NEW YEAR FOR THE CENTRAL TEXAS SECTION
To kick off 2003, the Section held it's Spring Planning Meeting on January
25th in San Marcos by assembling all the Section and Chapter leaders. The
Executive Committee reviewed 2002's financial results and proposed a 2003
budget based upon the actual 2002 results. A budget spending $30,250 with
expected revenue of $25,250 for a net of (-$5,000) was approved for 2003.
Our Section's total financial assets remain relatively unchanged; we have
sufficient reserves to finance new, as yet unplanned, activities and provide
seed money for sponsoring conferences. Conference sponsorship generally
provides a good source of additional funds to use in expanding our local
activities.
All our Chapters met the requirements in 2002 to remain active,
plus our new Chapter: Women in Engineering. We encourage all members to
find a Chapter, which supports their career.
As Chairman, my vision for the Section in 2003 is to strive to
accomplish those items listed below. During the year I will report on their
progress.
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Provide more recognition to members (including Thank You's)
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Section and Chapters exceed 2002 activities
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Plan Mini-Conferences or seminars
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Provide Leadership / Management Training
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Establish a Former Chairs Leadership Forum
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Increase visibility of IEEE in Central Texas through media publicity
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Post web page changes within 24 hours
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Establish a New Membership Development Chair on Section Staff
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Create a database of subject matter experts who can present technology
topics to technical and non-technical audiences
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Establish GOLD Chapter (Graduates of the last Decade)
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Increase Section/Chapter coordination with local universities
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Encourage more tours
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Exceed number of senior members upgraded in 2002
If we all work together these objectives can be accomplished. I encourage
all members to get involved.
I consider it a privilege to be your Section Chairman for 2003. I commit
to do my best to meet your expectations. Please let all our leaders know
how we are doing and make many suggestions and recommendations. We welcome
your input.
Scott
T. Scott Atkinson
Chairman
A Section meeting will be held on Monday, February
17 in Austin. The speaker will be Vijay K. Bhargava, Candidate for IEEE
President-Elect, and faculty member of the University of Victoria, in Victoria,
Canada.
Title: From Marconi to Wireless Internet: The Wireless (R)evolution
Abstract: On 12 December 2001, the speaker participated
in one hundred year anniversary celebration of Marconi's first transatlantic
wireless experiment at a receiving site on Signal Hill, near St. John's,
Newfoundland, Canada. After a historical overview we trace the tremendous
progress made in the last two decades. With Wireless Internet access using
IMT 2000/WLAN a reality, the role of Information Theory has never been
so important. We describe several techniques such as: space-time codes,
turbo, convolutional and Reed-Soloman codes, multiuser detection, source
coding and encryption, which have served as enabling techniques for sophisticated
wireless systems. Finally, we briefly discuss the current malaise afflicting
the wireless industry and possible recovery scenarios.
Location: Building 908, IBM, 11400 Burnet Rd., Austin (Map).
Contact John Purvis (jrpurvis@us.ibm.com)
for further information.
Schedule: 6:30pm - Networking and light refreshments, 7:00pm
Program
Reservations: If you plan to attend, please send Email to John
Purvis ( jrpurvis@us.ibm.com )
for planning purposes.
Section Member Survey
Complete this survey and enter your name in a drawing.
We're conducting a survey of the IEEE Central Texas Section membership.
This web-based survey is quick and easy. Plus you've got an opportunity
at winning a new HP scanner! In the interest of providing better service
to our new and current members of the IEEE CTS, we'd like just a little
information about you to help us know more about this Section's membership.
Take a few minutes - - that's all it will take - - to answer a
few questions. If you want a chance at winning the scanner, then please
provide us your email address at the bottom. Survey data must be submitted
by March 15 to qualify for the drawing! Just go to https://www.ewh.ieee.org/r5/central_texas/centex-member-survey.html
and submit your information.
Note: We will NOT be using this information for any other purpose!
For further information, contact Emily Sopinsky (emily@iriscompany.com.
National Engineers Week Activities
National Engineers Week is February 16-22, 2003 and a number of activities
are planned in the central Texas Area.
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National Engineers Week Headquarters has a Web site that is full of information
about EWEEK activities around the country. You can check it out at
https://www.eweek.org
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Closer to home in central Texas is the Central
Texas Engineers Week Web site. Most of the activities listed are targeted
at children and schools.
