Preserving Our History . . . Online - IEEE's Center for the History of Electrical Engineering
There's More - Flashnet Chapter 3
NSF on Shutdowns and Budget Cuts - Director Lane addresses the effects of the recent government shutdowns and the proposed budget cuts and urges engineers and scientists to speak out.
IEEE-USA Announces - New programs and services from IEEE's United States Activities Division: National Consultants Directory, Careers Conference, Skills Assessment Forum, Government Fellows, New Web Policy Forum
IEEE-USA Urges Changes to NII Intellectual Property Bill - Vice-Chairman Ostfeld testifies on IEEE recommendations.
IEEE Fellows Receive Draper Prize - Two IEEE Fellows receive world's largest award for engineering achievement.
IEEE Press and Prentice-Hall Co-Publishing Agreement
Candidates for Section Office - Nominations Committee announces names for 1996-7 Officers. Petition nomination information.
Brainbuster
Mar 5 Pneumatically Driven Haptic Interfaces
Mar 7 FCC - the Year in Review
Mar 7 Computer Crime
Mar 12 Molecular Beam Epitaxy & Band Structure Engineering
Mar 19 Helicopter Based Transmission Line Maintenance
Mar 19 21st Century Computing
Mar 20 Consultants' Network Business Meeting
Beginning early this year, the history of electrical technology meets its future, as the IEEE History Center launches its own home page on the World Wide Web. The Center's Web page provides the world Internet community with an opportunity to learn more about the Center and its program; discover information about the history of electrical, electronic, and computer engineering; and connect to other organizations that investigate the role of all types of electrical technology in our society.
The Center's home page (still under construction) is available at http://www.ieee.org/
history_center. Some of the things available (or soon to be available) include:
Plans for the future include adding a full catalog of the Center's archives and more of the Center's reference guides.
The Center for the History of Electrical Engineering, founded in 1980 by IEEE, is a research center whose mission is to use histori-cal analysis to gain understanding of the place of electrical technologies in the development of the modern world and to disseminate that knowledge as widely as possible. In 1990, IEEE entered into a joint venture with Rutgers University to operate the Center.
The Center has three main program areas:
The Center is international in scope, collaborating with organizations from around the world. Support for the Center comes largely from the IEEE and Rutgers University, supplemented by private donations and grants from organizations such as the IEEE Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Sciences Foundation, and AT&T Foundation.
by Jeff Carrell, Electronic Communications Chairman
If you've been following my saga of the ISP deal, web page, 'Net access, etc., you're gonna love this. It seems that each time I sit down and write this column, something changes (so far, for the better!) concerning our deal with Flashnet (ISP).
Flashnet is offering an unprecedented bargain. They have a referral program in which if you (as a Flashnet subscriber) get someone to subscribe to their service, they pay you cash money. The catch is, it goes five levels deep. If you get someone, then they get someone, and so on, you still get money. It appears to look like a pyramid scheme, but you are the beneficiary. Now, I hope that by the time you read this article, it is still in place. I believe it will be, but you know things change in this industry. If you want to subscribe to Flashnet, contact me and I'll submit your name on behalf of the Section. That way, the Section gets the first tier referral money. In contacting me, I need your name, address and phone number. I submit the info to Flashnet and they credit the referral to our Sections' account. I need only a days notice between the time you supply me with the data, and when you contact Flashnet to sign-up. For more info on Flashnet's service offerings or referral program, see Flashnet's web page at www.flash.net.
Flashnet no longer has the training facilities available for the previously mentioned Internet and web page training. Therefore, I am investigating other alternatives. If you know of a place we can hold this type of training, plz contact me. We need a place that has a few PCs (about 4-10) and a way to connect one PC to a phone line for dialing out (I'll provide this PC and modem). This arrangement will provide the capability for folks to view the software first-hand, and then a way for me to upload the files to our web server, and show them in actual use.
I am looking for volunteers to be co-Web masters of our Sections' web page. You don't have to know a thing about creating web
pages or be an HTML programmer, just have an interest in learning these things. The time spent is minimal, unless you get carried away and just have so much fun you can't stand it-but that's your choice. I mainly would like to spread out the responsibilities, and that way others can have fun too. Also, if you participate in a Society group, your chairman is looking for volunteers to work on those web page components to our main web page. Contact me for further details if you too would like to be a "Webmaster."
