Call for Papers - IEEE-USA AICN Consultants' Workshop May 18, 1996, University of Texas, Arlington
Red Alert... Warning... Beware... Threats of Web virus
Should computer programming languages be protected by copyright? IEEE-USA's new Professional Perspective Web "Extra"
IEEE-USA Update Volunteers Deliver R&D Message to Congressional Leaders, Defending Energy R&D, IEEE-USA vs. Big Business on the Question of Immigration, Still Trying on Pension Portability, Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer Symposium
Speaking Out on Immigration "Tell the Whole Story" Letter to the Editor, FW Star- Telegram
Section Activities Section Recognizes Five Outstanding Members, UTA Students Take Top Awards at Metrocon, Brainbuster, Expanding Your Horizons, Wavelets: Principles, Applications & Implementation (short course)
Inside IEEE Career Management Guide, IEEE Receives Grant for Career Guidance Program, IEEE/IEE Electronic Library, Rockwell Recognizes Members
Apr 4 Personal Communications Services
Apr 16 How to Build the Advnaced Internet Web Page
Apr 17 Networking Workshop
Apr 22 Blue-green Quantum-well Diode Lasers
Apr 30 Electrorheological Dampers and Structural Control of Buildings and Bridges
IEEE-USA AICN Consultants' Workshop
The Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN) is hereby requesting a submittal of papers for presentation at a Consultants' Workshop to be held at University of Arlington (UTA) on Saturday, May 18, 1996. The Workshop will address topics of interest for both beginning and experienced consultants. Topics for which papers are being sought include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Network is the association binding the approximately 30 separate consultants' networks around the country organized under the umbrella of the IEEE. A Consultants' Network has been in existence in Fort Worth for over three years, one has been organized in Austin, and one is presently being organized in Dallas. IEEE Consultants' networks have grown from only five in the nation to almost 30 today.
Interested submitters should send an abstract of the proposed paper and a short biography to:
Bob Krause
Public Utility Consultant
4629 Brandingshire Place
Fort Worth, Texas 76133
Fax: 817-731-8552
email: b.krause@ieee.org
Submittal Deadline is April 15, 1996.
by Jeff Carrell, Electronic Communications Chairman
Recently, a message was circulating the 'Net describing an email that if you received it and then read it, it could reformat your hard drive, before you would even know it had happened. Yes it *might* be true, but there are some things to discuss here.
First off, this is apparently a common tactic/scare ploy that circulates the 'Net every so often and usually sets off a panic among users. Although this particular threat is probably not accurate, something of the sort might be possible. I would at least recommend that you be wary of such info and take whatever precautions you deem necessary to protect your computing environment.
Given very exacting circumstances, if you received an email and it was created to be opened and read by a specific email application, then just about anything is possible. Yes, there could be an embedded virus that could potentially kick off a process to inflict damage to your computer's hard drive, etc., but the chances are pretty slim. An email of this type could affect your computer and/or data if you had the exact combination of applications. The more likely calamity is that you could receive an email with an attached file, and the attached file has a virus embedded in it, as happened to me recently.
In February, I received an email from a vendor with two files attached. My email application is EudoraPro, which as soon as I receive an email, any attached files are automatically detached and stored in a predetermined subdirectory on my hard disk. When I open the email, I then have information noting that the attached files were successfully saved. After reading the email from my vendor, I then opened the documents, read and printed them. Since they were created with MSWord for a Macintosh computer, I resaved one of the files on my PC since I use Windows/ MSWord, for convenience sake.
Either that same day or the next, I happened to be surfing on the Symantec web page, when I noticed a new virus definition file for Norton Anti-Virus. I downloaded the new def file and scanned my PC. Guess what?! It detected a *new* virus (an embedded Word Macro) in the two files I had just received and the file I had opened and saved. And to make matters worse, these files could not be repaired. I immediately deleted them off my system, then sent an email to my vendor to alert them to possible problems on their end.