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Austin 2003 Engineers Week Banquet, Saturday, February 22
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
The University of Texas at Austin's Women in Engineering Program will
host an afternoon of fun and education for girls of elementary through
high school age. The event, part of a coordinated nation-wide outreach
effort offered as part of National Engineers Week, is designed to excite
girls' interest in the field of engineering.
Volunteers for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day are needed.
Are you interested in getting elementary, middle, and high school girls
excited about the field of engineering? Then volunteer to help for Introduce
a Girl to Engineering Day Thursday, February 20, 2003 from 4:00 to 6:30pm.
(There are also volunteer shifts before and after the event times. To learn
more about Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and to register to volunteer,
visit https://www.engr.utexas.edu/wep/Working_with_WEP/Volunteers/on-site_events.htm
Recognition of CTS Activities on Senior Membership
The Computer and Technology Showcase
The CTS will be participating in the Computer
and Technology Showcase, to be held May 29-30, at San Antonio's Henry
B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The Section will have a booth to highlight
the various CTS activities.
Careers in Engineering for Women Summer Program
Do you want to have some FUN and possible change the lives of sixth
and seventh grade girls from all over Texas? Your help is needed in reviewing
applications for this year's Careers in Engineering for Women (CEW) summer
program.
CEW is a one-week, residential program designed to get middle school
girls excited about engineering. This summer, CEW will take place the week
of June 8-14. Nearly 500 applications are expected from all over Texas.
As many volunteers as possible are need to help review these applications,
and select exceptional girls to participate. Review sessions are scheduled
for 6:00 to 8:00pm on Tuesday, February 11 and Wednesday, February 12.
Both sessions will be held in the ECJ 10th Floor conference Room at the
University of Texas at Austin. Contact Katie Kizziar ktk@mail.utexas.edu
for information.
Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics
The University of Texas at San Antonio will be hosting its annual Expanding
Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics, a career conference for 6th to
12th grade young women, on Saturday, April 5th from 8:00am to 2:00pm. More
information can be found at https://sphere.math.utsa.edu.
Workshops will be filled on a first come/first served basis and registration
will be limited to 900 student participants.
15th Annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference
The 15th Annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards (HENAAC)
will be held October 16-18, 2003 in Austin, Texas, and the academic host
is the University of Texas. It includes workshops for students and professionals;
a Career Fair; a summit where national leaders from the various Hispanic
technical organizations meet annually; and a national awards show to honor
recipients of the HENAAC annual awards.
For more information on HENAAC visit their Web site at
https://www.henaac.org,
or contact Gerald Garcia at gerald.garcia@ieee.org.
Kudos for CTS Members
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Jan Brown has been given a Distinguished Service Award by IEEE
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Emily Sopinsky, newly elected Treasurer of CTS, has been appointed to the
2003 IEEE Awards Board
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Emily Sopinsky has also published the article, "Bush Country Cleans Up
Its Energy Act," on page 26 in the February issue of the IEEE Spectrum
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Joe Redfield, immediate Past Section Chairman, has been selected to be
the 2003 Membership Development Chairman for Region 5
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T. Scott Atkinson, Section Chairman, has been appointed to coordinate the
"Technical Conference" segment of the Region 5 Annual Conferences.
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James Mercier, immediate Past Chapter Chair for the Power Engineering Society,
was one of the people highlighted in the "Focus" section (p. 15) of the
January issue of the Austin Construction
News
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The IEEE A and A Committee convened on January 18 and the following CTS
members have been elevated to "Senior Member": Faizul Alam, Rajendra V.
Boppana, Brian E. Calvert, Ronald B. Capelli, Henry M. Carr, Owen Coon,
Vijay Davar, Pamela R. Gold, John A. Green, Carolyn E. Hinkle, Francis
E. Hinkle, Jr., Elaine Irons, Royce W. Johnson, Sam D. Le, Larry E. Long,
David Lorusso, Gus K. Lott, Albert Lozano, dgardo C. Manansala, Byoung
Woon Min, Charles R. Moore, Alan E. Pease, John R. Purvis, Dean L. Schneider,
Bret Voas, and Dale L. Wilken
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The IEEE A and A Committee met in November of last year to elevated to
"Senior Member": Mark D. Hall, Robert B. Rowen, and William Thorpe
Communications/Signal
Processing Societies [for more information]
Topic: "Multiservice Applications and Voice over Packet
Architectures" by Glenn LeBrun, Senior Product Marketing Manager, General
Bandwidth, Inc.