Talking about web pages, have you checked out the Section page yet? If not, its at www.flash.net/~ieeeftw. Remember to view it often, topics are being added or updated all the time (or when we can get to it ;-) After looking at it, if you have any ideas, comments, critique or suggestions, let me know. I'm always looking for ways to make our Section web page the best! I've also thought about a couple of topics to add to our web page and solicit your thoughts on them: 1) have hyperlinks to Section members own email address and/or web pages, 2) have links to companies in the DFW metroplex area that Section members work for and also related companies. Since these pages would require a bit of monitoring and maintenance, this is where having a few other webmasters would assist. I have already done a preliminary poll on the company links idea, and so far the responses are in favor.
Although I've been writing alot about the ISP deal, our web page, etc., new topics are in the works like: video conferencing over the Internet (home use!), HTML primers, and why you should have a web page. Have any other ideas, let me know, and thanks to those who submitted ideas already!
See you on the 'Net...
Have a question or want to know more details about e-mail, the Internet, electronic communications or related technologies? Send a note to me or Signals editor we will cover it in a future article. If your society, company or other organization would like an Internet presentation, demo, discussion, etc., let me know. (no commercial pitch, just plain 'ole techie talk :-)
In two recent speeches, Dr. Neal Lane, Director of the National Science Foundation, illustrated the impacts of the shutdowns on NSF and expressed his concerns regarding the long term implications of the anticipated 1/3 cut in Federal funding of non-defense science and technology research over the next seven years. Dr. Lane urgently calls upon the science and engineering community to "speak out about the importance of the Federal investment in science and technology, in research and education, in universities, in national laboratories and other institutions."
On the budget cuts:
"When one considers the societal benefits of NSF's supported work, we begin to see the high risk I mentioned earlier that is inherent in this experiment. Where will we get the next Doppler radar system? Or the next breakthrough in plant genetics or breast cancer research? What about hot start-up companies like Netscape Communications-will they continue to take Wall Street by storm if the Federal support that sparked them fades away?
"While none of us can answer these questions with precision, we could probably come up with some very sound educated guesses. In fact, we need look no further than the recent study on R&D by the President's Council of Economic Advisors. The Council stressed that "maintaining or increasing this country's R&D effort is essential if we are to increase the rate of productivity growth and improve American living standards."
On shutdowns:
"At NSF, we returned from the shutdown to the sight of over 20 large mailroom carts crammed one against the other, brimming over with four weeks of proposals and correspondence. The last report I had showed over 2000 proposals in the queue (on the average, we receive and log in about 240 proposals per day). On a single day last week, I know we received over 900 proposals. So, I expect that the queue is up to 3000 by now. Next week, the mailroom will start to distribute the mail with people working extra shifts. And then the program officers will be faced with the enormous task of sorting through everything and deciding what to do first."
"We can't yet fully assess the long-term impact. One thing is clear, losing a month does not merely put us a month behind. NIH estimates the shutdown put them 6 to 8 months behind. It may be more for NSF."
And, on speaking out:
"My message to you today is that if you don't take it as one of your professional responsibilities to inform your fellow citizens about the importance of the science and technology enterprise, then that public support, critical to sustaining it, isn't going to be there. Who knows more about science, its complex relationship with technology, the linkage between research and education, the often unexpected benefits to society, than you? Who has greater credibility in discussing science, not just astronomy but science, than you? Who understands better than anyone the price our nation will pay if we fall behind in science and technology in the effort to downsize government? Is it self-serving to advocate support for science? Perhaps. But if the "self" is the American people and the position of leadership of the U.S. in all fields of science and technology in the 21st century, then I wouldn't worry too much about appearing self serving.
"One thing that has been striking during this year of budget battles and, most recently, the shutdown, is the perceived stony silence of the science and technology community-the universities, where most of the fundamental research is done, and with a few exceptions, business and industry, which depend on the knowledge and technologies research provides. And I can assure you that this perceived lack of concern has not gone unnoticed in Washington.
"Clearly, this is a time of great challenge for science and technology in America. But, I believe we can seize this time as one of opportunity to work together in ways we have never done before, to raise our voices, together, to send out a clear and coherent message. This is not the time to plead for biology vs. chemistry or astronomy vs. engineering, or even basic vs. applied research or technology. It's a time to speak out about the importance of the Federal investment in science and technology, in research and education, in universities, in national laboratories and other institutions--and in the partnerships that have been formed with industry and other sectors that use the knowledge and technologies for the public good."
