Constitution and Bylaws of the

Plasma Science and Applications Committee of the

IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society

Constitution

Article I - Name and Object

Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Plasma Science and Applications Committee (PSAC) of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS), referred to hereafter as the Committee. This elective standing technical committee was formed in 1973.

Section 2. The Committee shall strive for the advancement of the theory and applications of plasma science and of its allied arts and sciences and the maintenance of high scientific and technical standards among its members.

Section 3. The Committee shall aid in promoting close cooperation and exchange of technical information among its members and to this end shall hold meetings for the presentation and discussion of original contributions, shall assist in the publication of the Transactions on Plasma Science, and shall otherwise provide for the needs of its members.

Section 4. The Committee shall attempt to provide information on plasma science to those who request it.

Article II - Field of Interest

Section 1.The field of interest of the Committee is the plasma sciences and their related technologies and applications. The Committee shall foster publication or other dissemination of original contributions to the theory, experiments, educational methods, and applications of plasma science and to the development of standards. Areas of technical activity will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Section 2.

1. Magnetohydrodynamics

2. Thermionics and plasma diodes

3. Basic plasma phenomena

4. Gaseous electronics

5. Microwave-plasma interaction

6. Electron, ion, and plasma sources

7. Space plasmas

8. Intense electron and ion beams

9. Laser-plasma interactions

10. Plasma diagnostics

11. Plasma chemistry and processing

12. Solid-state plasmas

13. Plasma heating

14. Plasmas for controlled fusion research

15. High energy density plasmas

16. Industrial, commercial, and medical applications of plasma science

17. Plasma waves and instabilities

18. High-power microwave and submillimeter wave generation

19. Pulsed power applications of plasmas

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Members of the Committee are members or affiliates of the NPSS who have a professional interest in plasma science and applications. Only members of the Committee are entitled to vote on Committee matters.

Article IV - Administration

Section 1. The Committee shall be managed by an Executive Committee (ExCom) consisting of elected members-at-large, plus certain other members as specified herein and in the Bylaws. The number of elected members-at-large shall be 18 members.

Section 2. The terms of office of the elected members-at-large shall be three years. Members-at-large elected to three-year terms may not succeed themselves; however, such members-at-large may be candidates in the election held immediately after their term of service, for the term beginning a year after the expiration of their previous term. Election of members-at-large shall be held annually to fill vacancies for the coming year. The terms of office of the other members shall be specified in the Bylaws.

Section 3.

(a) The affairs of the Committee shall be managed by the Chairperson as directed by the ExCom and in accordance with the powers and duties as defined hereunder and in the Bylaws. In the event of the Chairperson¥s absence or incapacity, these duties shall be performed by the Vice-Chairperson.

(b) The Chairperson shall appoint a Secretary for the Committee. The Secretary need not be chosen from among the elected members-at-large, but should be a member of the Committee.

Section 4.

(a) The position of Chairperson shall be filled by succession of the Vice-Chairperson, subject to the approval of ExCom. In even numbered years, beginning in 2006, a Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by the voting members of the ExCom from among the eligible members-at-large of the ExCom to serve for two years. Following this two-year term, he or she will be the sole candidate in an election for Chairperson, as specified in the Bylaws. If he or she is not approved, the procedure specified in the Bylaws will be used to select the next Chairperson. The Most Recent Past Chairperson shall serve for two years in a non-voting, advisory capacity.

(b) All directly elected members of ExCom are eligible for election as Vice-Chairperson or Chairperson. The term on the ExCom of the Vice-Chairperson and of the Chairperson shall automatically extend until they vacate their offices. During this period, the Vice-Chairperson and the Chairperson shall be considered full members with a vote. No individual may be elected as Vice-Chairperson immediately after a term as Chairperson.

(c) In the event that neither the Chairperson nor the Vice-Chairperson is able to take office as prescribed in the Bylaws or if both are incapacitated or if both offices become vacant, the ExCom shall promptly elect an Acting Chairperson from among the members-at-large to assume the duties of Chairperson until either the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson takes office or resumes his or her duties.

