Please respond to ronald_aloysius@ieee.org if you are planning to attend this meeting. Also, let me know if you will be joining us afterwards at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner so I can make reservations. Only the speaker’s dinner is paid for. The rest of us need to pay our own way.

Abstract:

Sparse representations can appear in many situations, e.g., in modeling network echo path, acoustic echo, multi-path propagation, satellite channels, and underwater acoustic channels. Often, equalization of these channels or cancellation of their adverse effects is done by using the normalized least-mean square (NLMS) adaptive filtering. In order to emphasize the fast adaptation of the coefficients with large magnitude, the update weights can be chosen to be proportional to the magnitude of coefficient estimates. The obtained so-called proportionate-type NLMS (PtNLMS) algorithms have the initial convergence much faster that the NLMS algorithm in identifying sparse systems. At the moment, a rigorous understanding of PtNLMS algorithm behavior is out of reach. Several attempts that have been made in this direction will be presented in this talk.

The update weights that provide the fastest convergence in the case of the deterministic proportionate-type steepest decent (PtSD) algorithm can be found. Using the stochastic approximation paradigm, the estimates of these update weights used within the PtNLMS algorithm provide faster convergence that the standard ad-hoc PtNLMS algorithm. Furthermore a consistency in comparative behavior exists between PtSD algorithms and their stochastic PtNLMS counterparts. Also, based on the averaging theory, it can be shown that in general the PtNLMS algorithms for sufficiently slow adaptation always converge. Using the Gaussian approximation for fluctuations of coefficient estimates, a model for mean transient and steady-state behavior for some PtNLMS algorithms is derived. The model is in a nice agreement with experiments. Also, update weight allocations providing the PtNLMS algorithm with fast decay of output error at all time can be found. Two such allocations are shown: one based on the water filling technique and the other based on adaptive coefficient dynamic range compression using the output error. The behavior of PtNLMS algorithms in line echo cancellation for VoIP networks is illustrated and main open questions for further research are pointed out.

Biography:

Miloš Doroslovački received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Belgrade in 1979 and 1984, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1994.

From 1980 to 1988, he was with the Computer System Design Department of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade, as a research engineer. In 1988, he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cincinnati, as a Ph.D. student and research and teaching assistant. In 1994, he moved to Pittsburgh where he worked with Compunetix, Inc. Since 1995, he has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the George Washington University, where he is now an Associate Professor. His main research interests are in the fields of adaptive signal processing, communication signals and systems, discrete-time signal and system theory, and wavelets and their applications.

2. Communications Society Meeting for March

Title:

On Declarative Policy Management of Network Communication Systems

Speaker:

Dr. Filip Perich

Shared Spectrum Company (SSC)

Date:

Tuesday, March 3

Time:

Food: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Presentation: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location:

National Electronics Museum

1745 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum, MD 21090

410-765-0230

http://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org

Abstract:

We describe the design and report on experience fielding an end-to-end framework for declarative policy management of network communication systems. Our approach addresses two fundamental problems: the expensive manual involvement and the intriguing complexity of maintaining aspects of network communication systems. We overcome the challenges by defining a declarative policy language, which aids in automating network management, and by delegating management tasks to policy software components embedded within networking components. The language enables each authority to draft network requirement policies at a user-friendly abstraction level. Each authority defines only objectives and constraints relevant to its needs. The defined information is hardware, software, and protocol independent. The authorities do not focus on writing procedures for configuring a specific infrastructure; instead they focus on describing a generic infrastructure and its features. The policy software components present within or in a reachable vicinity of each networking component employ the policies, which are dynamically merged from applicable authorities, to collaboratively compute steps necessary to reach a desired configuration state and subsequently execute the steps at run-time, thus avoiding long time-to-deployment periods as well as automatically removing configuration inconsistencies. We report on our field framework experimentation of employing the framework for spectrum access control, illustrating the capability offered to network communication systems, their command & control management, and individual radios for enforcing spectrum access policies while enabling the radios to fully utilize available spectrum in comparison to traditional, static-assignment spectrum access methods.