IEEE-USA's Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks Coordinating Committee (AICNCC) has produced the 1996 National Directory of Electrotechnology Consultants, one of its on-going efforts to assist the Institute's self-employed U.S. members. AICNCC's first annual national directory includes electrical, electronic, software engineer and management consultants.
The publication includes a listing of approximately 350 consultants and their services alphabetically, by state and by category - with a listing of specialties. It also supplies readers with a roster of the Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN), providing contact information for local referrals, as well as for the coordinating committee. Although local consultants' network directories are already available, this national directory will serve as another useful tool in assisting prospective clients looking for qualified consultants.
The 1996 Directory of Electrotechnology Consultants is available free by contacting William Anderson at 202-785-0017, ext. 330 or <w.anderson@ieee. org>. Prospective clients can also access a database of consultants on IEEE-USA's World Wide Web site at URL <http://www.ieee.org/usab/DOCUMENTS/ CAREER/career.menu.html> (case-sensitive). Users can search the data base by name, technical specialty and state.
IEEE-USA will host its Ninth Biennial Careers Conference on April 11-12, 1996, in Minneapolis. The conference theme, "Winning in a Global Economy: Helping Engineers Develop Career Resilience," will emphasize new information that can help organizations, managers and engineers create environments for successful, effective engineering careers.
The conference will offer sessions on organizational success stories, surviving and thriving in today's career environment, strategies and skills for career successes, new career roles for engineers, and educating engineers for work in the 1990s and beyond. For more information or to register, contact Scott Grayson at 202-785-0017, ext. 339 or s.grayson@ ieee.org or <http://www.ieee.org/usab>.
IEEE will sponsor "Industry 2000: A Best Practices Skills Assessment Forum" on April 9-10 in Minneapolis, immediately prior to the 1996 IEEE-USA Careers Conference. The first in a new series of IEEE Best Practices Forums, this event will help determine the role of skills and knowledge assessment in maintaining the technical vitality of engineers.
For information, contact Gale Latzko at 908-562-6526 or <g.latzko@ieee.org>.
IEEE members Ivan Kaminow, Subrata Ghoshroy and James Dennison have accepted 1996 IEEE-USA Government Fellowships. IEEE-USA's Government Fellows program places senior-level engineers on congressional and federal staffs and brings technical and industry expertise into the policy-making process. The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently awarded the program its Associations Advance America Award for Excellence.
Congressional Fellow Kaminow will work with Rep. George E. Brown, D-Calif., and the House Science Committee. Ghoshroy will handle arms control and defense technology issues for Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., and the House International Relations Committee. Executive Fellow James Dennison will work with Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology Mary Good at the Department's Technology Administration on U.S. manufacturing-technology policy.
IEEE-USA is seeking applicants for two Congressional Fellowships for the 1997 term. Further information, and informative video and application kits can be obtained by contacting Chris J. Brantley at (202) 785-0017, ext. 303 or <c.brantley@ ieee.org>. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, 1996. Fellowship materials are also available via the Internet by sending an e-mail request <info.ieeeusa. congfel@ieee.org>.
IEEE-USA has created an interactive public-policy forum on the World Wide Web for engineers concerned about how decisions made in Washington can affect them and their careers. The site contains a complete library of IEEE-USA position statements, testimonies and other policy communications, as well as information on IEEE-USA Government Fellowships and internships, and links to other Internet resources.
Members can contribute to policy formulation by participating in on-line discussions of such topics as pension portability, family-friendly technology in cyberspace, science and technology in political-party platforms and immigration reform. Comments registered in the Member Forum will be collected and submitted for consideration by the relevant IEEE-USA committees. The Public Policy Forum can be accessed through the IEEE-USA Home Page at URL <http://www.ieee.org/usab>.
IEEE-USA Urges Changes to NII Intellectual Property Bill
IEEE-USA Vice Chair David M. Ostfeld told a House subcommittee that it should make several changes to the National Information Infrastructure (NII) Copyright Protection Act of 1995 (HR.2441) to prevent unintended consequences that would disable important elements of electronic communications. Endangered under the bill's current language are Web browsing, distance learning and interactive features of e-mail; currently legal forms of copying, reverse engineering and decryption; and liability exemption for third-party service providers. Ostfeld lauded legislators for seeking to provide needed intellectual property protections for electronic inventors and publishers, but urged them to be careful not to stifle technological innovation on the information superhighway.
