Savannah Section Report - November 2003
 
Meetings:
 
Year 2003 started with a presentation by Charles Lord of the "Region 3
Remote Meeting Project". Bill Ratcliff was our Savannah Internet
connection moderator, while Charles held the meeting from his home in
North Carolina. All went very well, in spite of the nefarious nature
of Internet demonstrations.
 
Our February meeting continued the IEEE project theme, with a
presentation by Prof. Vladan Jovanovic, Georgia Southern University,
on the "IEEE Software Engineering Standards 2004". It was gratifying
indeed, to realize that part of this much needed single set of
software standards is being developed within the ranks of our own
Savannah Section.
 
In March we had a tour of Savannah Electric's Plant Kraft. Many
students from our three local universities insured a large
attendance. Students really enjoy tours.  All in attendance were
rewarded by an excellent overview of a modern fossil fuel, electrical
generation facility. Historical anecdotes, provided by retired CEO and
site eponym, Doby Kraft, made it a special experience for yours
truly. We are truly fortunate to have Doby as an active member, and
good friend.
 
The April presentation on "Image Data Mining: Medical Remote Sensing
and Security Applications", by Dr. Christopher F. Barnes, GTREP, was
informative and well received. The meeting also included a
presentation by the Sea Island Science Fair, IEEE Award, Second Place
Winner, Ben Rosenberg on "Beamed Energy Propulsion by Means of a
Target Ablation".
 
A special evening tour of the WTOC TV studios, followed by a tour and
hamburger cook-out at the transmitter facility, made the May meeting a
memorable event. It also included a presentation at the transmitter by
the Savannah Ogeechee Science and Engineering Fair, IEEE Award, First
Place Winner, T. J. Hilliard on "Improving the Efficiency of Solar
Cells".
 
A June presentation on ãInitiative of Leadership by Developing
Othersä, by Bill Ratcliff, afforded a salient topic for aspiring
officers, and others. Rachael Rosenberg, the Sea Island Science Fair,
IEEE Award, First Place Winner, gave an overview of her award winning
project "Ion Extraction and Focusing Using the High Performance
Anti-proton Trap". This is Rachael's second year as Sea Island first
place winner, and her presentations exhume a level of excellence that
is awe inspiring.
 
July - August: Summer Break
 
Meetings resumed in September, with a presentation by Eric Darling,
CEO of VideoConstruction Inc., on "Non-linear Editing, Digital Video
Acquisition, and Multimedia Services". Eric exhibited several examples
of his company's recent commercial projects, and answered several
consumer related questions about DVD, CD-ROM, and satellite dish
recording, from the membership.
 
We had quite a large attendance in October, for the meeting topic
"Bulk Power Systems & the Northeast Blackout". Steve Williamson,
Director Bulk Power Operations, Southern Company Services gave the
presentation, and fielded many questions. Of the six major blackouts
in recent decades, none have been in the southeast. Demography, and
therefore demand, are significant reasons, but we do have an excellent
system, and perhaps a bit of luck.
 
Coming in November is a visit to Georgia Southern University,
Statesboro, GA, for an introduction entitled "Information Technology
at Georgia Southern", by the Dean of the College of Information
Technology, Dr. Jim Bradford, to be followed by a tour of the brand
new CIT facility.
 
Activities for 2004:
 
Provide judges and present the Savannah Section IEEE Awards for the
Sea Island Science Fair, Hilton Head Island, SC, and the Savannah
Ogeechee Science and Engineering Fair, Savannah, Ga.
 
The Savannah Section's 50th Anniversary is coming up next year, and we
are planning a gala event, to occur in February. This will coincide
with, but will not be an integral of, the IEEE Board of Directors
meeting, to be held in Savannah that month. Perhaps we can attract a
distinguished speaker?
 
jhb 11-7-03