Biography:

Dr. Filip Perich is a Software Functional Manager and Senior Software Engineer at Shared Spectrum Company (SSC) and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). At SSC Dr. Perich is leading military-sponsored R&D efforts on intelligent dynamic spectrum access systems and R&D efforts on intelligent network management systems controlled by declarative policies. Concurrently, at UMBC Dr. Perich continues his prior research on pervasive computing. His primary focus is in applications of Data Management and Artificial Intelligence to problems in distributed systems, particularly with an emphasis on wireless mobile / pervasive ad hoc networks.

Dr. Perich is an author of over thirty refereed publications. He is professionally active in advising graduate students, serving on Ph.D. committees, and in organizing conferences and workshops on Artificial Intelligence, Data Management, E-Commerce, Networks, Security, and Semantic Web. Dr. Perich received Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from UMBC, and a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Washington College in Maryland.

3. Communications Society Meeting for April

Title:

Co-operation at the Network Level

Speaker:

Dr. Anthony Ephremides

Cynthia Kim Eminent Professor of Information Technology

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742

Date:

Tuesday, April 7

Time:

Food: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Presentation: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location:

National Electronics Museum

1745 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum, MD 21090

410-765-0230

http://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org

Abstract:

Cooperative Techniques in Wireless Communications promise significant performance gains. The core of such cooperation has centered on the physical layer and is based on relaying. In combination with MIMO technology that can be implemented distributively over different nodes it is possible to extend the benefits of cooperation to ad hoc wireless networks. What is new and uncommon is the use of simple relay techniques to achieve further gains by focusing it at the MAC and network layers. We will review simple examples that demonstrate this new form of cooperation and we will argue that there may be far-reaching consequences of a post-Shannon nature that may extend the achievable rates of reliable communication.

Biography:

Anthony Ephremides holds the Cynthia Kim Professorship of Information Technology at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Maryland in College Park where he holds a joint appointment at the Institute for Systems Research, of which he was among the founding members in 1986. He obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1971 and has been with the University of Maryland ever since.

He has held various visiting positions at other Institutions (including MIT, UC Berkeley, ETH urich, INRIA, etc) and co-founded and co-directed a NASA-funded Center on Satellite and Hybrid Communication Networks in 1991. He has been the President of Pontos, Inc, since 1980 and has served as President of the IEEE Information Theory Society in 1987 and as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors in 1989 and 1990. He has been the General Chair and/or the Technical Program Chair of several technical conferences (including the IEEE Information Theory Symposium in1991 and 2000, the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control in 1986, the ACM Mobihoc in 2003, and the IEEE Infocom in 1999). He has served on the Editorial Board of numerous journals and was the Founding Director of the Fairchild Scholars and Doctoral Fellows Program, a University-Industry Partnership from 1981 to 1985.

He has received the IEEE Donald E. Fink Prize Paper Award in 1991 and the first ACM Achievement Award for Contributions to Wireless Networking in 1996, as well as the 2000 Fred W. Ellersick MILCOM Best Paper Award, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal, the 2000 Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award from the Institute for Systems Research, and the Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize from the University of Maryland in 2001, and a few other official recognitions of his work. He also received the 2006 Aaron Wyner Award for Exceptional Service and Leadership to the IEEE Information Theory Society.

He is the author of several hundred papers, conference presentations, and patents, and his research interests lie in the areas of Communication Systems and Networks and all related disciplines, such as Information Theory, Control and Optimization, Satellite Systems, Queueing Models, Signal Processing, etc. He is especially interested in Wireless Networks and Energy Efficient Systems.

4. IEEE Power & Energy Society Book Award

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Book Award is funded through donations and fundraising events held in the local Baltimore area by members of the Industry Applications Society. The award is given annually to the graduating high school senior from the greater Baltimore area who best demonstrates their academic ability and desire to pursue excellence in the electrical engineering community. This is a cash gift of $1,000 per year for up to four years, and is intended to provide cash assistance for books, materials, IT equipment or other necessary items to complete their college education. Students, once awarded, are required to maintain active full time enrollment in an undergraduate electrical engineering or related curriculum. Annually, students must submit proof of enrollment at an accredited engineering academic institution and proof of student membership in IEEE.

Application Deadline:

April 30, 2009

Notification Date:

May 31, 200

For more information, contact:

Robert A. Banas, Scholarship Chairman

IEES/IAS Baltimore Chapter

c/o Leach Wallace Associates, Inc.