The point is, don't always take everything you read (even from me :-) as absolute. On the other hand, don't discard these emails as trivial, since some threats could be genuine. Be careful and ask questions. When I receive these types of messages, I'll research them quickly and forward them (to those I have addresses for...) on with an appropriate caveat. Anything is really possible when there are so many technology choices available.
Additionally, if you use an anti-virus program, update the definition file as often as the vendor supplies def files. If they don't often supply files, you may want to consider a different application that does update regularly.
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.
As part of an effort to provide up-to-date information on events in Washington, DC and and issues affecting our professional careers, IEEE-USA has launched a special Web edition of Professional Perspective. The first Web Perspective edition is inviting feedback on several issues related to intellectual property. Responses to the questions will appear in the June print issue and be used by the IEEE-USA Intellectual Property Committee to develop positions and policy statements.
So, please check out the IEEE-USA homepage <http://www.ieeee.org/usab> and look for Professional Perspective in "New and Notable" or "Publications." Send your responses to: g.stelluto@ieee.org or j.eason@ieee.org.
The Supreme Court sidestepped this question in its two-sentence ruling on the recent Lotus v. Borland case. If the Supreme Court had decided that Borland was infringing, then it could have meant that programming language - to the extent the command hierarchy was considered a language - would have been copyrightable. Such a ruling would severely inhibit many U.S. engineers' ability to apply the knowledge they have gained during their careers in new environments and would e very make it ifficult for software developers to create new or enhanced products.
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, H.R. 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 computing, reverse engineering and decryption; and liability exemption for third-party service providers.
IEEE-USA leaders educated members of Congress and their staffs about the need for federal investment in science and technology during a day of Capitol Hill visits on Feb. 28.
The IEEE-USA team told Congressional policy-makers that partnerships between government, universities and industries mean progress, economic growth and jobs. According to IEEE-USA's Deborah K. Rudolph, Republican offices seemed more open to the concept of federal support of science and technology partnerships. She stressed the need for members to add their voices to the chorus, particularly during this election year. For a copy of IEEE-USA's Congressional Directory containing tips on letter-writing as well as contact information for Congressional and Executive-branch officials, contact the Washington Office at 202-785-0017 or <ieeeusa@ieee.org>.
IEEE-USA's Energy Policy Committee defended strategic federal R&D investment at a pair of Congressional hearings recently. At a Feb. 29 House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, committee Chair Marvin McKoy stated that "overall energy goals should foster the development and deployment of energy production and conversion technologies that will increase the efficiency of U.S. energy utilization, improve environmental quality and support U.S. competitiveness." McKoy also submitted a statement opposing proposed cuts to DOE's fusion program for a March 7 hearing before the House Science Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.
IEEE-USA Chair Joel B. Snyder and Workforce Committee Chair Roger Madden met on March 5 with representatives from Intel, Motorola, and Xerox to discuss IEEE-USA's position on legal immigration reform. Snyder praised the companies for their commitment to engineers' continuing education, but asserted the need for legislative changes that would curtail abuses of the nation's immigration system. On March 7, Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., announced that he was dropping his bill's employment-based immigration provisions, citing heavy lobbying by the nation's business community which threatened to kill chances for the bill's passage. Supporters of employment-based immigration reform may try to reattach some of the lost provisions during action in the full House and Senate.
IEEE-USA Engineering Employment Benefits Committee Chair Mona K. Draper met with Sen. John Breaux, D-La., on March 13 to urge him to sponsor pension-portability legislation during the upcoming Congressional session and to discuss federal savings-incentives such as expanded Individual Retirement Accounts.
IEEE-USA has released the transcript of its Second Annual Symposium on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. Held Sept. 7, 1995, in Washington, the symposium brought together top federal officials to discuss current issues such as the complexities of intellectual property in a cyberspace environment, patent and encryption policy, and R&D funding. Participants posed challenging questions dealing with potentially privatizing the patent office, international copyright agreements and copyrighting Internet material. For a transcript, call 800-578-IEEE and specify product number UH 2960010. The price is $6.95 for members, plus $4.00 shipping.
This letter appeared in the Feb. 25 Star-Telegram.