Ostfeld cautioned that HR.2441, as written, lacks sufficient flexibility to accommodate current and emerging technologies. Moreover, some of the bill's language would create unwarranted new legal difficulties for the NII's users and consumers, he warned. Until Congress has carefully analyzed the potential effects of the bill, "IEEE-USA urges Congress not to pass legislation that will stifle technology or inhibit the general usefulness and flexibility of the NII," he stated.
Ostfeld presented the subcommittee members with a list of recommended amendments that would help eliminate the bill's defects, and offered the assistance of IEEE-USA's Intellectual Property Committee in developing future legislation related to intellectual-property rights on the NII.
Contact Chris Currie at 202-785-0017 or <c.currie@ieee.org> for additional information or a copy of Ostfield's testimony.
IEEE Fellows Receive Draper Prize
IEEE Fellows John R. Pierce and Harold A. Rosen will receive the $400,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize, the world's largest award for engineering achievement, at a Washington ceremony during National Engineers Week. The Draper Prize is presented every other year by the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of individuals whose outstanding engineering achievements have contributed to the well-being and freedom of humanity.
Pierce and Rosen will share the 1996 award for their seminal roles in the development of communication satellite technology, which ushered in the modern communications era. According to science fiction novelist Arthur C. Clarke, who first proposed the idea of a communication satellite network in 1945: "John Pierce and Harold Rosen are the fathers of the communication satellite. They designed, developed and produced it, making real that which I and others thought only to write and dream about."
IEEE Press and Prentice-Hall Co-Publishing Agreement
The IEEE Press and Prentice Hall, a unit of Simon and Schuster, have announced the formation of a new publishing alliance.
Under this special agreement, the two organizations will co-develop and co-publish selected books on the theory and practice of electrical engineering. The books will focus on several areas important to electrical, electronics and computer engineers including telecommunications, digital signal processing, computer engineering, biomedical engineering and power electronics. These special edition books are available to members from the IEEE customized with the Institute's name and logo. Prentice Hall is also marketing a generic edition under its own label through retail, wholesale, college, corporate, library and government sales channels worldwide.
Candidates for Section Office
The Section Nominations Committee has announced the following candidates for officer positions for the 1995-96 term.
Section Executive Committee
Chairman Jim Painter
Vice Chair Bob Geisel
Treasurer Mike Rodriguez
Secretary Alan Triggs
Computer Society Chapter
Chairman Robert Speer
V Chair-Programs Alan Fletcher
V Chair-Publicity Michael Dick
V Chair-Facilities Bonnie Melhart
Control Systems Society
Chairman Yildirim Hurmuzlu
Vice Chair Kai Liu
Secretary Louis R. (Bob) Hunt
Treasurer Viswanath Ramakrishna
Nominations by petition may be submitted through April 15 to the Nominations Chairman. Petitions must contain the names and signatures of 20 voting members of the Fort Worth Section (member level or above).
On a game show are three doors. The host says "Behind one door is a car, and behind the other two are goats. I know which door is which. Select a door, then I'll open one of the other two doors to show a goat. After you've seen the goat, you may switch your choice to the third door, or keep your original choice. You'll win whatever is behind the door of your final choice." Should you switch, or stay with your original choice, or does is matter?
Answer in next month's Signals.
MAR Evaluating Human Perception in Pneumatically Computer Chapter
5 Driven Haptic Interfaces
Tues, 7:30 pm
Yildirim Hurmuzlu, Southern Methodist University
Telemanipulation systems offer a practical way to combine advances in
robotics with human versatility. Haptic interfaces, a newly emerging
and very promising direction in teleoperation, provides interaction
between a human operator and computer generated environments. This talk
describes experimental studies conducted with the Pneumatically driven
Haptic Interface (PHI) system developed at the SMU system laboratory to
evaluate the limits imposed by the haptic interface on the ability of
the human operator to perceive virtual objectsThe talk will be followed
by a lab tour. Professor Yildirim Hurmuzlu has been with the
Department of Mechanical Engineering at SMU since 1987.
Room 128, Caruth Building, Southern Methodist University .
