IEEE Lexington Section Report - 4/5/00

---------------------------------------------------------

The Lexington Section has continued to hold monthly technical meetings followed by dinner. Attendance has been about the same as earlier reported, 15 members on average.

Our last meeting at Cypress Semiconductor potentially benefited both the local academic community and corporate employees. Individuals involved in the University of Kentucky supercomputer project offered to collaborate with Cypress to reduce excessively long SRAM design simulation times. Cypress is also looking for new employees at a time when UK grads are entering the workforce and Texas Instruments is closing a local design/manufacturing facility. By getting these groups together we may have encouraged some mutual gain for the profession.

The web page construction and newsletter publishing during my term have not been as good as desired. Several of our officers/volunteers have had unexpected job changes and/or medical problems that have not allowed the time needed for this work. If we don't accomplish the web page goal during my term as chair we'll continue the effort when I serve as past-chair.

We have been working to update our bylaws to comply with the IEEE and RAB guidelines. Compliance involves changing to a calendar-based year which not all officers agree is in our best interest. Given some good-natured compromise I'm confident we are on track to comply by the end of 2001.

Our next meeting will be a joint meeting with the Louisville Section on May 10 when Director Riddle will present the Millennium Medal winners their awards. We are pleased to have seven medal winners and the Region 3 Outstanding Service recipient, Don Hill, active in our Section.

Respectfully submitted,

Ray A. Williams

Lexington Section Chair