IEEE President Dr. Kenneth R. Laker receiving momento from Delhi Section Chair Mr. R.K. Asthana; Sitting (L to R) Technical Activities Managing Director Ms. Mary Ward-Callan, Technical Activities Vice President Dr. Michael S. Adler, Colloquia Committee Chair Mr. P. Wes Spencer and Pacific Regional Office Manager Ms. Fanny Su

IEEE Tab Colloquia at the IEEE & IEE Student Branch, Delhi College of Engineering. Sitting (L to R) IEEE Vice President Dr. Adler, IEEE President Dr. Laker and Colloquia Committee Chair Mr. Spencer

At the outset I wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous New Year. It gives me immense pleasure to communicate with you once again. Your section is organising quite a few activities in the section. 17 Technical activities are organised from July onwards, making a total of 37 for the year. Details of these activities are separately given in this newsletter.

Besides evening technical talks. Delhi chapter of Power Engineering & Industry Applications Society along with Delhi Section and IIT, Delhi is organising "2000 IEEE IAS Workshop on Electrical Safety in Industry" at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 14th & 15th April 2000.

IEEE TAB Colloquia led by Dr Kenneth R Laker, President IEEE, visited India during September 99. Their first engagement in India was at Delhi on 19th & 20th September 1999. An open house was

organised for section members along with section executive committee with Colloquia delegation on 19th September. Following points were highlighted:

1. There are very few Fellows from Delhi & India. There is need for more nominations to be made. In case an application for "Fellow" is not approved in one go, it should be made again. It was further clarified that there is no restriction on number of times an individual can be nominated for a Fellow.

2. In case of students, section may be allowed to collect membership fee in Indian Rupees similar to IEE. Delegation promised to consider this proposal.

Next day Colloquia visited Delhi College of Engineering and interacted with faculty as well as students. For more details, members may refer to India Council Newsletter "IEEE India Bulletin" October 1999 issue.

This was followed by Section congress 99. As most of you know Section congress is a tri-annual Event of IEEE. The 6th Section congress was held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA from 8th to llth October 1999, attended by about 500 delegates. Delhi section was represented by Section Chair. Detailed report is given elsewhere in this issue.

As already mentioned in the previous issue, Membership Development Committee is doing a good job. 1 am happy to report that section membership has almost doubled in last 10 months, Section membership of 876 including 193 students as on 31.12.1998 has gone up to 1789 members including 317 students as on 31.10.1999. Bravo Section MDC!

While I Welcome all new members, I am forced to ponder about the members who are away from Delhi because they may not be able to attend various technical activities being held at Delhi regularly. In order to take care of valuable members from outside Delhi; 1 take liberty to suggest that members in Punjab (100), Chandigarh (125) and Rajasthan (100) may explore possibility of forming sub-sections for the benefit of local members. I request volunteers from these cities to take initiative. Your section is ready to extend all help in this direction including furnishing the list and addresses of members in your city. I sincerely look forward to hear your views from some of you on this subject in next couple of days.

Among all the ten Regions of IEEE in the world, Region 10 (Where Delhi section belongs) is growing at the fastest rate. Your section targets to keep pace with the growth of the Region and requests all the members who qualify for Senior Membership to. apply for the same. In December 1999,12 Members have been upgraded to Senior Member. In case you need any help/guidance, please contact any of the office bearers. For getting contact details and various activities of the section, please visit our web page https://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/delhi.

I invite volunteers to help section in organising various activities. Your valuable suggestion (s), is the key for the success of the section. Please feel free to contact me or any other office bearer.

With warm wishes

(Rajendra K. Asthana)

E-mail: asthana@ieee.org

New Delhi

Dated: 20th Dec 1999

(A Report from Mr. Rajendra K. Asthana, IEEE Delhi Section Chair)

6th Section Congress was held at Minneapolis, Minnesota USA from 8th to 11th October 99. Around 500 delegates from all over the world attended. The theme of the section congress was "Designing the next century".

