Constitution and Bylaws of the Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences Technical Committee of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society

Article I - Name and Object

Section 1. The organization shall be known as the Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences Technical Committee of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS), hereafter referred to as the Committee.

Section 2. The Committee shall strive for the advancement of theories and applications of Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences and of its allied arts and sciences and maintenance of high scientific and technical standards among its members.

Section 3. The Committee shall aid in promoting close cooperation and exchange of technical information among its members and to this end shall hold meetings for the presentation and discussion of original contributions, shall assist in the publication of the Transactions on Nuclear Science (TNS) and other IEEE publications that the committee shall deem appropriate, and shall otherwise provide for the needs of its members.

Article II - Field of Interest

Section 1. The field of interest of the Committee is Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences, and their related technologies and applications. It shall foster publication or other dissemination of original contributions to the theories, experiments, educational methods and applications of Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences. Areas of technical activity will include, but not be limited to the following:

Section 2.

1) Radiation sources (including synchrotron radiation)
2) Detectors used for imaging and radiotherapy
3) Radiation standards and radiation monitoring for biomedical instrumentation and personnel
4) Theory, physics and instrumentation of medical imaging modalities including, but not restricted to:
a. Planar Nuclear Medicine (NM)
b. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)
c. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
d. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
e. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)
f. Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)
g. Functional MRI (fMRI)
h. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT)
i. Digital Radiography (DR)
j. Related imaging systems and devices
5) Modeling and simulation of imaging detectors, devices, systems, and processes
6) Image analysis techniques
7) Image reconstruction algorithms
8) Quantitative imaging methods

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Members of the Committee are members of the IEEE NPSS having an interest in Nuclear Medical Imaging.

Section 2. Affiliates may participate in the activities of the Society as provided by the IEEE Bylaws and subject to the applicable IEEE rules and regulations and to any additional limitations imposed by the Society Bylaws.

Article IV - Administration

Section 1. The Committee shall be managed by a Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences Council (NMISC) consisting of elected members-at-large, plus certain ex-officio members as specified herein and in the Bylaws. The number of elected members-at-large shall be 15 members.

Section 2. The terms of office of the elected members-at-large shall be three years. Members-at-large elected to a full term may not succeed themselves, and at least one year must elapse before an individual may be re-elected to the NMISC. Election of members-at-large shall be held annually to fill vacancies for the coming year. The terms of office of the ex-officio members shall be specified in the Bylaws.

Section 3.

(a) The affairs of the Committee shall be managed by a Chairperson, as directed by the NMISC and in accordance with the powers and duties as defined thereunder and in the Bylaws. In the event of the Chairperson's absence or incapacity, his/her duties shall be performed by a Vice-Chairperson.
(b) The Chairperson shall appoint a Secretary for the NMISC. The Secretary need not be chosen from among the elected members at large.
Section 4.
(a) On alternate years a Vice-Chairperson (who shall be the Chairperson elect) is elected by the voting members of the NMISC from the eligible members-at-large of the NMISC. The term of office for the Vice-Chairperson shall be two years as Vice-Chairperson, followed by two years as Chairperson, and two years as the Most Recent Past Chairperson.
(b) Only those members-at-large having one year or more of their term as elected member-at-large remaining shall be eligible for election as Vice-Chairperson. In the event that a Vice-Chairperson is elected to take office at the beginning of the second or third year of their term as member-at-large, said term shall automatically extend until he vacates the office of Most Recent Past Chairperson. During this extension, that individual shall be considered an ex officio member with voting rights. No individual may serve two successive terms as Vice-Chairperson or two successive terms as Chairperson.
(c) In the event that neither the Chairperson or the Vice-Chairperson is able to take office as prescribed in the Bylaws, or if both are incapacitated or if both offices become vacant, the NMISC shall promptly elect an Acting Chairperson from among the members-at-large to assume the duties of Chairperson until either a Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson takes office or resumes their duties.
(d) The Vice-Chairperson will, except under circumstances deemed unusual by a majority of the voting members of NMISC, become the sole nominee for the succeeding Chairperson election.
Section 5. The Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all sub-committees of the NMISC.

Section 6. The Chairperson, as soon as expedient after their election, shall appoint the Chairpersons of the sub-committees provided for in the Bylaws.

Article V - Nominations and Election of NMISC Members-at-Large

Section 1. Nominating procedures shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws and shall include provision for nomination by NMISTC members.

Section 2. Election of the members-at-large of the NMISC shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws.

Section 3. If a member of the NMISC does not complete their term, the NMISC Chairperson shall appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired portion of the term. When an NMISC member is appointed for a partial term, that person is eligible to run for the next full-term election to the same position.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1. The Committee may hold meetings, conferences, symposia or conventions either alone or in cooperation with other organizations subject to applicable IEEE and NPSS rules and regulations.

Section 2. Eight voting members of the NMISC shall constitute a quorum. No member shall have more than one vote by reason of multiple offices or Committee responsibilities.

