Lexington Section Report - August 3 EXCOM Region 3
 
First, we have had to date six regular meetings of the Section and two meetings of
the Section officers. Our last regular section meeting was on July 16 and included
a presentation on the Kentucky Energy Policy by Kentucky Energy and Environment
Cabinet Secretary Len Peters, PhD. I was a very informative meeting that included
an hour long presentation with power points and a questions and answers session
that was another hour long. We had 27 members and guest in attendance at the
meeting. Secretary Peters indicated a great deal of enthusiasm and interest in
IEEE. His comment to several of us was that he did not know of another professional
organization of professionals that covered such a large range of various areas of
technology. He noted all appear to be relevant to the present energy developments
in our society.

On a second note, at our first Section Officer's meeting a unanimous vote was made
to select Mr.. Jack McKinney (a long standing Lexington Section Member and retired
SIS and IBM Engineer) as the Section's K thru 12 Outreach Committee Chair to
support the Lexington Section's efforts at outreach to the various school districts
in our section. Jack has conducted several meetings with many different education
related local officials. He has also developed coordination with the University Of
Kentucky Electrical Engineering Department and the IEEE Student Chapter at UK. We
have developed a strategy that young people can help us to reach out to these
younger students.

On a third note, the Lexington Section is sponsoring in coordination with
Lexington-Fayette County Schools a Robotics Camp. The camp will run from August 3
thru August 7 at the Southside Technical School in Lexington. The students
attending the camp are entering fifth grade students from three elementary schools.
The schools are Picadome, Cornwall and Beaumont Elementary Schools. The student
selections were coordinated by Mr. James Hardin (Technical Education Director for
Fayette County Schools), the principals of each elementary school and the science
and computer teachers for each of the existing fourth graders at the end of the
student's fourth grade school year this past late spring. The Robotics Camp effort
was coordinated by Andy Stephenson - Technical Education Director at Southside
Technical Schools and Mr. Jack McKinney - Lexington Section K-12 Outreach Chair.
The camp will be staffed by Mr. Stephenson and two other technical education
teachers from Southside Technical School. The Fayette School System is providing
them a stipend for this week of the camp. In addition to these teachers, the camp
will be worked by seven different IEEE Lexington Section members and one of their
high school senior sons. The camp will be for 33 students and will be using the
LEGO NXT Robotic Education Kits. The Lexington Section has bought four kits and
have just recently obtained another three to supplement the five that Southside
Technical Schools have. The intent of Jack McKinney's is to make this not only a
learning experience for the elementary students, but also for us in the section.
Notes on what worked and what did not, will be kept and used to adjust future camp
efforts. We are hoping to grow the camp experience in coming years to include
entering fifth grade students from each elementary until all the elementary schools
are represented. We will use the present class notes, guidelines and related
information for the benefit of the future section activities and to be shared with
IEEE - USA in an effort to share the knowledge gained.

This is as short of a summary of our activities as we can make. I have to admit the
volunteerism of our members in the sections are on the rise as well as just meeting
attendance.

Thanks,

Adam Case Ward, P.E.
Electrical Engineer
3977 Ridgepoint Run
Lexington, Kentucky  40517
Ph. (859) 421-0928
2009 Chair - IEEE Lexington Section