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Calendar Archive, November 2008
Sponsors: Baltimore Section, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (Baltimore Chapter), IEEE Region 2
Speakers: Chris McManes, IEEE-USA; Guru Madhavan, Science & Technology Policy Fellow, Policy and Global Affairs Division, The National Academies; Rachel Andre, IEEE Region 2 GOLD Coordinator, and IEEE-USA Employment & Career Services Committee Member; and Carole Carey, Chair, EMBS Baltimore Chapter, and IEEE-USA liaison to Women in Engineering Committee
Time: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Place: Historical Electronics Museum, 1745 W. Nursery Rd., Linthicum, MD
Directions: From the Washington Beltway, take Rte 295 (Baltimore-Washington Pkwy.) north to the West Nursery Road exit and stay right on the ramp. Go through three stoplights. The museum is on the left, next to the Marriott Hotel.
See
www.hem-usa.org/hours-directions-parking.shtml.
More Info: This half-day seminar covers career topics such as effective communications and engineering ambassadorship, as well as a presentation on public access defibrillators. For session topics, see
www.ieee.org/escanner/PDS-EMB2008.pdf (PDF file, 923k). The seminar is being offered with assistance from IEEE-USA PACE (Professional Activities Committees for Engineers). Continental breakfast and lunch are included. CEU credit is available for a $15 fee.
Cost: Free for IEEE members (and guests) who preregister by Friday, Oct. 24, or $10 at the door.
Contact: Preregister by sending an email to Carole Carey at c.carey@ieee.org or Vil Arafiles at v.arafiles@gmail.com. Please use the subject line "Nov 1 Baltimore PDS-EMB" and include your name, member number, membership grade, and (if applicable) your IEEE affiliation, society, and guest name.
Sponsor: Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Washington University
Speaker: Dr. Martha Pardavi-Horvath
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Place: 640 Phillips Hall, George Washington University, Washington, DC
More Info: See Diamond story below.
Contact: Dr. Harrington at
rharring@gwu.edu.
NOTE: The Administrative Committee will meet on Wednesday this month.
Time: 6:45 pm
Place: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC
Directions: Use the 12th Street entrance. The AAAS building is one block from Metro Center (Red, Orange and Blue lines).
Street parking is free after 6:30 pm (no parking 4:00-6:30 pm). There is a pay parking lot at the intersection of 9th St. and New York Ave., and an underground parking garage at 14th St. and New York Ave.
See map at www.aaas.org/dcwest.pdf.
More Info: Section officers for 2008 will be elected at this meeting. All interested IEEE members are welcome.
Contact: Tim Weil at trweil@ieee.org or 301-452-3641.
Sponsors: Control Systems Society, Washington Chapter; Robotics and Automation Society
Speaker: Dr. Mark E. Pittelkau, Aerospace Control Systems, LLC
Time: Reception 11:30 am, presentation 12:00 noon; discussion 12:30–1:00 pm
Place: Fairchild Controls, Building 1, 540 Highland Street, Frederick, MD
More Info: See Diamond story below.
Cost: Free
Contact: Dr. Haik Biglari at 240-626-9205 or hbiglari@ieee.org.
Sponsor: Lasers and Electro-Optics Society
Time: Light refreshments at 6:00 pm, lecture at 6:30 pm
Speakers: Loucas Tsakalakos, General Electric: "Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics"; and
Paul Lane, Naval Research Laboratory: "Solid State Organic Solar Cells."
Place: University of Maryland, A.V. Williams Building, Room 1146, College Park, MD
Directions: From the north or I-495, take Route 1 South. Approx. 2 miles south of the Beltway, turn right onto Campus Drive, then immediately take Paint Branch Drive and the A.V. Williams Building will be on the right. From the south on Route 1, turn left onto Campus Drive,
and follow above directions. See
www.parking.umd.edu/themap. Recommended parking lots are XX1, XX2 or I*, which are free after 4:00 pm. Check the signs carefully!