Section 3. A majority of the legal votes cast by those members of the NMISC attending a meeting shall be necessary for the conduct of its business except as otherwise provided in this constitution.

Section 4. Business of the NMISC may be handled by any written means which includes (but is not limited to) correspondence, fax or e-mail if, in the opinion of the Chairperson, matters requiring prompt action can be adequately handled in that manner. A majority of the voting members of NMISC is required to take action in such a case. Such actions are to be promptly confirmed in writing by the Chairperson to NMISC.

Section 5. The NMISC shall meet as required to conduct business and in accordance with the Bylaws.

Article VII - Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by petition submitted by a two-thirds vote of the NMISC, such petition being submitted to the Ad Com of the NPSS for approval. After such approval, the proposed amendment shall be publicized in the IEEE TNS or Medical Imaging (TMI), and/or the NPSS Newsletter, with notice that it goes into effect unless 20 Committee members object within 90 days of the date of mailing of the notice. If such objections are received, a copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed with a ballot to all members of the Committee at least 30 days before the date set for the return of the ballots; the ballots shall carry a statement of the deadline for their return to the IEEE office. When a mail vote of the entire Committee membership is made necessary, approval of the amendment by at least two-thirds of the ballots returned shall be necessary for its enactment.

Section 2. As an alternative to the procedure outlined in Section 1 above, 10 members of the Committee may submit a petition to the Ad Com of the NPSS. If approved by the NPSS Ad Com and after notification of the NMISC, the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership by mail ballot as described above.

Section 3. Committee Bylaws, and amendments thereto, may be adopted by two-thirds vote of the NMISC, provided that notice of the proposed Bylaw or amendment has been sent to each member of the NMISC at least a week prior to such meeting. Alternatively, a Committee Bylaw or amendment may be adopted by a two-thirds mail vote of the members of the NMISC, provided a 30-day period is provided for such responses. In either event, the proposed Bylaw or amendment shall be publicized in the NPSS TNS or TMI, and/or the NPSS Newsletter. No Bylaw or amendment shall take effect until it has been approved by the Ad Com of the NPSS.

Article VIII - Revision

Section 1. The Chairperson of the NMISC shall appoint a five-person sub-committee no later than January 1, 2007, and every five years hence to evaluate the effectiveness of this Constitution and Bylaws, to study the rules of governance required by the activities of the Committee at that time, and to consider writing a new Constitution and Bylaws appropriate to the existing and anticipated needs of the NMISC.

Bylaws

1. NMISC: Article IV of the Constitution provides that the NMISC shall consist of a number of elected members-at-large plus certain ex-officio members. The ex-officio members of the NMISC shall be (unless they are already elected members-at-large), the Chairpersons of the Functional Sub-Committees, the Chairperson of the Radiation Instrumentation Technical Committee, the Secretary, the Editors and Associate Editors of the IEEE TNS and other publications as deemed appropriate by the NMISC and such other ex-officio members as are provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of the NPSS.
1.1 The voting members of the NMISC shall be the elected members-at-large, the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Most Recent Past Chairperson.

1.2 The NMISC shall meet at least once per year, upon dates determined by the Chairperson at least three weeks in advance of the meeting. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chairperson or upon request of at least eight voting members of the NMISC with at least three weeks notice.

1.3 The last regularly scheduled meeting in the calendar year shall be considered the Annual Meeting of the NMISC.

1.4 The Annual Meeting of the NMISC will be open to all Committee members.

2. Nomination and Election of NMISC Members: Articles IV & V of the Constitution specify the number of NMISC members-at-large, as well as the term length and restrictions. One third of the NMISC members-at-large posts are to be filled each year by election of the general membership of the Committee.
2.1 The Chairperson of the NMISC is responsible for ensuring that at least one nomination is made for each vacant post. Nominations may be made by any member of the NMISC or any member in good standing of the Committee. Self nominations are allowed.

2.2 The Individual making a nomination must determine in advance that the nominee is willing to serve if elected.

2.3 If there are more nominations than posts to be filled, those nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to the vacant posts.

2.4 The Chairperson of the NMISC shall assure, before April 1, that a call for nominations is conveyed to the whole membership. Additional nominations may be submitted to the nominating committee by July 1 by members of the Committee or by members of the NMISC. Such nominations must include an expression by the nominee of willingness to serve if elected.

2.5 All nominees must be either members in any grade of IEEE and of the Nuclear Medical and Imaging Science Technical Committee or must have submitted applications for membership at the time the nominations are forwarded to IEEE Headquarters.

2.6 The Secretary shall annually arrange for the distribution to the members of the Committee on or about July 31, a ballot to elect the candidates to fill vacancies on the NMISC. The ballot shall be accompanied by a short biographical sketch of each nominee with an indication of their Nuclear Medical and Imaging Science activities and former or present IEEE activities.

2.7 Sixty days after distribution of the ballots, the IEEE Headquarters shall count and tabulate the votes received and report the results to the NMISC.

2.8 The NMISC shall submit to the Secretary of the NPSS Ad Com the names of the candidates with the largest number of votes to fill the designated vacancies.