6522 Meadowridge Road

Elkridge, Maryland 21075

(410) 579-8100

rbanas@leachwallace.com

5. Call for Robot Challenge Judges

The Robot Challenge event will be held this year on Saturday morning, April 18, and Sunday afternoon, April 19. As mentioned last month, we have over 50% more teams registered this year than last year, and we are still getting additional registrations. This will provide the opportunity for IEEE members to get involved who have not previously participated, and we'd really like all of last year's judges to sign up again as well.

Signing up is easy - just send an e-mail to Nevilleed@aol.com, with subject "Judges", and enter your name and home phone number, and the day or days you'll be able to participate. No commitment at this stage, but this will enable us to contact you nearer the event.

Judges are needed for 3 activities: The Written Reports (April 13), the Track Event and the Oral Presentations (April 18, 19).

Previous judging experience is required for the Written Reports, but no experience is needed for the Track and Oral Presentation judges - just arrive half an hour early and we'll have training sessions for you. If you have a preference for the type of judging you'd like to do, please note this in your e-mail.

This is a great opportunity for experienced engineers to contribute something very positive to the upcoming generation of High School students, and it really is a WIN-WIN situation for everybody involved. Get your office companions to sign up as well, even if they're not EE. We also have non-engineering openings for such activities as sign-in, photographers, videographers and data entry and auditors. We're looking for about 80 people, so please send us your e-mail today.

6. IEEE-USA's 2009 Career Fly-In

IEEE-USA will be holding its 5th annual Washington Career Fly-In on March 23 and 24. All IEEE members in the United States are invited to join us on Capitol Hill to discuss high-skill immigration with your members of Congress.

For nearly a decade, IEEE-USA has been the strongest voice in Washington pushing for reforms to our skill-based immigration system. Over the past two years the debate about high-skill immigration reform shifted dramatically in our favor. But now we face a new Congress with an unusually large number of new members. These new members have probably never heard of an H-1B visa, never given any thought to high-skill immigration and likely don’t know what IEEE is. This is your opportunity to tell them.

In 2009, IEEE-USA will be trying to convince Congress to adopt our “Green cards not Guest workers” program by expanding access to green cards for immigrants who earn a masters or PhD from an American university. Our goal is to shift the focus of American immigration policy away from short-term work visas towards permanent green cards, especially for international students.

All IEEE members in the United States are welcome and encouraged to attend. Students, retired members and even IEEE members who are not American citizens are needed.

Fly-In participants will meet on the afternoon of March 23rd for a complete briefing on skill-based immigration policy and to learn how to meet with members of Congress (hint: it is easy). On March 24th, participants will spend the day on Capitol Hill meeting with their legislators. IEEE-USA will arrange all meetings. All you have to do is hold them.

More information on IEEE-USA immigration proposals can be found here:

http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/immigration/

To learn more about the IEEE-USA Career Fly-In and to register for the event, visit us at http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/careerflyin.

7. Benefits of Senior Membership

Recognition: The professional recognition of your peers for technical and professional excellence.

Senior Member Plaque: Since January 1999, all newly elevated Senior Members have received an engraved Senior Member plaque to be proudly displayed for colleagues, clients and employers to see. The plaque, an attractive fine wood with bronze engraving, is sent within six to eight weeks after elevation.

US$25 Coupon: IEEE will recognize all newly elevated Senior Members with a coupon worth up to US$25. This coupon can be used to join one new IEEE Society. The coupon expires on 31 December of the year in which it is received.

Letter of Commendation: A letter of commendation will be sent to your employer on the achievement of Senior member grade (upon the request of the newly elected Senior Member).

Announcements: Announcement of elevation can be made in Section/Society and/or local newsletters, newspapers and notices.

Leadership Eligibility: Senior Members are eligible to hold executive IEEE volunteer positions.

Ability to Refer Other Candidates: Senior Members can serve as a reference for other applicants for Senior Membership.

Review Panel: Senior Members are invited to be on the panel to review Senior Member applications.

8. Baltimore Region Conferences

The following conferences are planned for Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia during the next year. This list can be used for planning purposes and also represents potential volunteering opportunities. With the current state of the economy, these local conferences are a good way to stay abreast of recent advances in our field.