There were 5 break out sessions each day and 12 parallel sessions for each breakout session. Various IEEE related subjects were covered in each session. Section Congress discussion topics were divided basically into 3 tracks. Growing Membership, Serving Professional Needs and Successful Sections & chapters. There were

8 sessions general and informative. 9^th session was Subject Caucus & 10^th Regional Caucus. A trained facilitator headed each caucus. Thus there were 10 subject caucuses & 10 Regional caucuses. Each caucus was required to develop 2 recommendations based on the subject, which should be drawing attention of IEEE HQ during next 3 years.

These two caucuses developed 40 recommendations, which were put to vote to prioritiese. Following Recommendations Emerged as top four recommendations:

Following emerged as the top four recommendations:

1) MEMBERSHIP RETENSION.

IEEE should take following actions to improve membership retention.

>> Provide increased resources to GOLD programme at the session level.

>> Better tracking of students after graduation.

>> Strengthening society magazines & technical literature with increased industrial & application focus.

>> Provide a standardized welcoming package to sections (customized by demographics such as age, location, qualifications etc).

>> Allow multiyear renewals with discounts.

>> Creation of a programme that uses mature &

2) IEEE SHOULD MAKE FOLLOWING IT IMPROVEMENTS.

>> Expedite changes to rosters which now takes 3-4 months to propagate and mechanize them so the transfer of position to appropriate data bases is instantaneous; allow L-31 forms to be submitted electronically; integrate SAMIEEE & e-mail lists to enable the generation & maintenance of these lists based on user selected criteria; verify e-mail address in the SAMIEEE; notify a member if his section is changed for any reason.

3) IEEE should develop leadership resources material in a handbook for section leaders, including best practices, duties & available IEEE resources. The material is to be available in printed & electronic form.

4) Consolidate IEEE entity database & membership database into a single secure on-line accessible database with appropriate access & quarry capabilities for customized download and/ or automatic mail list generation.

One of the recommendations generated by Region 10 was to substantially increase the % age of the section membership rebate per member (currently $3.00 per member). The initial proposal was to increase it to $10.00 per member level. Region 10 is the fastest membership-growing region. Membership services from the section are the first line & most important factor to create such a fast growth. Sections need higher rebate percentage to enable & provide good services.

During voting it was rated as 10^th priority out of a total of 40 recommendations.

It may be recalled that last section congress 96 was held at Denver, Colorado, USA on Nov 1-4 1996. Top 2 recommendations of this section congress were:

1. IEEE should provide electronic facilities on suitable servers that are interactively accessible by all IEEE members & entities. Services provided should include WEB pages, E-mail, member services (including renewal), Reporting, technical Information, IEEE Information, and training, help lines.

Assigned to: The IEEE electronic communications streering committee for action.

2. Recommended that IEEE provide the electronic infrastructure for disseminating information down to section & chapter level to include directives, WEB Page links, ROOT/CAM, technological insights & practices.

Assigned to: The IEEE electronic communications steering committee.

Mr. Satish Aggarwal, organiser section congress 2002, invited the participants to section congress 2002 at Washington DC to be held from October 18-21,2002.

The Valedictory Session on the 4^th Dec was addressed by Dr. Kenneth R. Laker, the IEEE President’ 99. Mr. H L Bajaj, Past Region 10 Director and Mr. P K Srivastava, Executive Vice Chairman, India Council were also present on the occasion.

IEEE Delhi Section and PES-IAS Delhi chapter are organizing a Workshop on 'Electrical Safety in Industry' on April 14 & 15,2000 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The workshop in intended to

>> Provide a forum for Electrical Engineers to meet and exchange information, experience and skill for preventing electrical accidents in industry

>> Use this understanding and knowledge for influencing the codes, standards, technology and their practical application for increasing electrical safety.

The following major topics are likely to be covered:-

>> Electrical Safety in Plants and Equipment and

for Personnel, Protective Devices and Methods.