The February 4 article "Closing the Gate" did a good job of telling half the story: the pro-management position in opposition to Senate immigration legislation.
But as an engineer and a volunteer leader for the United States Activities division of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - the world's largest professional technical organization, representing 230,000 members in the United States and more than 6000 in the Metroplex - I am appalled that your paper and these major employers are promulgating the myth of an engineering shortage.
It was partly in response to previous spurious claims of engineering and scientific shortages that Congress authorized substantial increases in employment-based immigration with the Immigration Act of 1990. And now you show immigration numbers and state that there has been "no flood of foreign workers" in the last four years. Let's look at some facts:
I shouldn't need to remind you of the thousands of engineers and scientists displaced from local jobs in the past few years, laid-off from defense contractors such as General Dynamics, Bell Helicopter and LTV, from government projects such as the Superconducting Super Collider, and even from companies you quoted in your article: Texas Instruments and Tandy Corp.
And, now these companies are complaining that they can't find enough engineers and scientists to fill open positions. AT&T just announced thousands of layoffs of professional and skilled workers and now has applied to the Department of Labor for immigrant visas to import foreign workers to the US. What's wrong with this picture?
No, the Immigration Reform Act of 1995 (S. 1394) introduced by Sen. Alan Simpson does not "close the gate" on immigration.
It presents a reasonable balance between employers' need for high-tech professionals and the need to safeguard job opportunities, wages, and working conditions for US engineers and scientists.
Employers can hire foreign employees, but only after they have demonstrated that there are no qualified U.S. workers available - a requirement that does not exist for current temporary visa applications.
Employers would not be able to fire American workers and replace them with foreign workers - as happened at American International Group and Sea-Land Services.
The wage controls in the proposed bill will also protect foreign nationals that might otherwise accept substandard wages and working conditions in order to enter or remain in the US. Last summer, under the temporary visa program, the Labor Department approved hiring computer programmers for $4.50 an hour - a fraction of what these programmers usually earn in the US. I could go on and on.
This information and more was submitted to the newspaper for use in the article. It is a shame that the Star-Telegram chose not to present the whole story.
Jean M. Eason
The Fort Worth Section recognized five members for their notable contributions to the profession and IEEE. Awards were presented at a ceremony during National Engineers Week and Metrocon '96.
Randal K. Moore
Engineer of the Year
for outstanding contributions to the profession and technical leadership in the area of avionic systems
Nathan O. West
Young Engineer of the Year
for outstanding contributions to the Section and profession
Jeff Carrell
Outstanding Acheivement
for contributions to the Section as Electronic Communications Chairman
Bob Krause
Outstanding Service
in recognition of leadership in establishing the Fort Worth Consultants' Network
Claude Gomez
Student Activities
for leadership of student activities at UTA
This year marked the first year graduate students were given the opportunity to compete in the Section's annual student paper contest held during Metrocon and National Engineers Week. The papers, judged for both written and oral presentation, were printed in the Metrocon proceedings. Winners of the Section contest advance to the Area and Regional contests. Final standings were:
Graduate Contest:
Undergraduate Contest:
David Meek TCU, "Campus Access"
An archeologist walking along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea finds an old Roman coin. On one side is the face of Julius Caesar and the date 44BC. On the other side is an olive tree. The archeologist says, "This coin is counterfeit." How does she know? Answer next month
Answer to last month's Brainbuster:
The Monty Hall problem - The obvious answer is that it doesn't matter which of the two closed doors you choose. The probability that the car is behind either of them is 1/2, right? You can get this result by intuition or by applying Baye's theorem. Unfotunately, it's wrong. Here's the correct solution: If your strategy is not to switch, it doesn't matter whether the host opens a door or not, and your probability of winning the car is 1/3. If your strategy is to switch, you'll lose only if you originally chose the door conceling the car. If you choose either of the other two doors, you'll win. So your probability of winning is 2/3. The answer is: switch your choice!
