NEWSLETTER OF THE BALTIMORE SECTION OF THE IEEE
SEPTEMBER 2004
The web site for the Baltimore section of the IEEE is:
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/baltimore
We hope everyone is having a great summer. It’s now time to start up the newsletter.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. 2004 IEEE Intelligent Transportation
Systems Conference
2. Winter Simulation
Conference 2004
4. Message
From Mario Gonzalez
5. IEEE
Virtual Museum Program
6. IEEE And
The Scouting Movement
8. About
IEEE Educational Activities
9. About The
IEEE History Center
1. 2004 IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference
The following is a notice for the 2004 IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference that will be held October 3-6 in Washington, DC. Details on the Conference can be found at www.itsc2004.org. A summary is included below.
Main Theme of conference: Advances in Intelligent Transportation Systems
Location: Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel
Topics of conference: Visit http://www.itsc2004.org/sessions.html
Conference costs:
On/Before August 4
IEEE Member $425
Non Member $475
Reduced Rate (Students) $200
After August 4
IEEE Member $450
Non Member $525
Reduced Rate (Students) $250
One-day rate: $200
Banquet only rate: $60
2. Winter Simulation Conference 2004
When: December 5-8, 2004
Where: Washington Hilton and Towers, Washington D.C.
WSC '04 will be held December 5-8, 2004 at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C. The Washington Hilton is conveniently located on fashionable upper Connecticut Avenue, just minutes from Georgetown, Adams-Morgan, Embassy Row, the Washington business district, and many Washington landmarks and attractions. The hotel is 2 blocks from a Metro stop with convenient access to the Capital, Northern Virginia, Southern Maryland, Reagan National Airport and many other locations around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
The theme of the WSC ’04 is “Simulation: Agent of Change,”
and the conference will have approximately 13 full tracks and several additional
opportunities to see the state-of-the-art in simulation. Mark your calendar now for WSC ’04 and join
us in Washington. For additional
information, sponsorship opportunities or to volunteer, contact the WSC '04
General Chair, Jeff Smith of Auburn University (jsmith@auburn.edu),
(334) 844-1412 or the WSC '04 Program Chair, Brett Peters of Texas A&M
University (bpeters@tamu.edu) (979) 845-3574.
The Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) is the premier international forum for disseminating recent advances in the field of system simulation. In addition to a technical program of unsurpassed scope and quality, WSC provides the central meeting place for simulation practitioners, researchers, and vendors working in all disciplines and in the industrial, governmental, military, and academic sectors.
WSC '04 features a comprehensive program ranging from introductory tutorials to state-of-the-art research and practice. The conference includes student presentations, exhibits, training sessions by software/hardware vendors, business meetings for professional societies and software user groups, a general reception, and a spouse’s program. The list of expected concurrent tracks includes:
Full Tracks:
•
Introductory Tutorials
• Advanced
Tutorials
•
Vendor/Exhibitor Track
• Modeling
Methodology
• Analysis
Methodology
•
Manufacturing Applications
• Military
Applications
•
Applications in Logistics, Transportation, and Distribution
• Agent Based
Modeling
• Simulation
Case Studies
Focused Mini-tracks:
• Biological
and Environmental Simulation
•
Biotechnology and Health Care
•
Construction Engineering
• Homeland
Security and Emergency Response
• Material
Handling and Warehousing
• Risk
Analysis
•
Semiconductor Manufacturing; Simulation Education
•
Simulation-based Scheduling
• Virtual
Reality and 3D Visualization
• Web-enabled
Simulation Technologies
• Others –
depending on submissions
Contributions to the technical program are still solicited for the Case Studies track, the Poster Session, and Ph.D. Student Colloquium. The Case Studies track focuses on case studies describing application of simulation and is primarily for industry or government presenters who are working in simulation or related fields. In the Poster Session, authors will display exhibit materials on panels on a variety of topic areas. The INFORMS College on Simulation invites Ph.D. students to present short research summaries and participate in the Poster Session. October 11, 2004 is deadline for electronic submission of abstracts for presentations in the Simulation Case Studies track, electronic submission of abstracts for presentations in the Poster Session, and submissions to the Ph.D. Student Colloquium. For any questions concerning the WSC ’04 program, see the conference web site at:
or contact:
Jeffrey Smith, General Chair
Industrial & Systems Engineering Department
Auburn University
Phone: (334) 844-1412
Brett A. Peters, Program Chair
Department of Industrial Engineering
Texas A&M University
Phone: (979) 845-3574
WSC '04 is sponsored by ACM/SIGSIM, ASA, IEEE/CS, IEEE/SMCS, IIE, INFORMS/CS, NIST and SCS.