>> Safety Regulations, Standards and Inspection Requirement

>> Arc Flash Hazards

>> Electrical Safety in Explosion Hazardous Areas

>> Electrical Safety Program, Practices and Implementation

>> Case studies on Major Electrical Accidents and Preventive Measures Adopted

For more details, please contact

Dr. S. Mukhopadhyay

Secretary General, IEEE Workshop

D II-62 Pandara Road, New Delhi-110003

Tel.: 3381502 (R) 6170541 (O)

Fax : 91-11-6197267 E-mail: subrata@ieee.org

July 21: Talk on 'Power Generation Technologies for Better Environment' by Dr. V. K. Sethi, CEA, New Delhi at EE Dept., IIT, New Delhi (along with PES-IAS Chapter, IEE)

July 30: Talks on' Scenario of Urban Transport in India with Special Reference to Delhi' by Dr. V.K. Sibbal, RITES, New Delhi at IIC, New Delhi (along with EMS & PES-IAS Chapters, IEE)

August 18: Talk on 'E-Commerce' by Mr. Santosh Kumar, HCL, New Delhi, at EE Deptt., IIT, New Delhi (by EMS and ComSoc Chapter)

August 23: Talk on'Artificial Neural Networks for Engineering Applications' by Prof. R. L. Mahajan, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA at EE Dept., IIT, New Delhi (by CAS-CS Chapter)

Sept. 15: Talk on'Very High Frequency Omni-Range VOR Including Dopler VOR' by Prof. Q.C. Gupta, Ex.-Professor,DCE, Delhi at EE Dept., IIT, New Delhi (along with ComSoc Chapter, IEE, IETE)

Sept. 19: Two day Workshop on 'Recent Advances and Trend in Power Electronics and Drives' coordinated by Prof. B. P. Singh and Prof. Bhim Singh of IIT Delhi at EE Dept., IIT, New Delhi (along with PES-IAS Chapter and EE Dept. of IIT Delhi)

Sept. 19: Get together of members with the visiting IEEE TAB Colloquia, followed by presentation on 'The IEEE - Fostering Technological Innovation, Enabling Members' Careers and Promoting Community Worldwide' by IEEE President Dr. Kenneth R. Laker at IIC, New Delhi

Sept. 20: Visit of IEEE TAB Colloquia to IEEE Student Branch at Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi for meeting students as well as faculty members, followed by four presentations from the team and one from the students

Sept. 20: Talk on 'AI Techniques in Power Electronics and Drives'by Prof. Bimal K. Bose, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA at EE Dept, IIT New Delhi (by PES-IAS chapter as Third Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Lecture along with EE Dept. of IIT Delhi and IEE)

Sept. 29: Talk on' Third Generation Mobile Communication Systems' by Prof. Vijay Bhargava, University of Victoria, Canada at C-DOT, Pusa Road, New Delhi (by ComSoc Chapter along with AES-COM-LEO Societies India Chapter)

Oct. 28: Talk on 'Multimedia VLSI Communication System: Current and Future Trends' by Prof. Naresh R. Shanbhag (IEEE CAS Society Distinguished Lecturer) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA at EE Dept., IIT, New Delhi (along with CAS-CS Chapter)

Nov. 05: Talk on 'Railway Signalling & Safety' by Mr. V.P. Chandan, Railway Board, New Delhi at Delton Hall of IETE, New Delhi (along with EMS Chapter and IETE)

Nov. 19: Talk on 'Planning & Prospects of Railway Electrification in India' by Mr. J.K.D. Garg, Railway Board, New Delhi at IIC, New Delhi (along with EMS & PES-IAS Chapters)

Nov. 27: Talk on 'Laser Warning Receiver with Practical Commercial Applications'by Mr. Sandip K. Banerjee (Chairman, IEE Germany) of Daimler-Benz Aerospace, Germany at IIC, New Delhi (along with IEE)

