The SSCS-Seoul and Taipei chapters were selected by the SSCS Chapters Committee for the Society’s 2008 Outstanding Chapter Award. After careful consideration, it decided that both chapters consistently organized an impressive list of educational and professional activities, reached out to the community, and strengthened local membership.

Kwang Sub Yoon, Chair of SSCS-Seoul (left) and Shen Iuan Liu, past Chair of SSCS-Taipei, received Outstanding Chapter of the Year certificates on behalf of their chapters from SSCS President Willy Sansen during the 2009 ISSCC awards program on 9 February in San Francisco.

In a new format, panelists representing five especially active chapters responded to questions about the activities, priorities, and management practices accountable for their success, as the Chairs of half of the Society’s 69 world-wide chapters gathered to keep up to date and network at the Society’s annual Chapter Luncheon at ISSCC on 10 February, 2009.
 

SSCS chapter representatives who were panelists at the Society’s 2009 Chapter Chair Luncheon were, from left: Mike Seningen (Central Texas, Kwang Sub Yoon (Seoul), Alvin Loke (Denver), Dan Oprica (Santa Clara Valley) and Wei-Zen Chen (Taipei).
 

Summary of Panel recommendations

SSCS Joint Chapter to be Prouder, Stronger, and Better

If you have been wondering about the lack of activity of the Chicago Section joint chapter of ED/CAS/SSC, here is your day brightener: Our chapter had a revitalization and sustainability injection in December and will soon have a new steering committee with plans to recover the activity level of seven years ago that may be akin to the proverbial “seven year itch.”

Semiconductor Failure Insights Applicable to Chapter Vitality

Rather amazingly, the mapping attributes that have come to light in my work on semiconductor device, sensors, and electronic materials failure analysis over the past twelve years were helpful in explaining why and how Chicago chapter activities declined, and where and how to apply vitalization methods.

The conventional printed circuit board magnified cross-section of a Plated Through Hole shown in Figure 1 failed in a radio service application because the hole was not completely filled with solder and the embedded component easily became dislodged. An additional failure mechanism occurred when the hole, being not filled, had excessive thermal expansion in its vertical plane and the top cap became disconnected from its cylindrical walls.
An analogy to Chapter sustainability can be drawn from this phenomenon by visualizing what would happen to chapter management structure if only a part was supported, while the management of its mobility needs was not considered?

Another close analogy can be made to geographic plate tectonics, such as how South America separated from Africa - Look closely at the top left hand corner of the wall.

Jack Sherman, Chapter Chair and Treasurer, j.sherman@ieee.org
 

Additional tips from SSCS-Chicago on chapter management will be printed in the spring 2009 Solid-State Circuits Magazine.