We welcome you to Birmingham and want to introduce you to some of the surprises that have earned Birmingham the title of "Magic City ". Many of you have never been to Birmingham, or even Alabama, and some of you have visited but have not had the opportunity or time to experience the pleasant opportunities available. There are many natural treasures that make Birmingham a delightful city. The beauty of the city-the rolling terrain, hills, and valleys-has welcomed many people over the last 50 years, contributing to its growth. Growth brings about change, and change for Birmingham has resulted in continuous additions and developments throughout the city to better serve everyone. In the urban and rural areas, new churches, shopping malls, and attractions from the entertainment industry, such as VisionLand and McWane Center , have been built. Both Birmingham and Alabama have been discovered by many as places of the future, and others are realizing this every day.

   NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal is less than two hours away in Huntsville, Alabama, and was the most substantial development of the space industry during the 20th Century. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama is a much talked-about model for the golf enthusiast and attracts many golfers each year.

   Birmingham has one of the highest population densities of engineers serving in communications, electrical power, industrial, research, academics, and other highly specialized fields. This year’s conference will provide technical formats on subjects to meet your needs and expectations. We invite you to visit, see, feel, touch and experience many exciting pleasures and adventures in Birmingham and in Alabama.

We are now less than twelve months away from the VTC 02 Spring Conference to be held in May 2002 in Birmingham, Alabama. New information for our technical program will be added to these pages as it develops. Please visit this web site again for future updates as the Alabama Section of IEEE prepares to make your conference experience enjoyable with the utmost in Southern hospitality.

Chairman, VTC Spring 2002
Preston Jackson