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IEEE Washington Section |
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Serving members in the District of Columbia and part of Maryland since 1903 |
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e S C A N N E R Calendar Index Technical Societies and Affinity Groups L I N K S |
HistoryThe 1960s: Technological AdvancesIn 1963, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), affiliated in 1912, merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), affiliated in 1933, to become the present-day Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). With the merger, the IEEE was given the same seniority as the elder of the two professional societies. Electrical engineers contributed to many significant advancements in technology and scientific research in the 1960s. In the 1960s, electronic digital computers were first used by the Coast and Geodetic Survey for determining the location and origin of earthquakes. The system utilized punched business machine cards with coding for the reporting station and the exact time of the first shock wave. It was believed that the results were accurate to within seven miles of the point of origin. Fred Tischer wrote that in January 1962 he was temporarily reassigned from Ohio State University to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He was associated with plasma and re-entry communications. The availability of scientific and technical information was unique. At the Laboratory of Experimental Neurology at Georgetown University, the electromagnetic field associated with neuronal activity was demonstrated for the first time during the 60s. Following the rules of Maxwell's equations, this event suggested a new method for studying and mapping the nervous system of animals and humans. Of especial significance was that mapping could be achieved without having to make direct contact with the structure under investigation. At the National Bureau of Standards, the 1960s were essential years for basic research on laser devices. In one study, emphasis was given to the development of the helium-neon gas laser as a monochromatic collimated light source for the interferometric measurement of path lengths. Other studies employed solid state lasers, e.g., the pulsed ruby laser for high power applications. In 1962, in an address at George Washington University, the director of research of the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., cited a prediction by the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) in its 50th Anniversary Issue. It was predicted that within the next 50 years communication between man and machine would be perfected to a degree that would permit coupling between the human mind and the mechanical brain. This communication, it was alleged, would be much closer than between two human minds. Today we see the outcome of this prediction, and it portrays the significant role of the electronics engineer in today's society. In the 1960s at the Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Washington, D.C., the successful tracking, warning and forecasting of hurricane storms was demonstrated by the use of high-powered weather radars installed along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. These radars are credited with the saving of many lives and the escape of many citizens from serious injury. In the 1960s the Navy issued contracts for the design, development, and implementation of Naval Tactical Data Systems (NTDS) for secure electronic communications between fleet commanders and their staffs. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts were issued for the design and development of electronic data links to identify friendly aircraft within a given airspace. Known as Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF), these systems preceded modern transponder development, the critical devices that are used every day to identify en route aircraft within the nation's airspace. DoD contracts were also issued during the decade of the 60s for the design of very low frequency shore-to-ship submarine communication systems and for the design and deployment of sonobuoys to track and locate foreign submarines. |
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Send changes to Tim Weil at trweil@ieee.org or Elsie Grant at ncac-scanner@ieee.org. |
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