Dec. 14: Talk on'Evolution of GMS to GPRS and EDGE in the Next Generation Mobile System' by Dr. Vijay K. Garg, DMTS, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies & Prof. of EECS Dept., University of Illinois, Chicago, USA at Hughes Software Systems, Gurgaon (along with ComSoc Chapter)

Dec. 14: Talk on'Access Network: Modern Trends' by Mr. Arkesh of Indian Telephone Industries, Bangalore at Delton Hall, IETE, New Delhi (along with IETE)

Dec. 24: Talk on 'E-Commerce - The Challenges'by Dr. K. Subramanian of National Infoinnatics Centre, New Delhi at Delton Hall, IETE, New Delhi (along with IETE)

The annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Delhi Section will be held on Sunday the 16^th January 2000 in the Conference Room No. 3 of the Annexe of India International Centre, Lodi Garden, New Delhi. The new Executive Committee will take over from that day. Secretary has already issued the circular for the AGM with the agenda etc, to all the members. It is expected that members in large number will attend this meeting and participate in the deliberations.

(as on 31st Oct. 1999)

Honorary Members 02

Fellows 03

Life Senior Members 03

Senior Members 88

Life Members 02

Members 1005

Associate Members 369

Student Members 317

Total 1789

You are eligible to become a SENIOR MEMBER

Examples of Significant Accomplishment:

- Substantial engineering responsibility or achievement.

- Publication of engineering or scientific papers, books, or inventions.

- Technical direction or management of important scientific or engineering work with evidence or accomplishment.

- Recognized contributions to the welfare of the scientific or engineering profession.

- Development or furtherance of important scientific or engineering courses in a rep programme.

- Contributions equivalent to above in areas such as technical editing, patent prosecution, or patent law, provided these contributions serve to advantage progress substantially in IEEE designated fields.

1. SENIOR MEMBER PLAQUE : Since January 1999 all newly elevated Senior Members are receiving an engraved Senior Member plaque. This is sent within 6 to 8 weeks after elevation. It can be displayed for colleagues, clients & employers.

2. $25.00 COUPON: From January 2000, IEEE will recognise all newly elevated Senior Members with a $ 25.00 coupon. It con be used to join a new society, subscribe to a magazine or journal, order books, publications or merchandise, or it can be applied towards renewal also. Validity of this coupon will be upto 31^st December 2000.

HOW TO OBTAIN FORM FOR SENIOR MEMBER:

You can access the Web-based Senior Member application and reference forms by visiting https://www.ieee.org/organizations/rab/md/smforms.htm. Please remember to indicate your section or society in the "Nominating Section/ Society" box.

Alternatively you can also obtain hard copies of application and/or reference forms from your section MDC (Xerox copies are also acceptable). These hard copies are to be completed and sent to IEEE by fax to "001-732-981-0225" or mailed to "IEEE, Admissions and Advancements, 445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855 - 1331, USA.

IEEE expects to elevate 1800 members to Senior Members during the year 2000. As on 31.10.99 Delhi Section has only 88 Senior Members out of 1472 (excluding students) which is about 6%. Section targets to get majority share out of 1800 number planned by IEEE and to increase the percentage substantially. Hence all members who are eligible to become Senior Member are hereby Invited to apply for Senior Membership at the earliest. In case you need any help please approach any section office bearer.

Please Hurry up and enjoy benefits.

(From Section Chair Rajendra K. Asthana)

The Student Branches of IEEE and IEE of the Delhi College of Engineering are organising an All India Technical Seminar, TROIKA '2000 for students to be held from 13^th to the 26^th of February 2000. This Seminar shall be a four-day event at that will encompass Software Design contests, an innovative Product Design contest and two Technical paper sessions. On-the spot and overnight software development contests along with a host of other informal events have been scheduled. The earlier years attracted an enthusiastic response from students and also from industrial representatives from all over the country. The Highlights of Troika'2000 will be the unique multimedia quiz-Panache and Synergy - an exhibition of the products of the future.

