Subject:  Region 3 Lower Cape Fear Sub-Section Meeting Report

Officers:
Chair:  Brian DosSantos
Vice-Chair:  Stephen Middlekauff
Secretary:  Karl Ricanek
Student Activities Chair:  Judith Porter

The Lower Cape Fear Sub-Section, based in Wilmington, NC, has been
dormant for a couple decades.  Recent growth in this area of the state
prompted a revitalization attempt for this sub-section.  There are
approximately 170 IEEE members living in Wilmington and the
surrounding area. In June of 2003, representatives from the Eastern NC
Chapter of IEEE announced a meeting in Wilmington, held at the
University of North Carolina - Wilmington campus, to discuss
re-starting a Wilmington based sub-section.  The turnout was
favorable, as well as the support, and officers were elected.  The
chair, vice-chair, and secretary were named as listed above.  Later on
a student-activities chair was named, to try to build a student
membership by tapping into the two colleges in Wilmington: UNCW and
Cape Fear Community College.

Since June the sub-section has held three main meetings, featuring
three local speakers, at three different venues.  Attendance has been
in the range of 15-30 people.  The group's intention is to continue to
meet approximately every other month.  The sub-section has received
excellent support from the employers of the officers, and the Eastern
NC section in Raleigh.  Plans for the group are to generate additional
support from other local industries, and continue to offer diverse
main programs to entice more attendance.  Wilmington has a very
diverse local industry, i.e. there is no one dominant industry that
makes up most of the engineering population, making it a challenge to
find main topics that provide mass appeal.  The student activities
chair will continue to grow and appeal to the student membership.
Ultimately the intent is to grow membership to a point it can become
an independent section.