IEEE Charlotte Section Meetings

Meeting details follow the calendar below.

Meeting Details

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Wed. Feb. 20, 2008

Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: CPCC - IT Building, Rm IT2132, Independence Drive and East Elizabeth St., Charlotte, NC
Topic: Agile Software Testing Strategies
Speaker: Jared Richardson, CPCC
In conjunction with: Agile Carolina, IEEE Computer Society
Maps and details: Please go to http://agile-carolinas.pbwiki.com  for some details. You may also contact Joe Little (917-887-1669). RSVP to jhlittle@mindspring.com

Test automation is like exercise. We know both are great ideas, but most of us don’t do enough of either. Although we know that creating a solid automated test suite is critical to any agile testing strategy, we are often just told to “Do it” without much support-money or people. Jared Richardson examines the infrastructure and tools needed for your automated testing to succeed and prosper. Jared examines three strategies: test-driven development, defect-driven testing, and blitzkrieg testing - you can use to ensure great test coverage on your projects. You’ll gain an understanding of how to leverage your testing investments by employing continuous integration practices in your development projects. With real life scenarios as a backdrop, Jared discusses appropriate testing strategies for your current project or the next one down the road. Jared will get you moving toward automated testing, whether you're starting fresh or trying to clean up an existing project.

Jared is the co-author of "Ship It: A practical guide to successful software projects". See www.amazon.com for more details. Jared is first of all a programmer. See http://www.jaredrichardson.net/about.html for more details on him.

This will be an interactive session; bring your questions. Hope you can join us! And please invite others. We will start with networking and food at 6:00pm. At 6:30pm we will start the program discussion. And close at 8:00pm.

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Feb. 25, Monday, Feb. 25,  2008

Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Location: UNC Charlotte Campus, Woodward 106
Topic: Biologically-inspired Robots
Speaker: Scott Kelley
In conjunction with: Charlotte-Area Robotics Club, IEEE, and IEEE UNC Charlotte Student Chapter
Maps and details:  Park in the Union Deck, walk over to Woodward 106.  For a particular map for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Scott Kelly, Professor of Mechanical Engineering will talk about his research into Biologically-inspired Robots, in particular, fish and their schooling instincts.  Dr. Kelly arrived on campus in the Fall after spending time at the University of Illinois.
Hope you can join us!

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Wed. Mar. 12, 2008

Time:  6:30 PM
Location:  UNC Charlotte, 106 Woodward hall 
Topic:  Robotics Seminar: Nekton Research 
Speaker: Brian Newberry of Nekton Research LLC
Mr. Newberry will discuss projects in which Nekton Research has been and is currently involved.   Nekton Research LLC is a small business in Research Triangle Park that develops unmanned underwater vehicles, sensors and systems, primarily for the US Navy.  An outgrowth of the Biomechanics program at Duke University, vehicles propel themselves with fins, sensors that bury themselves and inflatable satellite radios you can hide in your hand.  Nekton’s more traditional devices include UUVs for destroying sea mines and high speed 3” vehicles that lure away torpedoes. 
In conjunction with:  IEEE Charlotte Section and Charlotte Area Robotics
Maps and details:  For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.

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 Friday, Mar. 14, 2008

Time:  visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details
Location:  UNC Charlotte
Topic: TBD 
Speaker: Dr. Shaya Fainman, Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics Group,U of California, San Diego
In conjunction with:  IEEE Communications Society and UNC Charlotte Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications
Maps and details:  For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Also: visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details

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Wed., Mar. 19, 2008

Time: 5:00 PM
Location:  UNC Charlotte, 106 Woodward Hall
Topic: Magnetic Materials
Speaker: Dr. Ryan Adams, UNC Charlotte
Magnetic materials are used in many microwave devices (such as phase shifters, isolators and circulators) to route power through systems in efficient ways.  One of the major problems with these components is that their physical size is directly dependent on wavelength; thus, miniaturization is not possible with current technology. However, there is a strong push in communication and RADAR systems to create true system-on-a-chip components using these devices.  This presentation will provide an overview of the devices themselves, and outline a viable approach to miniaturization which will lead to smaller, faster, more efficient and more easily integrated systems.
In conjunction with:  IEEE UNC Charlotte Student Chapter
Maps and details:  For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.

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 Friday, Mar. 28, 2008

Time:  12:30 PM
Location:  UNC Charlotte, 106 Woodward Hall
Topic:  High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing for Genome Analysis
Speaker: Dr. Jason D. Bakos, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina
In conjunction with: IEEE Computer Society Chapter

This talk will describe a co-processor architecture for whole-genome phylogenetic reconstruction, an expensive application in computational biology.  Our current design performs a parallelized breakpoint median computation, a computational bottleneck of the overall application.  When implemented on an FPGA, our hardware breakpoint median achieves a maximum speedup of 1005X over software.  When the co-processor is used to accelerate the entire reconstruction procedure, we achieve a maximum application speedup of 417X.  Our results suggest that FPGA-based acceleration is a promising approach for computationally expensive phylogenetic problems, in spite of the fact that the involved algorithms are based on complex, control-dependent combinatorial optimizations.

