Reservations

  

Notes

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Systems, Man & Cybernetics Society (SMC)

Topic/Title

 No meeting scheduled at this time

Speaker

Abstract

Date/Time

Location


Cost

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Notes

 For further information, contact David Akopian david.akopian@utsa.edu

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Technology Management Council (TMC)

Austin
https://www.austin-tmc.org/

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
Speaker
Abstract
Date/Time
Location
Cost
Registration
Notes

Contact Leslie Martinich (lmartinich@ieee.org) for more information about the Austin TMC.

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San Antonio

https://webinabox.vtools.ieee.org/wibp_home/index/CH05214
Topic/Title No meeting scheduled for the month of June. Next meeting will be in September. 
Speaker
Abstract
Date/Time
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Cost
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Notes  

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Women in Engineering Affinity Group (WIE)
https://www.austin-wie.org/

Topic/Title No meeting scheduled at this time
Speaker
Abstract

Date/Time
Location
Cost
Registration

Contact Leslie Martinich (lmartinich@ieee.org) for more information about the Austin TMC.

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