Expanding Your Horizons
Many thanks to IEEE Fort Worth Section for opening Metrocon '96 to students in the gifted ant talented program at the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. Several students and their parents took advantage of the opportunity to hear the excellent speakers. We all recognize the synergy if we can spark some of these kids to pursue math and science with renewed interest. We appreciated the opportunity!
Another opportunity that may be of interest to IEEE moms and dads. "Expanding Your Horizons" is a workshop to introduce 7th and 8th grade girls to careers in math and science. It will be held April 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Texas Wesleyan University. Cost is $5. For registration forms, write Dr. Jane Moore, Texas Wesleyan University, 1201 Wesleyan, Fort Worth, TX 76105. Include your mailing address, phone number and name of school, and state whether you are a parent, teacher or student. UTA and the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth also sponsor similar programs at other times of the year.
Please note: registration for 'Expanding Your Horizons' CLOSES on April 3 and enrollment is LIMITED to 380 girls!
Rick Peters
(817) 777-4474
Wavelets: Principles, Applications & Implementation
May 15 - 18, 1996 College Station, TX
Wavelet analysis has a wide-range of applications in engineering. Because of its flexible time-frequency window, the wavelet transform complements the shortcomings of Fourier-based techniques. Wavelets are particularly useful for time-frequency analysis of non-stationary transient signals. They are used in signal processing applications such as speech compression, echo-cancellation, well-log analysis, and music processing. The two-and three-dimensional extensions of the theory can be coupled with other techniques for image compression, pattern recognition, and video.
Designed to build on your basic understanding of wavelet theory, this course will take you through the concept of time-frequency analysis, the significance of the integral wavelet transform, and real-time preprocessing of a continuous signal using cardinal splines. You will learn how to use decomposition and reconstruction algorithms, and how to use wavelet packets for frequency domain fine-tuning in our hands-on laboratory sessions.
For more information, contact Sheri Pappas at 800-477-9470 or 409-862-4615; fax: 409-845-5726; email: adpappas@teexnet.tamu.edu
Inside IEEE
A new guide to help engineers maintain viable careers in today's rapidly changing technical environment is available from IEEE. The Career Asset Manager (CAM) is a comprehensive career management and planning program that provides a structured approach for defining personal career goals, preparing a professional development plan, and maintaining records for resume generation and job searches.
The three-part program features numerous tips on how to prepare for improvement and change. The first section, CAMINFO, contains information on licensing and certification, career options, tactics for dealing with corporate downsizing, and strategies for maintaining technical vitality. It also highlights the value of life-long learning and the role of the professional organization in fostering professional growth. The second section, CAM-INDEX, helps the user to keep records of professional training and education. It also provides a format for rapidly generating up-to-date resumes. In the third section, CAMPLAN, the program offers a step-by-step process to design a professional development plan through self-evaluation and goal-setting exercises.
The Career Asset Manager also includes a basis for measuring career growth and contains information on other IEEE resources for career planning. The program is available in a loose-leaf format. A software edition will be offered in 1997. For more information contact Gale Latzko, IEEE Educational Activities, 908-562-6526, e-mail g.latzko@ieee.org.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded IEEE a $464,000 grant for developing interactive career guidance materials and to provide impartial information about engineering careers to high school and college students.
Under the two-year grant, the IEEE will develop a video series of case histories and a CD-ROM depicting the engineering work experience in various employment settings. The project, called "Interactive Student Career Guidance in Electrical and Electronics Engineering," also will establish an on-line career information data base for use in career planning and employment searches. In addition, the IEEE will develop a mentoring service that will help put students in touch with industry mentors on-line.
The Institute will coordinate these activities with other organizations also funded by the Sloan Foundation, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Physics and the Association for Computing Machinery. For more information contact Dr. Peter Wiesner, IEEE Educational Activities Department 908-562-5500.
IEEE is pleased to announce the release of a new full-image, CD-ROM database called the IEEE/IEE Electronic Library (IEL). The product contains full-page images of the entire collection of IEEE/IEE publications, including over 10,000 journal and magazine issues, transactions, conference proceedings, standards and colloquia published since 1988.
