Spring 2005!
I just looked back over my last President’s Message articles,
and noticed that it was exactly one year ago that I wrote to you
about Todd Hubing (our Past President) and I spending a week in
the spring in France at the Integrated Circuit EMC Conference.
What a wonderful setting for a conference, and what a friendly
and hospitable country is France! (Anyone who claims that the
French don’t like visitors must be traveling with a chip
on their shoulders!)
Each EMC conference has its own flavor and special knowledge to
impart, but none is more memorable than our own IEEE International
EMC Symposium, which this year is based in Chicago. For many of
us here in the mid-west, we relish a chance to visit “The
Windy City”. Now we have the perfect reason. EMC in Chicago!
Who could ask for more?
Busy, Busy, Busy
I think almost everyone involved in EMC at this time must be caught
up in the remarkable surge of growth that the industry is seeing
at this time. Everywhere I look I see new equipment being installed,
new chambers being built, and in some cases, whole new EMC departments
being formed. There is even a new virtual IEEE community devoted
to automotive EMC that promises to enhance inter-laboratory communications
and cooperation in that industry. Classes on EMC fundamentals,
our own series of EMC “Table Top” colloquia and seminars,
and specialty courses covering everything from lightning protection
to EMC analysis software abound everywhere.
Just as there is an explosion of growth in the EMC industry, there
is also a similar expansion of learning opportunities, and those
seeking knowledge that parallels the physical growth. Spring is
clearly here for EMC!
Membership and Networking
One of the factors that your Board of Directors watches and debates
from time to time is membership, and why people join our Society,
and why many remain members long after they have retired. Most
discussion in the past has centered about the services and publications
we provide, or the financial services available from IEEE, or
the depth of training available at our Symposia, etc. However,
at our last BOD meeting, we all asked ourselves why ‘we’
as individuals remain as EMC Society members. None of those other
things we had previously talked about were the number one with
any BOD member present at that meeting.
The single, most important reason we all agreed on was ‘networking’.
Which, in simple terms, means the human interaction with others
of our like interest. We stay for the people. For the people we
may meet, for the people we already know, and for the memories
of the people who are no longer with us. This is a very non-technical
reason, but also a very human one. In retrospect, this is something
that we might have expected. We call ourselves a ‘Society’,
and for many of us, it was clear that society interaction is the
sole reason why we are, and remain, members. The chance to meet
and talk with other like-minded people, the chance to exchange
ideas, debate concepts, and receive a warm handshake when the
discussion is completed is just too good to pass up.
So, where do these special interactions occur? Many happen at
our Symposium, or at our “Table Top” shows, or at our
Chapter meetings, or Classes or Workshops on EMC. I have often
witnessed them during or after our technical or standards committee
meetings. The requirement is two people interested in the same
thing, and a willingness to share their experiences and ideas.
If you have missed these opportunities, I invite your participation
in any one of several EMC Society events scheduled this year to
find out what this is all about. You may be pleasantly surprised
to discover that the events listed on the official program are
followed by a number of exciting opportunities that will never
be listed on the planned agenda.
If you have yet to discover the mind-expanding experiences awaiting
you with a truly exciting personal interaction afforded by one
of our gatherings, I urge you to give it a try, and make a special
effort to talk to someone there at a break, or when the ‘official’
program ends. I think you will be glad you did.
Looking Forward to Chicago in August
The next big event on my schedule is the Chicago IEEE International
Symposium in Electromagnetic Compatibility. I hope it is also
one of the important events on your schedule as well. I have seen
some of the advanced planning for this Symposium, and I am eagerly
awaiting the event because I know so many interesting things are
on tap. Also remember, if you are an employer looking for EMC
engineers and technicians, the IEEE International EMC Symposium
is the BEST place to look. The IEEE International EMC Symposium
is the gathering place for the best of the best.
Looking Further to Portland and Honolulu
Portland in 2006 and Honolulu in 2007, all seem a long way off
from where we stand in the early spring of 2005. However, I have
found that it is never too soon to begin telling your supervisor
that you will need to attend these events in order to keep up
with the constantly changing technology and standards. Plan ahead!
Be with us at each and every one. I hope to see you all in Chicago
this August. EMC
President’s
Message