In the last few years much has been written about packet
technologies and multiservice applications, with an over abundance of enthusiasm
regarding how quickly these technologies will be integrated into the mainstream
telephony infrastructure. Of course, the pendulum has recently swung back
hard against this enthusiasm.
After the "bubble", service providers are now looking
at much more pragmatic means of developing a multiservice infrastructure.
This new pragmatism is based in both a realization of how quickly the new
technologies can be deployed, as well as a much more realistic idea of
customer needs and willingness to pay. This discussion will focus upon
the critical media gateway component in the new voice infrastructure and
how the gateway can deliver multiservice applications today within the
existing circuit-based infrastructure. It will also discuss the role of
the media gateway as the circuit-to-packet interface in next generation
networks.
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2003
Time: 6:30-9:00pm
Location: SBC Technology Resources, Inc., (SBC-TRI), 9505
Arboretum Blvd., Austin, Texas (map)
Reservations: If you plan to attend, please send Email
to Howard Headrick at hfrjr@swbell.net
for planning purposes.
Computer Society
San Antonio
[for more information]
Topic: "Positively Impacting Process Efficiency in Semiconductor
Fabs through Factory Automation" by Michael Yockey, iSky Factory Automation
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2003
6:30pm - Networking, 7:00pm - Dinner, 8:00pm - Program
Cost: $10 Members, $2 Students, $13 Non-members
Reservations: Required by Monday, February 17, 2003
To: Kevin Nickels, knickels@engr.trinity.edu,
210-999-7543
Location: Skyline Room, Coates Center, Trinity University,
San Antonio, TX
Austin [for
more information]
Consultant's
Network [for
more information]
The Consultant's Network held elections in early January, and
the new officers for 2003 are:
Chairman: Robert Spiegel
Vice-chair: Paul Alesu
Secretary/Treasurer: Ken Rice
Topic: "Small Business Counseling (SCORE) & Internet Marketing"
by Christy Neill of MaximICER LLC and Robert Rowen of Piquero Insights
Inc.
SCORE volunteers have been counseling small business
entrepreneurs, for no fee, since 1964. The SCORE Chapters in Texas (Austin,
San Antonio, and others) can provide advice and perspective on a number
of business challenges. We will give an overview of SCORE and the services
we provide our communities. One technique small businesses have been leveraging
is the Internet. We will also discuss what SCORE volunteers have found
out about successful web sites and how to use the Internet as a "business"
tool.
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2003
Time: 6:30pm - Networking, 7:00pm - Program
Location: Red Lion Restaurant, Austin, Texas, located at
the north east corner of IH-35 and 290E
Electromagnetic
Compatibility Society [for
more information]
Topic: "CE Compliance/EMC Product Safety" by Jack Black
of DLS.
A review of CE marking requirements. Detail EMC requirements for both
emissions, immunity and product safety. Briefly discuss the different directives
in Europe for product safety, including but not limited to: low voltage
directive, machinery directive medical device directive.
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2003
Time: To be Determined
Location: To be Determined
Engineering
Management Society [for
more information]
If you are interested in the Engineering Management Society,
contact Steve Prough, Vice-Chairman, sdprough@aol.com.
Engineering
in Medicine and Biology Society [for more information]
Power
Engineering Society [for
more information]
Topic: "Electrical Testing" by James R.
White, Shermco Industries, Inc. James White is
nationally recognized for technical skills and safety training in the electrical
power systems industry. Currently the Training Director for Shermco Industries,
Jim has spent the last twenty-two years directly involved in technical
skills and safety training for electrical power technicians.
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Time: 6:00pm - Social, 6:30-7:00pm - Dinner, 7:00-7:30pm
Business meeting, 7:30-8:30pm - Program
Cost: $10 Members, Free for Students
Reservations: For further information, please contact Susan
Thompton or Steve Kanetsky, at 512-326-3380 or go to the Web site at https://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/cen
traltexas/
Location: El Gallo Mexican Restaurant, 2910 S. Congress,
Austin, TX (map)
Women
in Engineering [for
more information]
The Women in Engineering Chapter of Central Texas is planning
to meet on the first Tuesday of every other month in Austin.
Topic: "'Confidence' - As Important as 'Competence'" by Donna
Van Fleet, retired IBM programming executive.
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2003
Time: 6:00-8:00pm
Location: La Madeleine Cafe, 3418 N. Lamar Blvd at 35th
St. in Austin (map).
Food can be purchased at the cafe and brought into the meeting. Free parking
is available.
CTS Student
Branches