(d) If the Vice-Chairperson is unable to become Chairperson at the end of the two-year term, both the Vice-Chairperson and Chairperson positions will be considered vacant. A new Chairperson and a new Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by the voting members of the ExCom from among the eligible members-at-large of the ExCom. In this case, the Chairperson would serve two years and then become the most recent Past Chairperson, and the Vice-Chairperson would succeed to Chairperson as prescribed above.

(e) If the position of Vice-Chairperson is vacated at any other time during the two-year term, a replacement Vice-Chairperson will be elected by the voting members of the ExCom from among the eligible members-at-large to complete the remainder of the term. This may also occur at the conclusion of the one-year term of a Vice-Chairperson elected under the Constitution as it existed prior to 2005. Upon completion of the Vice-Chairperson term, this Vice-Chairperson would then succeed to Chairperson as prescribed above.

(f) In the event of the Chairpersonπs absence or incapacity, the Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties of Chairperson.

Section 5. The Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all subcommittees of the Committee.

Section 6. The Chairperson, as soon as expedient after election, shall appoint the chairpersons of the subcommittees provided for in the Bylaws. All appointees serve at the pleasure of the Chairperson.

Article V - Nomination and Election of Executive Committee Members-at-Large

Section 1. Nominating procedures shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws and shall include provision for nomination by Society members.

Section 2. Election of the members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws.

Section 3. If a member of the ExCom does not complete a term, the vacancy shall be filled at the next regular election for the unexpired portion of the term.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1. The Committee may hold meetings, conferences, symposia or conventions either alone or in cooperation with other organizations, subject to applicable IEEE and NPSS rules and regulations. The primary conference to be held by the Committee shall be the IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS).

Section 2. Meetings, conferences, or conventions sponsored by the Committee shall be open to all members or affiliates of the NPSS. The Committee may not sponsor or cosponsor a meeting that is in any way subject to security clearance.

Section 3. Eight voting members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. No member shall have more than one vote for any reason. A member-at-large may appoint a proxy to represent him or her at an Executive Committee meeting. However, such a proxy may not cast a vote.

Section 4. A majority of the legal votes cast by those members of the Executive Committee attending a meeting shall be necessary for the conduct of its business except as otherwise provided in this Constitution.

Section 5. The business of the Executive Committee may be handled by correspondence, telephone, or electronic communications (fax, email, etc.) where, in the opinion of the Chairperson, matters requiring prompt action can be adequately handled in that manner. A majority vote of the full ExCom is required to take action in such cases. Telephone actions are to be promptly confirmed in writing by the Chairperson.

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall meet as required to conduct business and in accordance with the Bylaws.

Section 7. If the PSAC Chairperson is unable to represent the Committee at meetings of the NPSS Administrative Committee (AdCom), the Chairperson may designate the Vice-Chairperson or the Most Recent Past Chairperson as his or her alternate. This alternate shall have the privilege of the floor and may vote on all matters coming before AdCom.

Article VII - Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by petition ratified by a two-thirds vote of the ExCom, such petition being submitted to the AdCom of the NPSS for approval. After such approval, the proposed amendment shall be published in the NPSS News, with notice that it goes into effect unless 20 members of the Plasma Science and Applications Committee object in writing to the President of the NPSS within 90 days of the date of mailing of the notice.

If such objections are received, a copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed with a ballot to all members of the Committee at least 30 days before the date set for the return of the ballots; the ballots shall carry a statement of the deadline for their return to IEEE Headquarters. When a mail vote of the entire Committee membership is made necessary, approval of the amendment by at least two-thirds of the ballots returned shall be necessary for its enactment.

Section 2. As an alternative to the procedure outlined in Section 1 above, ten members of the Committee may submit a petition to the AdCom of the NPSS. If approved by the NPSS AdCom and after notification of the ExCom, the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership of the entire Plasma Science and Applications Committee for ratification by mail ballot as described in Section 1.