3. New UMBC Graduate Programs
The following describes a new UMBC graduate program developed to meet regional workforce needs for systems engineers.
The Division of Professional Education and Training (DPET) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is responding to the staffing needs of regional high-tech industries by offering two graduate programs in Systems Engineering (SE) this fall.
According to officials with Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Electronic Systems Sector -- headquartered close to UMBC near BWI Airport and a sponsor of the new programs -- the shortage of qualified systems engineers (SEs) is urgent and will grow over the next few years.
"We need 90 to 100 more systems engineers than we currently have, and when you factor in program growth and retirements, Northrop Grumman and many other similar high-technology companies across the region and the nation will continue to face a long term shortage of such specialized technical talent," says Jim Armitage, vice president of Engineering at Northrop Grumman, who played a key role in founding the SE training at
UMBC.
The two new programs differ from traditional systems engineering training by offering curricula that is focused more on the technical (i.e., hands-on) side of the field instead of management. UMBC's DPET programs will offer both the masters of science in electrical
engineering and the graduate certificate in systems engineering.
Systems engineers typically work on large-scale projects in high-tech industries including aerospace, information technology, defense, transportation, space exploration, manufacturing and telecommunications.
"There will be a heavy emphasis on problem solving, practical application, mentoring by experienced systems engineers and a teamwork approach," says Ted Foster, assistant dean of the college of engineering at UMBC and director of the new SE program.
Foster and other faculty who will be teaching the new SE courses have a wealth of experience to draw upon in the field. Foster and two of the adjunct faculty for the program have over 93 years of combined work experience in systems engineering for high-tech firms like Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, Bendix, and Honeywell.
Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector will select 15 employees to start the first two UMBC classes this fall. Both courses will be taught in UMBC's new, state-of-the-art Information Technology and Engineering building located on UMBC's main campus.
For more information, please visit:
or call 410-455-1564.
Full version of this release with links to additional background information is online at:
http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/releases/article.phtml?news_id=1083
Contact Information:
Charles Rose
Assistant Director of Media Relations
UMBC
crose@umbc.edu
voice: 410-455-5793
mobile: 443-690-0307
fax: 410-455-1096
4. Message From Mario Gonzalez
Mario Gonzalez is the chair of the IEEE/EAB accreditation policy council. He writes the following.
Dear IEEE Colleagues,
Accreditation plays an important role in the improvement of the quality of engineering education. My purpose in sending you this note in my role as chair of the IEEE/EAB Accreditation Policy Council is twofold. The first is to highlight the importance of the key component in the accreditation process: the program evaluators who visit campuses as part of a team and provide recommended accreditation actions to ABET. The second is to provide a reference if you are interested in becoming a program evaluator. You can find information about the entire accreditation process at the IEEE accreditation web site:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/apc/accreditation_ieee.htm
ABET and IEEE strive to produce an even split in the representation of evaluators who participate in accreditation visits: half from academe, and half from industry and government. Information about the application deadline and about how to apply to become a program evaluator is available at:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/apc/ctaa/tacinfo.htm.
The deadline for 2005 is November 15, 2004. For questions about accreditation or to indicate your interest in becoming a program evaluator, please contact:
Mario Gonzalez
Chair, IEEE/EAB Accreditation Policy Council
5. IEEE
Virtual Museum Program
The IEEE virtual museum program continues to thrive.