Contact: Dominique Dagenais at 301-951-7095 or
dominique_dagenais@avanex.com.
Sponsors: Robotics and Automation Society, University of Maryland Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Cosponsors: CuriousInventor,
emgraphics,
Robotic Research
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
Directions: Place: University of Maryland, Kim Engineering Building, Room 1105, College Park, MD
Directions: From I-495, exit at Route 1 South, proceed approx. 2 miles, turn right onto Campus Drive, then immediately turn right onto Paint Branch Drive and the Kim Engineering Building will be on the left (after a stop sign). Free parking after 4:00 pm in Lots T and XX.
See www.parking.umd.edu/themap.
From the College Park Metro Station (Green line), take the free UM campus shuttle, get off at the first stop, walk back a hundred yards to Paint Branch Drive and look for the Kim Engineering Building on the left. See shuttle schedule at
www.transportation.umd.edu/routes/schedules/CollegeParkMetro.pdf.
Download a PDF flier (537k) for this meeting with directions.
More Info: The First Annual Robotics Speedway Competition took place on Oct. 4 at the University of Maryland. Three teams from universities and members of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society from the Washington region participated in this challenge. At this meeting, the teams will present their technical approach to the competition. There will also be a review from the 2008 Competition and plans for the 2009 Robotics Speedway Competition. Refreshments will be provided.
Contact: Dr. Raj Madhavan at
raj.madhavan@ieee.org or 301-975-2865.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Technology Development for Optical Detection
of Epithelial Cancers
Sponsor: Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Washington University
Speaker: Dr. Jason M. Zara
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm
Place: 640 Phillips Hall, George Washington University, Washington, DC
More Info: See Diamond story below.
Contact: Dr. Harrington at
rharring@gwu.edu.
Sponsor: Microwave Theory and Techniques Society
Speaker: Dr. Allen Katz
Time: Reception 5:30 pm, dinner 6:00 pm, lecture 7:00 pm
Place: Mitre Corporation, Building 2, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean, VA
Directions: See
www.mitre.org/about/locations/mitre2_map.html. The walkway to Building 2 is accessible from level 2 of the parking garage. Free parking.
More Info: Updated! See Diamond story below and
http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/wash_nova/mtt. This is the first lecture in the MTT-S series for 2008-09. All IEEE members and guests are welcome to attend.
Cost: Lecture free; $15 for optional dinner (reservation required, cash payment preferred).
Contact: Please RSVP for dinner only by close of business, Friday, Nov. 7 to Roger Kaul at r.kaul@ieee.org or 301-394-4775.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Northern Virginia Section Administrative Committee Meeting
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Olive Garden Restaurant, 8133 Leesburg Pike (Tysons Corner), Vienna, VA
Directions: From I-495, take Route 7 West (Exit 47A) toward Tysons Corner. Turn left at Gallows Road. Parking garage is behind the restaurant.
More Info: All interested IEEE members are invited to attend.
Contact: Chuck Baldi at cbaldi@ieee.org or 703-675-0678.
Sponsor: Land Transportation Committee of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Speaker: Tom Engle, President, Integrated Railmotive Systems, Alexandria Bay, NY
Time: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Place: American Public Transportation Association, 11th Floor Conference Room, 1666 K Street NW, Washington, DC
Directions: Take the Metro to Farragut North station (Red Line, use K Street exit) or Farragut West station (Orange and Blue lines, use 17th Street exit).
More Info: See Diamond story, below. The National Capital Land Transportation Committee (LTC) holds monthly lunch meetings from September though June. The LTC is jointly sponsored by the ASME Rail Transportation Division and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society of the Washington and Northern Virginia Sections. All interested persons are invited. Membership in ASME or IEEE is not required.
Cost: $15 cash at the door for lunch.