3. Functional Committees: The Chairperson of the Committee, in concurrence with the NMISC, shall appoint the Chairpersons of the following Functional Sub-Committees:
-A Fellows and Awards Sub-Committee.
-Other Sub-Committees as shall be required for the operation of the Committee.

3.1 The term of office of a Chairperson of a Functional Sub-Committee shall be one year, but a Functional Sub-Committee Chairperson may be re-appointed to the same position.

3.2 The Chairpersons of Functional Sub-Committees must be members of the NMISC.

3.3 The membership of the Functional Sub-Committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson of that Functional Sub-Committee. The membership and activities of the Functional Sub-Committees should be publicized to the membership of the Committee via the NPSS Newsletter, and suggestions for Sub-Committee membership should be invited from Committee members.

3.4 Each of the Functional Sub-Committees shall submit a written report of its activities to the NMISC prior to or at the Annual Meeting.

3.5 The Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference Oversight Subcommittee shall be a Joint Subcommittee of the RISC and NMISC. Its Chairperson shall be appointed by a Joint Executive Subcommittee of the RISC and NMISC consisting of the current Chairpersons, the Most Recent Past Chairpersons, and Vice Chairpersons of the RISC and NMISC. The Chairperson of the Oversight Subcommittee must be a member of either the RITC or the NMISTC. The Chairperson of the Oversight Subcommittee shall appoint the committee's membership, subject to the approval of the Joint Executive Subcommittee. The charge of the Oversight Subcommittee shall be to provide for the continuation and long term planning of the NSS/MIC conference, including the selection of the sites and General Chairpersons of future conferences. The General Chair of a given year's conference shall, in consultation with the Oversight Subcommittee, the RISC and the NMISC, also select the NSS Program Chair and MIC Program Chair for that year's conference. The term of office of the Chairperson of the Oversight Subcommittee shall be one year, but the Chairperson may be re-appointed to the same position.

4. Ballots: All ballots, whether for purposes of election or changes in the Constitution, shall be issued to the voting members by the Secretary pursuant to action by the NMISC. No ballot shall be counted unless unambiguously marked by a qualified voter to indicate their choice, and sent in a sealed envelope bearing the voter's name on or before the specified deadline date. This specified deadline date shall be at least thirty days subsequent to the date of the mailing of the ballots. The distribution and counting of the ballots shall be entrusted to IEEE Headquarters. The IEEE Headquarters will report the results of the election to the Secretary of NMISC, in turn, shall report the results to the NMISC.

5. Beginning of Terms of Office: All terms of office of elected Members-at-Large of the NMISC shall begin January 1 of the year immediately following their election.

6. Election of the Vice-Chairperson of NMISC: The Vice-Chairperson of NMISC shall be nominated and elected from among the eligible members-at-large of the NMISC. A minimum of one month before the annual meeting of the NMISC, the NMISC Secretary will notify all current NMISC members of the upcoming election and solicit nominations (self-nominations are allowed). The nominations will be closed two weeks before the annual meeting of the NMISC, and the Chairperson of the NMISC is responsible for ensuring that at least one nomination for Vice-Chairperson is received by this time. The Secretary of NMISC shall announce to all voting NMISC members-at-large the identities of the candidates at least one week before the annual meeting, and also inform them of the procedure for casting a ballot if they are unable to attend the NMISC annual meeting. The vote will occur during the annual meeting of the NMISC. If there is only one candidate, then that candidate will be elected at the Annual Meeting by those NMISC members in attendance. If there is more than one candidate, a secret ballot will be taken during the annual meeting and the Chairperson shall designate tellers to immediately count the ballots. Voting NMISC members-at-large who are not attending the annual meeting of the NMISC may submit a ballot by notifying the NMISC Secretary of their choice. The results of the vote shall be announced and the nominee receiving a majority of votes cast shall be declared elected. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, runoff elections shall be conducted by secret ballot at the Annual meeting of NMISC among the candidates receiving the two highest number of votes until one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. For these runoff elections, only those NMISC members in attendance may cast a vote.

7. Records: The secretary shall maintain a permanent record of all non-routine motions passed by the NMISC, written minutes of the Annual Meeting of the NMISC, a roster of all NMISC members, and a membership roster of all NMISC sub-committees. The secretary must provide a tabulation of the most recent five years of motions and a copy of the NMISTC constitution and bylaws to each newly elected member-at-large to the NMISC.

8. Alternates:

8.1 Members-at-Large: An elected Member-at-Large may designate any member in good standing of the NMISTC to represent the Member-at-Large at the NMISC meeting. The representative shall have the privilege of the floor, but may not vote on any matters coming before the NMISC.

8.2 AdCom Representation: If the NMISC Chairperson is unable to represent the NMISC at the NPSS AdCom, the Chairperson may designate the Vice-Chairperson or the Most Recent Past Chairperson as his/her alternate. This alternate has the privilege of the floor and may vote on all matters coming before AdCom.

July 2009

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