Section 3. Committee Bylaws, and amendments thereto, may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the ExCom at a regularly scheduled meeting, provided that notice of the proposed Bylaw or amendment has been sent to each member of the ExCom at least a week prior to such meeting, or a Committee Bylaw or amendment may be adopted by a two-thirds mail vote of the members of the ExCom, provided that a 30-day period is allowed for such responses. In either event, the proposed Bylaw or amendment shall be published in the NPSS News. No Bylaw or amendment shall take effect until it has been approved by the AdCom of the NPSS.

Article VIII - Revision

Section 1. The Chairperson of the Committee shall appoint a seven-person subcommittee every tenth year, starting with January 1, 1984, to evaluate the effectiveness of this Constitution and Bylaws, to study the rules of governance required by the activities of the Committee at that time, and to consider writing a new Constitution and Bylaws appropriate for the existing and anticipated needs of the Committee.

Bylaws

1. Executive Committee: Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution provides that the ExCom shall consist of a number of elected members-at-large plus certain other members. These other members of the ExCom shall be, unless they are already elected members-at-large, the Chairperson of the Committee, the Vice Chairperson of the Committee and the Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science. Certain other individuals who are carrying out specific functions or activities are also expected to attend the ExCom meetings, even if they are not voting members of the ExCom. These include, the Secretary, the elected AdCom members representing the interests of PSAC, the Most Recent Past Chairperson of the Committee, the chairpersons of the Functional Subcommittees, and the chairpersons of the ICOPS to be held in the following two years. In addition, chairpersons of ICOPS to be held more than two years in the future are expected to attend at least one ExCom meeting per year, in order to present a progress report on the preparations for their conferences.

1.1 The voting members of the ExCom shall be the elected members-at-large, the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, and the Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science.

1.2. The ExCom shall meet at least two times per year, upon dates determined by the Chairperson at least three weeks in advance of the meeting. One of these two meetings shall be held in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS). Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chairperson or upon request of at least nine voting members of the ExCom with at least three weeks notice.

1.3 The last regularly scheduled meeting in the calendar year shall be considered the Annual Meeting of the ExCom.

1.4 In the absence of extenuating circumstances as approved by the ExCom, an elected member-at-large who misses three successive meetings shall automatically be dropped from the ExCom.

2. Nomination and Election of ExCom Members-at-Large: As specified in Article IV, the ExCom shall include 18 members-at-large, each serving a three-year term. Six posts, plus any vacancies occurring in the previous year, are to be filled each year by election of the general membership of the Committee.

2.1 At least one nomination for each vacant post as a member-at-large shall be made. Nominations may be made by any member of the ExCom or any member of the Committee, up until a date fixed each year by the Chairperson of the Committee. That date shall be no later than July 1, but may be extended if required. Self nominations are permitted. The Chairperson of the Committee is responsible for ensuring that at least one nomination is obtained for each position to be filled.

2.2 The individual making a nomination must determine in advance that the nominee is willing to serve if elected. A nomination is only valid if it is submitted in writing to the Chairperson or the Secretary of the Committee. The name, address, e-mail address, and phone number of the nominee must be included, as well as a short biographical statement. In addition, the nomination must provide either the IEEE membership number of the nominee, or a statement that an application for membership in the IEEE and NPSS has been submitted.

2.3 If there are more nominations than posts to be filled, those nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. Any vacancy on the ExCom resulting from an uncompleted three-year term shall remain unfilled until the next regularly scheduled election. At that time, the remainder of the uncompleted term shall be filled by the nominee receiving the next highest vote total after determination of the six regular three-year terms. In the event of a tie vote by the general membership of PSAC, the individual selected will be determined by a majority vote of the voting members of the ExCom. The tie-breaking vote of the ExCom members shall be conducted by fax or electronic mail by the Secretary of the Committee. The Secretary shall endeavor to obtain the results as far as possible in advance of the Annual Meeting of the ExCom.

2.4 The Chairperson of the Committee shall arrange, before April 1, for a call for nominations to be conveyed to the whole membership through the NPSS News.