Contact: Karl Berger at
karl.berger@dcm-va.com or 703-803-7917, or Ken Briers at ken.briers@parsons.com or 202-775-3397.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
An Overview of Breakthrough Renewable Energy Technologies
Sponsors: Society for Social Implications of Technology; Emerging Tech Forum
Speaker: Jim Hurd, Director, GreenScience Exchange
Time: 4:00-5:15 pm
Place: Offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, 1737 King Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA
Directions: See www.buchananingersoll.com/directions.
More Info: See Diamond Story below.
Registration: To register, send an email to
emergingtechnology@bipc.com.
Sponsors: Power Engineering Society, Industry Applications Society, Professional Communication Society, Society on Social Implications of Technology, National Capital Area Consultants' Network, Women in Engineering, Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD), and Life Members
Time: 5:00-8:00 pm
Place: Chevy's Fresh Mex Restaurant, Ballston Common Mall, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA
Directions: Ballston Common is two blocks south of Ballston Metro station (Orange line). Turn right at top of Metro escalator, then left on the street, proceed two blocks toward Macy's, turn left and walk toward Ballston Commons Mall. Look for Chevy's on the right. Street parking is limited, and underground parking typically costs $1 for 3 hours.
More Info: Refreshments, soft drinks and door prize awards will be provided. You may bring resumes, business cards and literature. Invite your friends, co-workers and anyone else who could benefit from networking with IEEE members. All are welcome.
Cost: $10 for IEEE members and guests, $5 for IEEE student members, or free for any IEEE member or student member who sponsors a new IEEE member. The new member must join at any grade between October 1 and November 14. For details, see Diamond Story below.
Contact: Please RSVP to Monica Mallini at
m.a.mallini@ieee.org.
Sponsor: Life Members
Speaker: TBA
Time: 12:00 noon
Place: Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave, McLean, VA
Directions: Take Exit 46 from the Beltway and proceed on Route 123 North to McLean, VA, about 2 miles. After crossing Old Dominion Dr., turn left at the next street, Ingleside Ave., and then left on Oak Ridge Ave. The library is on the left.
More Info: Refreshments will be served.
Contact: Amarjeet Basra at 703-324-2821 or amarjeet.basra@ieee.org.
Sponsors: IEEE Computer Society; American Society for Quality (ASQ) Section 509 Software SIG; and the Society for Software Quality (SSQ)
Time: 6:30 pm
Speakers: Dr. Glenda Hayes, Mitre
Place: Video teleconference with sites in McLean and Silver Spring. Addresses are provided at the registration link below.
More Info: Dr. Hayes chairs the DoD Metadata Working Group. All interested IEEE members and guests are invited to attend. Pizza and soda will be served.
Cost: Free
Contact: Advance registration is required to enter the facilities. Please register online at
www.asq509.org/ht/d/sp/i/2499/pid/2499.
If your plans change, please email ankums@mitre.org to cancel your reservation.
Diamond Stories
The size of magnetic elements in information storage, sensor, and microwave devices is shrinking rapidly into the nm range. At the same time, the frequency of operation is increasing toward the GHz to THz region. High frequency electromagnetic phenomena and device operation are extremely sensitive to the shape and size of the magnetic nanoelements. Upon reducing the size of a magnet the surface starts to dominate and full electromagnetic boundary conditions have to be taken into account in the calculation and interpretation of the electromagnetic wave propagation effects. These effects are related to the non-uniformity of the magnetization and the internal field of the nanoelements, as a result of the non-ellipsoidal geometry and finite aspect ratio. Consequently, the internal field is strongly non-uniform, and it has pronounced effects, affecting device performance. The consequences include pronounced magnetostatic spectra, extra linewidth broadening, increased power sensitivity, additional losses, incomplete non-reciprocity, and the early onset of nonlinearities, for example frequency doubling and chaos. These effects will be illustrated on the example of typical 2D ferrite and permalloy nanomagnetic arrays.