2009 43rd Annual Conference on Information Sciences and Systems (CISS)

18 Mar - 20 Mar 2009

The Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://ciss.jhu.edu

2009 5th International Conf. on Testbeds and Research Infrastructures for the Development of Networks & Communities (TridentCom)

06 Apr - 08 Apr 2009

TBD

Washington, DC, USA

http://www.tridentcom.org/

2009 IEEE/NIH Life Science Systems and Applications Workshop (LiSSA) Formerly known as LSSA and LISA

09 Apr - 10 Apr 2009

NIH Campus, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Bethesda, MD, USA

http://lissa.wustl.edu

2009 IEEE Electric Ship Technologies Symposium (ESTS 2009)

20 Apr - 22 Apr 2009

Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://ewh.ieee.org/conf/ests09/

2009 Integrated Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Conference (ICNS)

13 May - 15 May 2009

TBD

Crystal City, VA, USA

http://i-cns.org/

2009 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO)

02 Jun - 04 Jun 2009

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://www.i-leos.org

2009 International Quantum Electronics Conference (IQEC)

June 2-4, 2009

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://www.i-leos.org

2009 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (PPC)

28 Jun - 02 Jul 2009

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel

Washington, DC, USA

http://web.ece.missouri.edu/ppc2009

2009 IEEE Workshop on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Enterprise: Economics Measures and Indicators (STEM Measures)

15 Sep - 18 Sep 2009

TBD

Washington, DC, USA

2011 IEEE AUTOTESTCON

September 19-22, 2011

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://www.autotestcon.com

2009 IEEE 59th Annual Broadcast Symposium (BTS)

14 Oct - 16 Oct 2009

The Westin Hotel

Alexandria, VA, USA

http://www.ieee.org/bts/symposium

2009 IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena - (CEIDP 2009)

18 Oct - 21 Oct 2009

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

Virginia Beach, VA, USA

http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/dei/ceidp/

2009 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM)

07 Dec - 09 Dec 2009

Hilton Baltimore

Baltimore, MD, USA

http://www.ieee-iedm.org

2010 11th Joint Magnetism and Magnetic Materials - INTERMAG Conference

17 Jan - 21 Jan 2010

Washington Marriott

Washington, DC, USA

http://www.magnetism.org

9. Continuing EE Education

We are re-running this request for interest in a continuing education program. This program will be in the format of seminars focused on a particular topic of interest. The seminars may run either during the week after work hours or possibly on Saturday. The idea for the program is described below.

Name of project: Continuing EE Education (“CEEE”)

Goal: A section-level program aimed at:

Updating the IEEE members on new developments in the EE field.

Familiarizing engineers with basic new tools, products and techniques as well as giving them the initial knowledge and skills to use them.

Inviting representatives from different vendors to present leading novel products.

Giving tutorials in new areas.

Helping IEEE fellow members become more competitive, especially in times of uncertain jobs, off-shoring and salary stagnation.

Facilitating networking.

Broadening the horizon of each IEEE member.

Fostering collaboration between members of different societies as well as generation of new ideas (“cross-pollination” element).

The program should be open to all IEEE members, including students. It is meant to be a cross-societies initiative, i.e. should not be limited to narrow topics serving the interests of a single chapter only. Emphasis should be placed on meeting with experienced experts from different fields. Critical comparisons between different solutions of EE problems are expected to be made, and trends should be discussed.

Potential topics of interest could include, but are not limited to:

Software tools:

Programming languages

Compilers

Real-Time Operating systems

Debuggers

Emulators

Hardware tools:

Novel electronic components

Single-Board Computers (SBC)

Embedded solutions

FPGAs

Printed circuit board design (schematics capture, layout)

Circuit simulation (PSPICE)

Portable devices

Signal and image processing (examples, tools, help)

Wireless devices:

Theory

Standards

Available OEM products

Trends

Internet-based methods and devices:

Standards

Available tools

Web Page Design

Contemporary design tools (like AutoCad and Solid Works)

Reliability and Compliance issues

We plan to invite qualified speakers from academia, industry and governmental institutions. The speakers will be professionals who can give first-hand information and share front-line experience on the technology, methods and tools being presented.

We plan to organize 2-4 meetings annually. Each meeting is planned to last for 2 hours or more. We could meet on weekdays, or on Saturdays.

Please send us your suggestions and preferences regarding topics, time and place of meetings, the name/acronym of the program etc.

Boris Gramatikov

Baltimore Section

Bgramat@jhmi.edu