As I write this column for the EMC Society Newsletter,
it is the morning of the first day of 2005. This is a new year
with many new considerations. Personally, I have just begun working
with a new employer. My revised contact information may be located
at the end of this column. Beginning a new job involves a number
of adjustments, some of them pleasant, some not so, a few wrenching
decisions and a number of questions and surprises.
“How did I collect this many books and
papers?”
“Who did I loan that first edition, signed by the author,
copy of….”
“Oh, that is where that fell down behind my (desk, book case,
file cabinet, etc.)”
“Wow, I haven’t seen that for (N) years!”
“Whom can I give that to?”
“How did I get 12 copies of…..?”
Leaving old friends that have been with you
through thick and thin leaves a profound sense of loss. Leaving
circumstances that have become familiar, if no longer comfortable,
requires adapting and adjusting. Both of these encourage growth
and a re-examination of ideas, attitudes and mind-sets.
The pleasant adjustments come from meeting a new group of co-workers,
with whom we can share much. There will be chances to try out
new ideas and ways of doing things that will encourage a reexamination
of old habits and the likely replacement of some with better ways
of doing things. There will also be the confirmation that some
of the tried and true really do work the best for you and your
circumstances. All in all, an appropriate set of questions and
adjustments to accompany welcoming in a New Year.
The EMC Society in Review
This last year, the EMC Society began slowly recovering membership,
along with the rest of IEEE. We attribute this mostly to the effects
of an improving economy, with little or no credit taken by the
Board of Directors (BoD) for this change. Indeed, most of the
IEEE is now looking at its operations and functions with serious
questions about its long-term viability. The EMC Society is doing
the same.
We have several new members added to the BoD, and the November
elections shifted our Vice Presidents around slightly. The complete
list of offices and officers can be found on our web site. I want
to call particular attention to the election of Andrew Drozd as
our new President Elect. Andy will take over the day-to-day duties
of running the Society in 2006. He will spend the next year becoming
familiar with the duties of the office, the interactions with
the Technical Activities Board, and running the Long Range Planning
committee. We hope to have him well prepared when he takes over
the controls on January 1, 2006. If anyone is interested in participating
in the activities of the Long Range Planning Committee, or just
wants to provide suggestions for committee consideration, you
can find Andy’s contact information on the Society web page.
When Andy accepted the position of President Elect, we needed
to replace him as the Vice President of Member Services. We used
this opportunity to move Elya Joffe from his role as Vice President
of Conferences into the Vice President of Member Services position,
which complements his demonstrated strengths and interests. To
fill the now vacant position of Vice President of Conferences
we were able to elevate Barry Wallen to this position. Barry has
served effectively as the Chairman of the Committee overseeing
International Conferences, and is well suited to carry forward
the work of planning and coordinating our worldwide conference
schedule.
The other members of the BoD officer corps who have demonstrated
their long-term dedication to the Society and consistency of purpose
in its governance were retained in their posts. The complete list
of current BoD Officers is shown below, with the new assignments
shown in bold:
President..........................................................
K Williams
President-Elect ..............................................A
Drozd
Past President ..................................................T
H Hubing
Secretary ..........................................................J
N O’Neil
Treasurer .........................................................W
A Kesselman
Vice President - Communication Services ......G S Pettit
Vice President - Member Services ...............E Joffe
Vice President - Standards ..............................D N Heirman
Vice President - Technical Services .................J Norgard
Vice President - Conferences .......................B Wallen
The BoD implemented several initiatives in 2004
designed to improve its efficiency and effectiveness as a governing
and deliberative body. Of course, the proof of any new initiatives
is how this changes and improves the overall operation of the
organization. While this has yet to be demonstrated, you should
look for several indicators during the coming year, including
improved communication and information about volunteer opportunities,
our Technical Committees and participation in the running of our
organizations, institutions and conferences.
Volunteering
In a recent article, Mark Ciechanowski, Secretary of the IEEE
Southeastern Michigan Section, pointed out that active participation
in Society activities was a way to “maximize your investment”
in the IEEE. Indeed, it is a truism that “you reap what you
sow”, “you only get out what you put in”, “cast
your bread on the water and it will come back soggy”. Well,
perhaps that last one doesn’t apply. But, the point should
be clear. If your membership in IEEE and in the EMC Society is
soley based upon an expectation of “getting what you paid
for”, then that is all you will receive. Those of us who
put our extra time into making sure that the organization is successful,
receive so much more in return that we keep on volunteering just
on that basis. If you have not experienced this for yourself,
I encourage you to contact any of our officers, either with the
EMC Society or your local Chapter, and ask what you can do to
help. You will be glad that you did.
Technical Committees
Our Technical Committees include our Education and Student Activities
Committee, our Representative Advisory Committee and our Standards
Committee. All of these are open to participation by any member
of the EMC Society, and all of their meetings are open meetings.
Between now and the Symposium in Chicago this August, I urge you
to read the charters of all ten of our Technical Committees, and
the other three major committees as well. Contact the Chair of
any, or all, discuss ways in which you might participate in their
activities, and plan on attending their meetings when you visit
the Symposium in Chicago.
There is a stunning variety within the mix of committees of the
Society. But, if you just can’t seem to find the right ‘fit’
for your talents and interests, please contact one of the BoD
members listed on our web page to discuss just where your abilities
might find their best use. There is a lot to do, and ‘many
hands make the work light’. So, take a look, give us a call,
and let us help you find out where you can make the most difference.
Contact Information
At the beginning of this column, I mentioned that I would include
updated contact information for anyone who needed to reach me.
Note that I have included only my IEEE alias for e-mail. I do
this to ensure that I can keep my IEEE e-mail separated from my
business e-mail. If I happen to reply to a message from you from
my Denso e-mail, please restrain yourself from adding that address
to your e-mail address book. It will help more than you would
believe! EMC
Kimball Williams
President, IEEE EMC Society
k.williams@ieee.org
Senior Manager-Test/Lab Services
Denso International America Inc.
24777 Denso Drive
P.O. Box 5133 MC 4250
Southfield, MI 48086-5133
Ph: 248-372-8074
Fx: 248-213-2450
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