REGION 8 CHAPTER ACTIVITY ROUND - UP

News from the CPMT Student Branch Chapter of the "Politehnica" University of Bucharest

On December 22, 2003 the CPMT Student Branch Chapter of the "Politehnica" University of Bucharest together with CPMT Hungarian Romanian Joint Chapter organized the workshop: "Actual issues in developing the technological environment" at the Politehnica University of Bucharest, Center for Technological Electronics and Interconnection Techniques, which attracted thirty participants.

The first 2004 Meeting of the chapter, in January, was dedicated to officer elections: Simion Zanescu is the chapter chair, Romina Macabinski vice-chair, Iulian Talpiga secretary, Florin Streza treasurer and Professor Dr. Paul Svasta is the chair advisor. The chapter has now increased in size to 24 members.

The Student Branch Chapter, together with the Center for Technological Electronics and Interconnection Techniques, attracts undergraduate students by proposing several projects, which are displayed on the Internet. The project topics are related to the CPMT fields of activity. Based on the preliminary information and theoretical aspects of the chosen project, every team of students builds a small educational software program. In this way the theoretical aspects become better understood and the students use their skills and creativity to make the theory more attractive. The evaluation of the projects is made by elder Student Branch Chapter members together with the advisor. This activity starts on March 1st, at the same time as the second semester, every year. This activity is now in its second year and is becoming a tradition.

News from the Nizhny Novgorod joint ED/MTT/AP/CPMT/SSC-SS Chapter

On 14 November 2003 the chapter held its annual joint technical meeting attended by 18 chapter members and 3 other invited attendees. The program included a presentation by the Director of the Nizhny Novgorod Physical Engineering Institute, Dr. Prof. O.N Gorshkov, describing the institute's branches, main topics of investigation and technologies and analytical facilities. There was also a contribution by Prof. D. Pavlov on "Er-doped optical active phosphate films" and a tour of the Institute.

The Chapter provides technical and financial assistance for regular seminars on Microwaves and Electrodynamics at the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University (NSTU). 4 Chapter members have regularly attended the seminars, which have included "Finite Element Method for Development of new UHF - EHF assembles and applications of it" by Dr. Yu. G. Belov, NSTU on 25/09/03 and "Non-linear scattering of radio waves and some applications of its theory", by Mr. A. A. Vasenkov, NSTU on 20/10/03.

On 27 - 29 August 2003 the Chapter co-sponsored a seminar attended by 98 people on "SHF -EHF engineering", which included 65 contributions on topics such as high power tubes and systems using them, solid state devices and assemblies, semiconductors and super pure materials for SHF-EHF engineering, and radio systems.

On 16-17 September 2003 the chapter co-sponsored an inter-regional seminar on "Precise processing of dielectric materials", with 7 contributions and attendance by 25 people, including 5 IEEE (MTT, ED, SSC, CPMT-SS) members.

On 18 November, 2003 the chapter co-organized, together with the Volga regional department of Scientific Council of Russian Academy of Science, "Radio waves propagation" branch and the Nizhny Novgorod Radio Physics and Applied Physics Research Institutes, the second regional (river Volga basin) scientific seminar on "Microwave propagation in natural media" at the Nizhny Novgorod, Radio Physics Research Institute. There were 15 contributions and 40 participants, of which 5 were IEEE (AP, MTT) members. Topics included; microwave refraction and molecular absorption in the atmosphere; mitigation, scattering and polarization effects of microwaves at the system "atmosphere - ground surface"; microwave fluctuation along the ground and slant traces; remote sensing of the ground surface and atmosphere, including the meteorological and environmental aspects of the problem; simulation of microwave propagation and remote sensing of natural media; and facilities and techniques for study of microwave propagation.

-- submitted by David Whalley