 Jason D. Bakos received his B.S. in Computer Science from Youngstown  State University in 1999 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005.  Dr. Bakos worked as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2005 and  is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Computer  Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina.  He was the  winner of design contests from the Design Automation Conference in 2002 and 2004.  He is a member of the IEEE, ACM, and Computer Society.

Maps and details: 
 Take the West Entrance to the University on University Blvd (this will put you on Cameron Rd).  When you cross over Craver Rd, just past Woodward Hall, park in the Union Deck ... this is the newest parking desk next to the construction.  There is a walk way through the construction, cross over Craver, and walk up the steps to Woodward Hall.  Room 106 is at the end of the hall way. For maps and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/

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Friday, Mar. 28, 2008

Time:  visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details
Location:  UNC Charlotte 
Topic: Quantum Optics & Quantum Information
Speaker: Dr. Girish Agarwal, Noble Foundation Chair of Physics and Regent's Professor, Oklahoma State University
In conjunction with: IEEE Communications Society and UNC Charlotte Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications
Maps and details:For a maps and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Also: visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details

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Saturday, Apr. 12, 2008

CANCELED: Please RSVP to:  ivhowitt@carolina.rr.com
Time:  2-5pm
Location: Hornest's Nest Park, Pavilion 1
Topic: CANCELED:IEEE Charlotte Spring  Picnic 

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  Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Limited attendence.  Must RSVP: Please RSVP to:  david.wallach@ieee.org
Time: 5:30 pm Social, 6:00 PM food, 6:30 to 7:30 Presentation/Q&A
Location:  Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc
Topic: Configuration and Performance of IEC 61850 for First-Time Users
Speaker: Youssef Botsa
In conjunction with:  IEEE Charlotte Power Engineering Society
Maps and details:
Presentation will give a practical incorporation of IEC 61850 into substation integration presented at a beginner's level.  A review of the history and background of IEC61850 will be discussed.  An example project overview will be given, including a communications single-line diagram and a software flow diagram.  Project discussions will include AX-S4 MMS (HMI status / controls), GOOSE messaging, and comparison between serial and Ethernet.
Location: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc, 2401 Whitehall Park Dr, Suite 1000, Charlotte, NC  28273-3590
MAP:  Map to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

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Friday, Apr. 18, 2008

Time: visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details
Location: UNC Charlotte
Topic:  TBD 
Speaker: Dr. Miguel Alonso, The Institute of Optics, U. of Rochester
In conjunction with: IEEE Communications Society and UNC Charlotte Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications
Maps and details:For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Also: visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details

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Friday, Apr. 25, 2008

Time:  visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details
Location:  UNC Charlotte
Topic:  TBD
Speaker: Dr. Nader Engheta, H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering,U. Pennsylvania
In conjunction with: IEEE Communications Society and UNC Charlotte Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications
Maps and details: For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Also: visit http://opticscenter.uncc.edu/seminars.htm  for latest details

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Wed. April 30, 2008

Time:  1:00 PM, see website for details http://www.srdesign.uncc.edu/
Location: UNC Charlotte, Cone Center  
Topic: Senior Design Exposition
Speaker: Demonstration of Senior Projects
In conjunction with:  IEEE Education Society and UNC Charlotte College of Engineering
Maps and details: For a map and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.
Also: visit http://www.srdesign.uncc.edu/  for latest details

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Thurs. May 1, 2008

Time:  5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Location:  Brooklyn Pizza Parlor, Colony Place Shopping Center (directions below)
Topic:  Social event
Speaker: N/A
Meet colleagues and relax after work, indoors or on the patio, at Brooklyn Pizza in Colony Place.
Members: Free pizza while the pizza lasts!
Maps and details:  Brooklyn Pizza Parlor, 7725 Colony Road, Charlotte, NC 28226, Tel: 704-542-5439
Take I485 to Rea Rd. Exit (Exit 59), then go approx 2 miles north on Rea Rd.
Shopping center is at  intersection of Rea Rd, Rea Rd., and Colony Rd. (where Rea Rd turns into Colony Rd)
Website has maps to all 3 locations of Brooklyn Pizza: http://www.realpagessites.com/brooklynpizzaparlor/page6.html
In conjunction with: IEEE Section

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Date, 2008

Time: 
Location: 
Topic: 
Speaker: 
In conjunction with: 
Maps and details: For maps and for parking visit: http://facilities.uncc.edu/maps/.