Martha Pardavi-Horvath joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of SEAS GWU in 1989 as a Professor of Engineering and Applied Science. Currently she is serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of SEAS. She holds a Ph.D. in physics and has published over 180 papers related to magnetism. She is elected member of the IEEE Magnetics Society Administrative Committee and a member of the Education Committee. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Physics, Applied Physics Letters, IEEE T-MAG, and J. Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. Her research covers broad areas of solid state physics and applied magnetism; currently her research interests are focused on what happens in electromagnetism, when things get smaller and faster.
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Windup occurs in a controller with slow or unstable modes when an actuator saturates. When windup occurs, the controller states and output grow large and become inconsistent with the plant states and outputs. Windup can also occur when switching between controllers or when switching to manual control. Windup can cause an unacceptable response of the control system such as excessive overshoot, long recovery and settling times, and limit cycling. This is of concern in process control systems, motion control, robotics, flight control, and spacecraft attitude control systems. Anti-windup control refers to any of several design methods to prevent windup and to achieve good behavior of the control system. These methods will be reviewed and simulation results for two systems without and with anti-windup will be presented. An idea for using anti-windup control to aid in actuator failure detection will be discussed.
Mark Pittelkau is a consultant at Aerospace Control Systems, LLC. Dr. Pittelkau received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and his M.S. from Virginia Tech. His recent work includes attitude control system design, control-structure interaction and stability analysis, and pointing performance evaluation. His principal interests include attitude determination and control system design for precision-pointing of agile spacecraft, the development of algorithms and software for precision attitude determination and sensor calibration, and system identification in general. Dr. Pittelkau developed the Redundant IMU Attitude Determination and Calibration (RADICAL) filter for on-board real-time calibration of attitude sensors and gyros, automated ground-based processing, and desktop analysis and design.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Technology Development for Optical Detection
of Epithelial Cancers
This talk will focus on new scanning technologies and clinical applications of endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT is a near infrared imaging modality analogous to ultrasound that can produce very high resolution images (10 µm or less) up to 2 mm deep into tissue. One of the most promising applications of OCT is the use of endoscopic imaging probes that can be used to bring the infrared light to the surface of mucosal tissues for cancer detection. For this reason, OCT imaging probes need to be very compact to fit inside the body in a minimally invasive manner. To approach this issue we are working on novel polyimide MEMS scanning methods for endoscopic imaging applications. In addition, we are also investigating the use of existing endoscopic OCT scanning technologies to image and diagnose bladder cancer. In addition to developing novel probes, we are very interested in using texture analysis and other computer-aided diagnostic methods to aid in cancer detection and staging using OCT images. This talk will present the basics of OCT, the technology and preliminary results used in our new scanning probes, and also present the use and early results of OCT in bladder cancer detection.
Jason M. Zara received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Duke University in 2001 and a B.S. in bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996. He has been an Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at GWU since September 2002. His research interests include medical imaging instrumentation and applications of MEMS and microfabrication technologies to medical applications. Imaging modalities of interest include optical coherence tomography (OCT) and high frequency ultrasound.
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Radio signals were first bounced off the moon by the U.S. Army in 1946. Today the challenge of communicating by bouncing radio signals off the moon, also known as EME for Earth-Moon-Earth, has become a popular techno-sport. Private individuals from over the earth compete to see who can communicate with the most stations, from the most countries, at the highest frequency, and with the smallest amount of power. This talk will discuss the history and technology, and try to answer the question of why people bounce radio signals off the moon.
Allen Katz has been a licensed Radio Amateur since he was a teenager with interest primarily in the UHF microwave frequencies and moonbounce. He has been editor and publisher of the 432 and Up EME Newsletter for more than 30 years, and before that he edited the VHF column for CQ magazine.
Dr. Katz holds doctorate and baccalaureate degrees in electrical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University. He is a professor of electrical engineering at The College of New Jersey and founder and president of Linearizer Technology, Inc., a company dedicated exclusively to distortion correction. He has more than 25 years of experience in the microwave and satellite industries.