2.5 Current members-at-large of the ExCom who are serving full terms are ineligible for nomination.

2.6 All nominees must be either members in any grade of IEEE and NPSS or must have submitted an application for membership in IEEE and NPSS at the time the nomination is forwarded to IEEE Headquarters. An affiliate member of NPSS is not eligible to be a nominee for member-at-large.

2.7 The Secretary shall annually arrange for the distribution to the members of the Committee, on or about July 31, of a ballot to elect the candidates to fill member-at-large vacancies on the ExCom. The ballot shall be accompanied by a short biographical statement from each nominee.

2.8 Sixty days after distribution of the ballots, the IEEE Headquarters shall count and tabulate the votes received and report the results to the Secretary of PSAC, who, in turn, shall notify the Chairperson.

2.9 The Chairperson of the ExCom shall submit to the Secretary of the NPSS AdCom the names of the candidates elected to fill the designated vacancies.

2.10 A member-at-large who is elected to fill an uncompleted term is eligible for renomination to the ExCom for a term beginning at the expiration of the partial term.

3. Each of the Functional Subcommittees shall submit a written report of its activities to the ExCom prior to or at the Annual Meeting.

4. Functional Subcommittees: The Chairperson of the Committee shall appoint the chairpersons and members of the following Functional Subcommittees:

(a) Membership Subcommittee: To recommend to the ExCom and to implement approved actions to increase PSAC membership.

(b) Site Selection Subcommittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit potential ICOPS sites and conference chairpersons.

(c) Human Rights Subcommittee: To recommend to the ExCom and to implement approved actions to foster human rights.

(d) Minicourse Subcommittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit potential ICOPS minicourses.

(e) Awards Subcommittee: To identify, encourage, and solicit PSAC member candidates for various IEEE awards, including the Plasma Science and Applications Award (see Bylaw 14).

The Chairperson may authorize additional Functional Subcommittees if deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the ExCom.

4.1 The terms of office of chairpersons of the Functional Subcommittees shall be one year.

4.2 The chairpersons of the Functional Subcommittees must be members of the Committee.

5. Ballots: Ballots intended for all members of the Committee shall be prepared by the Secretary at the direction of the Chairperson. No ballot shall be counted unless it is unambiguously marked by a qualified Committee member to indicate his or her choice and sent in a sealed envelope bearing the voter¥s name on or before the specified deadline date or is transmitted by other secure voting means as IEEE may in the future provide. This specified deadline date shall be at least thirty days subsequent to the date of the mailing of the ballots. The distribution and counting of ballots issued to all members of the Committee shall be entrusted to IEEE Headquarters. The Secretary of the Committee shall report the results to the ExCom at the Annual Meeting.

6. Beginning of Terms of Office: All terms of office of elected members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall begin January 1 of the year immediately following their election.

7. The Chairperson of the Committee shall actively encourage the broadest possible representation from throughout the plasma science community on the ExCom and in its activities.

8. Any member of the Committee may present a contributed paper at meetings sponsored by the Committee, provided that the subject matter of the paper is, in the judgment of the Program Committee for the meeting, germane to Plasma Science.

9. The Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science and the Editorial Board shall strive to assure that publication of papers in the Transactions depends only upon the technical merit of the paper, and not upon the financial condition of the author.

10. The Chairperson of PSAC is elected by written ballot in even-numbered years. The ballot will indicate two choices: 1) the current Vice-Chairperson, and 2) an indication that an open election is desirable. The Secretary of the Committee shall send written ballots to all voting ExCom members at least three weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. The marked ballots may be sent or delivered in person to the Secretary prior to the beginning of the Annual Meeting. The Chairperson shall designate tellers to verify and count the ballots during the Annual Meeting. Should the Vice-Chairperson fail to receive a majority of the ballots cast, then ExCom will itself determine a slate of candidates for Chairperson and vote at the Annual meeting. The term of office of Chairperson shall begin January 1 of the year immediately following the election.