The IEEE Virtual Museum, the History Center’s informal education site, has added still another exhibit to its “halls”: Let's Get Small: The Shrinking World of Microelectronics examines the continued process of miniaturization throughout the 20th century. The museum also added another recognition to its long list of critical kudos, being a “Web Site Report” pick on Working Knowledge for Business Leaders, the on-line magazine of the Harvard Business School. Visit the Harvard Business School’s report at:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/web-review.jhtml?id=4294&t=innovation
Visit the new museum exhibit at:
http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/exhibit/exhibit.php?id=159270&lid=1
6. IEEE And The Scouting Movement
IEEE and the scouting movement are working together to attract students to IEEE and the engineering profession.
IEEE Volunteers and Staff assembled a Peer Review Team, organized by Ralph W. Russell II, of Richmond, Va., USA-based company Dominion, lending their time and expertise to help the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) update their Electricity Merit Badge Pamphlet which had not been revised since 1996. Specifically, the team reviewed the electrical history, safety, terminology, and electrical experiments outlined in the pamphlet. Significant suggestions for improvement, corrections and updates were made. The listing of IEEE and the IEEE Virtual Museum were also added to the pamphlet as additional resources.
The EAB Pre-College Education Coordinating Committee became involved in the review process as a result of a formal partnership proposal submitted to the BSA this past April. The Electricity Merit Badge pamphlet review is the first BSA activity completed by the EAB committee. The IEEE TAB CPMT Society conducted the peer review process. When asked if this is an activity the group would engage in again, Russell said, “Yes. We were recently asked to do a peer review of the Computer Merit Badge as well.” Discussions regarding the partnership between IEEE and the BSA will continue as it is still to be finalized. The IEEE also plans to work with the global World Organization of the Scout Movement and The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to form partnerships.
To read the full article, please visit:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/newswire.htm
7.
Historic Achievements
Three more historic achievements each named as an IEEE milestone.
The IEEE History Center’s program most closely geared to IEEE Sections is the Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing. A Section proposes a local achievement of significance, prepares a carefully documented nomination, and, if approved by the IEEE History Committee and IEEE Executive Committee, dedicates a bronze plaque recognizing the honor. At their June 2004 meeting, the ExCom approved three more Milestones recommended by the History Committee, from three different Sections in three Regions, covering technologies from power to software almost 90 years of technology history. This brings the total number of new Milestones this year to seven, and the total in the program to more than 60. The newest additions are:
1) Lempel-Ziv Data Compression Algorithm, 1977 (IEEE Israel Section, R10)
2) CERN Experimental INSTRUMENTATION, 1968 (IEEE France Section, R8)
3) Power System of Boston’S RAPID TRANSIT, 1889
(IEEE Boston Section, R1)
All three sections are planning fall dedication ceremonies. To learn more about the Milestones Program in general and also about these specific dedications as more information becomes available, visit:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/milestones_program.html
8. About IEEE Educational Activities
The IEEE Educational Activities Board is responsible for coordinating the educational activities of the IEEE. The volunteer and staff members of IEEE Educational Activities carry out this responsibility by developing educational programs to ensure (1) The technological literacy of pre-college students, (2) the continuous maintenance and improvement of engineering education programs through active participation in accreditation activities, and (3) the development of continuing education products and services that serve the professional development and lifelong learning needs of electro-technology professionals worldwide. For more information, visit:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/
or email:
9. About The IEEE History Center
The IEEE History Center is a staff unit of IEEE that is located not at the IEEE Operations Center, but on the nearby New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, which cosponsors the Center’s activities. The Center’s mission to preserve, research, and promote the legacy of IEEE technologies is overseen by the IEEE History Committee, a standing committee of the IEEE Executive Committee. Since most of the activities in carrying out this mission are educational in nature, the Staff Director of the History Center reports to the IEEE Managing Director for Educational Activities, and Center staff work closely with EAD staff on many programs. Those interested in more information are invited to look at the Center’s website:
http://www.ieee.org/history_center
or to email the Center at:
