CPMT PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

1999 marks the last year in the second millenium. In the year 2000 we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Components Packaging and Manufacturing Technology (CPMT) Society. As part of the celebration CPMT under the leadership of Dennis Olsen (Senior Past President of CPMT) a history booklet covering the 50 year history of the CPMT Society and the associated technology advances made during this period is being preparing. An Advisory Committee has been formed to assist in this effort. In the future you will be hearing more about the CPMT 50th anniversary plans and events.

At the January CPMT BOG meeting it was agreed to send the "CPMT Distinguished Lecturer’s List" to all our chapters so they can avail themselves of this service which CPMT sponsors.

The CPMT Society is in a continuing process of renewal to insure we meet our membership needs and expectations. As part of the CPMT effort to support emerging areas of technology of interest to our membership CPMT has agreed to be a joint sponsor of a new IEEE Council on Sensors. At the Last IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meeting 12 IEEE Societies agreed to be sponsors. The field of interest of the Council and its activities shall be the theory, design, fabrication, manufacturing of devices for sensing and transducing physical, chemical and biological phenomena, with emphasis on electronics and physics of sensors and integrated sensors-actuators. TC-17 MEMS and Sensor Packaging headed by Karen Markus will be taking the CPMT lead in the Council.

As mention in the December 1998 CPMT Newsletter the IEEE Society is looking to the future considering new models for Branding, Streamlining and a New Financial Model. The ADHOC Committees are now fully staffed. CPMT has members on all of the
ADHOC Committees (Merrill Palmer-New Financial Model, Jim Morris-Branding and Dennis Olsen & Ralph Russell-Streamlining Decision Making). The issues are the health of the IEEE General Fund, standardization of the use of the IEEE logo so the IEEE is recognized more strongly and volunteer oversight of the IEEE (it is proposed that the staff would make all administrative decisions and volunteers would make policy decisions). The current schedule calls for a preliminary report by the ADHOC Committees at the TAB meeting in June and a final report presented to the IEEE Board of Governors for action at the November TAB meeting.

In 1999 I would like to urge all our members to participate as fully as possible in the programs and conferences sponsored by CPMT. The Technical Committee (TC) Chair Persons and CPMT sponsored conferences are listed in the Newsletter. Participation in a TC is an excellent way to network with your peers. Should you be interested in participating in a local CPMT Chapter either Ralph Russell or Marsha Tickman can assist you in identifying a chapter near you.

---submitted by John Stafford, President of CPMT