MAR FCC - The Year in Review Communications Chapter
7
Thur, 6 pm James D. Wells, P.E., FCC Dallas
With the PCS Auctions, and wireline deregulation, 1995 was a busy year
for the Federal Communications Commission. Jim Wells will speak on the
year gone by, the fallout for cellular, deregulation of the LECs, and
the immediate future for the FCC. Free refreshments will be served to
kick-off this very first Ft. Worth Communications Society meeting, and
all are welcome. Call John Oberkrom @ (817) 245-2007 with questions or
for directions.
Motorola Adv. Messaging Systems Div., Longhorn Conference Room . Exit
Beach St. north from I-820 north loop. First left north of I-820 and
Beach intersection. Enter at south entrance (behind Luby's).
MAR Computer Crime Computer Chapter
7
Thur, 6:30 pm Eugene Spafford, Purdue University
Professor Eugene Spafford will discuss the nature of computer crime
growth on the Internet, and the problems posed in computer security and
computer law. Dr. Spafford is the coauthor of the several books and
over 100 papers and reports on Computer Security. He is the founder
and director of the COAST Laboratory, which has developed several
widely used computer security tools. NOTE: Dr. Spafford will present
two additional topics at TCU: Mar. 7, 1:30 pm, Dan Rogers Hall #165,
Software Forensics; Mar. 8, 10:00 am, Dan Rogers Hall #271, Intrusion
Detection.
TCU, Sid Richardson Bldg, Lecture Hall #2. On Bowie, east of University
Drive (one block north of Berry Street), south of I-30.
MAR Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Band Structure Lasers & Electro-optics
12 Chapter
Tues, 7 pm Engineering for Optoelectronics
Kambiz Alavi, University of Texas at Arlington
Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) is an ultra-high vacuum crystal growth
technique capable of producing extremely high purity and highly
crystalline thin films with sub-nanometer precision. It permits
accurate control over composition, doping, and interfaces in the growth
direction with excellent lateral uniformity. This talk will cover the
physics and technology of MBE and the properties of heterostructures,
superlatices, and quantum wells. Examples of band structure
engineering with emphasis on applications to lasers, detectors, and
modulators are also presented. Professor Kambiz Alavi is Director of
the NSF Center for Electronic Materials, Devices and Systems at UTA.
UTA, Nedderman Hall, Rm. 601, Cooper and Border streets in Arlington.
MAR Helicopter Based Transmission Line Maintenance Power Engineering
19 Chapter
Tues, 12 noon
This meeting will provide an in depth look at the use of helicopters in
the construction, maintenance and repair of transmission lines.
Helicopters are often used to reach inaccessable portions of
transmission lines. A representative from Haverfield will discuss
construction practices and live line maintenance procedures.
Petroleum Club, Continental Plaza, 777 Main Street, downtown Fort
Worth. Lunch is $12 ($15 at the door). RSVP by March 15 to Brian
Meuth, 882-6190.
MAR 21st Century Computing FW Section
19
Tues, 6:30 pm A. K. Dewdney, University of Waterloo, Canada
Computer Recreations and the Decline of Science - controversial and
entertaining. A. K. will deliver a generally purgative talk that will
end either in general sighs of agreement - or in the breakout of
fistfights throughout the lecture hall. As the computer recreations
columnist of Scientific American, Dewdney developed a following, some
of whom took his columns as fragments of a hitherto unrevealed
manifesto for a new "cybernetic age." A noted author, editor, and
computer scientist, among Dr. Dewdney's works are "Armchair Universe:
An Exploration of Computer Worlds," and "Turing Omnibus: 61 Excursions
in Computer Science."
TCU, Sid Richardson Bldg, Lecture Hall #2. On Bowie, east of University
Drive (one block north of Berry Street), south of I-30.
MAR Quarterly Business Meeting Consultants' Network
20
Wed, 6:30 pm Bob Krause, et. al.
The consultants' network will have its quarterly business meeting this
month. On the agenda for this quarter include update to the
consultant's directory and its publication on the WWW. If you have
interests in the consultants' network, this month's meeting is an
excellent opportunity to learn more about our mission.
Ben E. Keith Hospitality Room, Beers Distribution Plant, 7001 Will
Rogers Blvd. Exit I-35W South at Alta Mesa, east to Will Rogers.