11. Election of the Vice-Chairperson of PSAC: The Vice-Chairperson of the ExCom shall be nominated and elected from among the eligible elected members-at-large of the ExCom. Nominations and seconds shall be solicited by the Chairperson prior to or during the Annual Meeting in even-numbered years. The Chairperson will accept nominations and seconds up to one month prior to the Annual Meeting. The slate of candidates for Vice-Chairperson will appear on the same ballot as the election for Chairperson, and the same tabulation procedures shall be followed. After the election of the Chairperson at the Annual Meeting, the vote for Vice-Chairperson shall be announced and the nominee receiving a majority of votes cast shall be declared elected. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, runoff elections shall be conducted by secret ballot at the Annual Meeting between the candidates receiving the two highest numbers of votes until one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. The term of office of Vice-Chairperson shall begin January 1 of the year immediately following the election.

12. The IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science: The chairperson of an ICOPS must be a member of the Plasma Science and Applications Committee. The ICOPS Chairperson and the ICOPS site are selected by the ExCom from proposals brought forward by the Site Selection Subcommittee. The ICOPS Chairperson is expected to follow the guidelines established by ExCom and in the Manual for the Policy and Procedure for IEEE/NPSS Conferences. The Conference Chairperson is responsible for the budget of the conference and determines the registration fees to be charged, subject to approval by the ExCom and the NPSS. He or she shall appoint the members of the Organizing Committee and the Program Committee. At least one former chairperson of an ICOPS shall be included on the Program Committee. The ICOPS Chairperson shall also present a list of Technical Area Coordinators (TACs) to the ExCom for approval at the Annual Meeting 18 months prior to the conference and a list of Session Organizers (SOs) to the ExCom for approval at the ExCom meeting 12 months prior to the conference. These two lists shall not include individuals who have served consecutively in the same capacity for the 3 prior ICOPS. Any minicourse offered must be submitted for approval to the ExCom and should follow the ICOPS Minicourse Guidelines. The ICOPS Chairperson shall have full authority over the management and technical content of the conference, subject to the oversight of ExCom.

13. Open Business Meeting of the Committee: An annual open Business Meeting of the Committee shall be held in conjunction with ICOPS.

14. The Plasma Science and Applications Award: To recognize outstanding individual contributions to the field of Plasma Science, the Committee presents a Plasma Science and Applications Award at the ICOPS. The Award consists of a monetary award and a plaque, with the award money included in the ICOPS budget. Changes in the Award amount must be approved by AdCom and the appropriate IEEE committee. The recipient shall be invited to deliver an address at the ICOPS in the year of the Award and to submit the text of the talk for an invited paper in the Transactions on Plasma Science. Publicity announcing the recipient shall appear in appropriate NPSS publications and in other professional publications.

Nomination forms for the following yearπs award are to be distributed at the ICOPS. A nomination must be endorsed by three current IEEE members. Any person except a current voting member of the ExCom or a previous PSAC Award recipient is eligible for the Award. Nominations are submitted to the Chairperson of the Awards Subcommittee, who shall mail nomination materials to the voting members of the ExCom at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting. Selection of the recipient is performed by the PSAC Special Award Subcommittee, which is comprised of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, the elected members-at-large of the ExCom, and the Editor of the Transactions on Plasma Science. The selection is based upon scientific accomplishments in the field of plasma science, professional service to PSAC and to the plasma science community, and any other information the Special Award Subcommittee wishes to consider. No more than four votes of the Special Award Subcommittee by secret ballot shall be taken at a separate Subcommittee Meeting following the Annual Meeting. The vote of at least 3/4 of the Subcommittee present, but no fewer than six votes, is required to select a recipient. If no agreement of the Subcommittee can be reached or if no candidates are nominated, the Award will be skipped for that year.

15. The Secretary shall maintain a permanent record of the minutes of past meetings and shall forward these records to the successor at the conclusion of the term as Secretary. The Secretary shall also provide a copy of the PSAC Constitution and Bylaws to each newly-elected member-at-large.

October 18, 2004