His work spans the frequency range from UHF to above Ka-band and has involved both hybrid and MMIC circuits including the design of the first practical MMIC linearizer. He holds 16 patents and has written more than 75 technical publications. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a past Distinguished Lecturer for the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society.
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Since its invention by George Westinghouse in 1872 the pneumatically controlled railway brake has been universally accepted. It continues to provide safety, economy, and speed to ever larger freight trains. Though simple in concept, the application has been fertile ground for sophisticated pneumatic technology for more than 130 years. A major challenge is to overcome the propagation delay of the pneumatic signal in a long train. Brake actuation can be made instantaneous by overlaying an electrical control signal on the pneumatic system. The advantages are well proven in passenger trains and transit cars: uniformity and accuracy of brake application, graduated release, and rapidity of response. Extending this technology to mile-long freight trains faces severe but not insurmountable challenges. Tom Engle will discuss his involvement in the development of electrically controlled pneumatic brakes and will offer a unique and realistic perspective on the possible advantages of the technology.
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
An Overview of Breakthrough Renewable Energy Technologies
The leading renewable energy companies of today could easily be worth five to twenty billion dollars each in seven years. Several of these companies are worth over a billion dollars already. Who is leading the way in the build-out of this gigantic industry--in solar, biofuels, algae, wind, batteries, cleaner coal, and waste-to-energy?
We will look at the intellectual property that is the bedrock of these companies--one in each category. We will also look at how these companies are growing and partnering to succeed. It is a dynamic time in the build-out of renewable energy in the world. Join us for this lively update.
Jim Hurd heads the consulting firm Molecular Business Consultants, located in San Francisco, CA. Since 1999, he has assisted leading start-ups in building strategic alliances with major corporations and closing key rounds of investment. Hurd also focuses on the development of renewable energy and nanotech start-ups in China and contributes to brainstorming sessions with companies in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Hurd is also director of the GreenScience Exchange, which plans and hosts events in Silicon Valley and in Beijing. He also founded the NanoScience Exchange in 2002. It facilitated action among the six stakeholders of nanotech: start-ups, corporations, government agencies, national labs, universities and investors. He was one of the judges for the World Bank Development Gateway Awards in 2007 and 2008, and he authored the chapter, "Converging Technologies in Developing Countries" for the NSF book, Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance published in May 2004. Jim grew up in Washington, DC and graduated from George Washington University.
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Don't miss the premiere networking event of the National Capital Area, the Fall Power Fiesta. Originated in 2005 by the Power Engineering Society, the Fiesta has been very popular due to a diverse mix of attendance—students, recent graduates, representatives of industry, consultants, life members—resulting in "a fantastic synergy," as one attendee described the atmosphere. This year, the Fiesta welcomes two new cosponsors, the Society on Social Implications of Technology, and the new Professional Communication Society chapter.
Get free admission to the Fall Power Fiesta by sponsoring a new IEEE member or student member! To obtain your free admission, register for the Fiesta by sending an email to Monica Mallini at m.a.mallini@ieee.org. Include your name, IEEE section, grade and member number, and the same information for the new IEEE member that you have sponsored. The new member must join IEEE between October 1 and November 14 to be eligible. You and the new member will both receive free admission to the Fall Power Fiesta. Door prizes will be awarded, and there will be special prize drawings for new IEEE members and their IEEE member sponsors.
Don’t forget to ask the new IEEE member to reference your name and IEEE member number so you will get credit for the referral in the IEEE Member-Get-A-Member promotion. Questions about the MGM promotion should be directed to your Section's Membership Chair: Monica Mallini for the Northern Virginia Section, or Tim Weil at trweil@ieee.org for the Washington Section.
See you at the Fiesta! ¡Olé!
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Please send meeting announcements, corrections and comments
to ncac-scanner@ieee.org.
Updated 11/22/08
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