IEEE INVITES MEMBERS TO REVIEW PRE-COLLEGE ENGINEERS TRAINING PROGRAM The IEEE is seeking volunteers to review its new Pre-college Engineers Training (PET) resource web site. This site, once completed, will be a main component of IEEE PET, a program that will train engineers to work with K-12 teachers in an effort to increase the technological literacy of students worldwide. The PET resource web site is designed to sensitize engineers to educational issues such as curriculum development, classroom dynamics, available learning materials, and local implementation of educational standards. After completing the web-delivered training program, participating engineers will be accessible to the pre-college education community. "By nature of their professions, engineers and teachers really know very little about each other," explains Arthur Winston, vice president of IEEE Educational Activities. "In order to be effective resources to pre-college teachers, engineers must first be trained on various educational issues and skills." Members who volunteer to review the site will be given the secured web address and asked to share their comments/suggestions for improvement of the PET project. The IEEE will then revise the site as necessary. Following the revision, PET will be pilot tested by members in the Worcester, MA & North Jersey sections. A presentation about PET and a report on the test progress will be delivered at IEEE Sections Congress 1999. In early 2000, PET will be deployed throughout all IEEE Sections, and members will be encouraged to use it as a resource to help them serve the education community. Those interested in testing the PET training site should contact Christy Bouziotis at <c.bouziotis@ieee.org>, or call 1.732.562.6526.

NEW IEEE VIDEO PREPARES ENGINEERS FOR P.E. EXAM The IEEE has released P.E. Review: Electronics, a video tutorial that will prepare engineers to take the Electronics portion of the Professional Engineering (PE) Licensing Examination in October, 1999 or April, 2000. P.E. Review: Electronics focuses on the essential concepts required to analyze and design complex circuits and provides valuable hints on maximizing test scores. State licensing boards use examinations prepared by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Expanding on the sample problems put forth in the NCEES's Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE), this video tutorial covers the following topics: bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, switching power supplies, operational amplifiers, frequency response, and much more. Presenters Dr. Martin S. Roden and Dr. Sidney Soclof have utilized their combined 65 years of experience, including courses presented through instructional television networks, to anticipate the types of questions viewers will have. Both Roden and Soclof are professional engineers and university professors. Run Time: 2 Hrs./15 Mins.; IEEE Order #: HV7044-QVE; List Price: $199.00; IEEE Member Price: $125.00 Order from IEEE Customer Service, 445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA; e-mail: customer-service@ieee.org; phone:1.800.678.4333; Web: <http://www.ieee.org/eab>. For more information on this video tutorial, contact Patty Mickus, IEEE Media Producer, at <p.mickus@ieee.org>. To learn more about P.E. licensure, visit the NCEES Web site at <www.ncees.org>.

CHAIR'S CORNER Welcome to another year of West Michigan Section IEEE activities! Dr. Hossein Mousavinezhad of WMU's ECE Department is the program chair for the eit2000 Conference in Chicago. This activity is underwritten by your Section and Region so please find some way to participate. Dr. Tom Yackish of GVSU has been a font of ideas for local meetings and we look forward to his leadership coming from Grand Rapids. In the summer of '98 I had begun development of our web site with Dr. Damon Miller assuming recurring web master responsibilities. I hope to facilitate a transition to an "eSection" capability whereby you may elect to receive this newsletter via email, RSVP to events, and eventually become paperless w.r.t. IEEE activities. I am already using some Computer Society journals in an "e" manner and I intend on renewing IEEE membership over the web. Dr. Frank Severance and Dr. Johnson Asumadu both of WMU have assumed IEEE and WMU ECE responsibilities for the Engineers Week Dinner in February. As in the past, WMU's ECE Department Seminars published herein or on our web site are intended for your participation too. Dr. Ron Fredricks has informed me that Smiths Industries has agreed to host a meeting Thursday, December 2, 1999, where they shall be demonstrating a flight management system. RSVPs shall be required for this meeting at our Sections largest aerospace and defense company. Details to follow in November. After some years of experience with H1-B visas at various clients I have formulated an opinion that I have sent to patricia.lee@ieee.org for possible inclusion in IEEE Perspectives. I'll post an improved version of this letter to our web site alongside the remarks of Dr. Ron Fredricks who has continued to be active in employment issues. --- Kevin Davis