Troika is an annual event, being held every year for the past 13 years. It's a tradition, a tradition that gives the students an opportunity to express and exhibit their expertise and talent in the field of technology. The best brains in the country come together, exchange ideas and information and battle it out in the most popular and sought after arena in the country, Troika.

Over the years, Troika has established a sound reputation of being a positive forum for industry-institute interaction through its momentous activities, which have drawn support and appreciation from faculty and industry alike.

Troika'99 was huge success with participants from over 50 technical and non-technical institutes all over the country. Apart from Envision, Technovision and Brainwave, the regulars of Troika, Troika'99 set the ball rolling with the first ever multimedia quiz of its kind, Panache. Panache was completely a multimedia-based quiz conceptualised with the aim of making the fascinating world of quizzing all the more exciting and appealing to the viewer. It was a huge success not only with the participants and the audience but also with the corporate world that wanted to be a part of this never before experience. Thus we had illustrious companies like IBM, Nortel Networks, PC quest, Summit Data Products, MTNL taking part in the experience and many more appreciating it none the less.

Troika'2000 promises to be equally exciting and unique. "The Pinnacle of Cognition" is what we call it. We want to be ready for the future when we see it and thus Troika'2000 aims at being a tete-a-tete with the future and what it has in store for us.

This is the last issue of Beacon in this millennium. Whole world is in the grip of high excitement for entering the next millennium. So much so that while many experts still believe that the next millennium will start only on lst January 2001, there is a great hype of the new millennium beginning on the 1^st January 2000. That is why in line with the prevailing hype, I am also saying that this BEACON is the last issue of this millennium, though I am not sure who is right.

Another anxiety world over is on the problem of Y2K in the computers. This of course is a very important matter as all the computer dependent operations particularly in the real time environment are likely to have serious repercussions and some of them may even lead to catastrophic situations. Though a lot of work has been done by all the organisations in the world and most of them are claiming that they have become Y2K compliant, only time will tell how well prepared they were. In India the National Task Force constituted to deal with this problem is quite confident that all the organisations are well prepared to face the situation and there should not be any cause for worry. We hope that they are right.

The Section Congress, an event held once in three years, held at Minneapolis, USA in October 1999 discussed the problems of IEEE at grassroot level and have made some important recommendations which are covered in this issue. With the implementation of these recommendations, we can hope that IEEE will be more effective in its service to members in the next millennium.

Delhi Section hosted the Tab colloquia from the Headquarters and has been as usual quite active in organising the technical activities. Biggest achievement is however in the growth of membership which has been more than 100 %. All our volunteers deserve kudos for these achievements. The Execomm has now greater responsibility to serve such a large number of members which indeed is a big task.

Wishing you A Very Happy Year 2000 and Next Millennium

Sincerely yours

(P.K.SRIVASTAVA)

Position Name (& Organisation)

1. Chairman: Mr. R.K. Asthana (BHEL)

2. Vice Chairman: Dr. R. Balasubramanian (IIT)

3. Vice Chairman: Mr. A. Velayutham (CEA)

4. Secretary: Mr. Dinesh P. Gupta (BHEL)

5. Treasurer: Dr. S.S. Jamuar (IIT)

6. Joint Secretary: Dr. (Mrs.) Mini S. Thomas (JMI)

7. Past Chairman: Dr. S. Mukhopadhyay (CEA)

8. Member: Mr. R. K. Vir (Ex-Rlys)

9. Member: Mr. P. V Ekande (NTPC)

10.Member: Mr. M.M.S. Puri (DESEIN)

11.Member: Mr. P.K. Srivastava (EX-BHEL)

12.Member: Dr. Ashok Bhattacharyya (DCE)

13.Member: Dr. G. Sambandan (EASUN)

14. Member: Mr. Rajendra Singh (Rlys)

15. Member: Dr. (Mrs.) Devi Chadha (IIT)

16. Member: Mr. Harish Tejwani (HUGHES)