The IEL search engine will allow users to search the full-text of the bibliographic record, including the complete abstract, or target particular elements such as title, author, and affiliation. The 1996 subscription to IEL includes a backfile of approximately 200 image and index CD-ROM's licensed for a stand-alone workstation. Subscribers will receive monthly updates to the database including new issues, proceedings and standards published since the last update. Search and retrieval software, complete user documentation, comprehensive on-line help, and professional technical support are also provided. Individuals interested in the IEL can contact IHS at 800-716-3447 in the U.S. or 303-397-2506.
Rockwell International recognized several U.S. IEEE members during National Engineers Week with its Leonardo da Vinci Award for 1995 Engineers of the Year. Saluting "the spirit of innovation that spans the centuries," Rockwell praised the award recipients for "continuing a legacy of excellence for future generations" through their commitment to technological expertise and imagination.
Sverrir Olafsson, developing superior, high-speed modem algorithms, advanced technology and products.
APR 4
Thur, 6 pm
Personal Communications Services (PCS) Communications Chapter
James Warden, Motorola
James Warden will discuss many aspects of PCS, including an overview, the major standards (CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PACS, DECT, etc.), and applications (mobile phone service, wireless local loop, and paging). James is a senior staff engineer who has been with Motorola for 13 years. He is currently responsible for system architecture definition, and requirements for wireless local loop products.
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).
APR 16
Tues, 6:30 pm
How to Build the Advanced Internet Web Page Computer Chapter
Mike Sessums, Lockheed Martin
Entertaining demonstrations of how to construct web pages using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the new interactive web language from SUN ... JAVA, and the 3-d virtual language VRML. The presentation will include online visits to important net sites, and the use of editing tools. Mike Sessums has constructed many of the web pages for Lockheed's Avionics department, and will share many interesting "lessons learned."
TCU Sid Richardson Bldg, Lecture Hall #2. On Bowie, East of University Drive (one block North of Berry St.), South of I-30.
APR 17
Wed, 6:30 pm
Networking Workshop Consultants' Network
Bob Krause, et al
Networking is one of the key elements in making a consulting practice successful. This month, the Consultants' Network is taking the opportunity to have randomly selected audience members present their consulting specialities. Please come prepared to present a five minute summary of the services and/or products you sell, your top two marketing strategies, and how the Consultants' Network has helped or can help your consulting practice.
Ben E. Keith Hospitality Room, Beers Distribution Plant, 7001 Will Rogers Blvd. Exit I-35 W South at Alta Mesa.
APR 22
Mon, 7 pm
Blue-green Quantum-well Diode Lasers Lasers & Electro-optics Chapter
Peter Zory, University of Florida
Important breakthroughs have occurred recently in blue-green diode laser technology; viz., the realization of room temperature laser operation in CdZnSe (515 nm) and InGaN (415 nm) quantum well devices. The key developments which led to these breakthroughs will be reviewed and the state-of-the-art discussed. Peter Zory is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Florida. He is an IEEE Fellow and one of the 1995/96 Distinguished Lecturers for the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.
UTA, Nedderman Hall, Rm. 100. Cooper and Border Streets in Arlington.
APR 30
Tues, 7:30 pm
Electrorheological Dampers & Structural Control of Control Systems Chapter
Buildings and Bridges Subject to Wind & Seismic Excitations
N. Harris McClamroch, University of Michigan
Electrorheological fluids have a number of properties that make them attractive for use in fluid-filled dampers. The use of such dampers for structural control, especially for control of large structural systems such as buildings and bridges when excited by ground motions and wind forces, is proposed. A key aspect in the effective use of these dampers for active control is the recognition that they are inherently nonlinear devices. A decentralized bang-bang control strategy is derived to minimize the rate at which energy from the disturbance is transferred to the structure. Results of experiments, illustrating base isolation of a scale model building, will be presented. N. Harris McClamroch is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. His main interests are in stability and control of nonlinear systems, and he is a Fellow of the IEEE.
UTD, Engineering and Computer Science Building, Room EC 2.704.