Beginning in January 2001, Signals, our Section newsletter, will be distributed electronically only.
For more than three years we have been distributing Signals in print via USPS and electronically through email and WWW. Now, we are taking the next step - as we enter the new millennium appropriately enough - and going completely electronic.
The way it will work will be simple:
The benefits to you and the Section are numerous:
We are asking you for feedback - please respond with the form at www.ewh.ieee.org/r5/fort_worth/sig_subs.html.
If you don't already receive electronic Signals, please send us your email address - either by including it with your feedback or by email to j.eason@ieee.org indicating that you would like to be added to our distribution list. NOTE: this list would only be used to distribute Section news and information and not for any other purpose, IEEE or commercial.
The Fort Worth Section's annual Student Technical Paper Contests (Graduate and Undergraduate) this spring will feature three major changes over previous years.
First, Graduate and Undergraduate papers will be due and presented at different dates. Papers are due Jan. 20 for undergraduates and Feb. 11 for graduates. The presentation portion of the contest will be held at evening Section meetings at UTA's Nedderman Hall in Feb. and March. Both contests will be judged on the basis of the quality and format of the paper and oral presentation. Contact Diane Collier, d.b.collier@ieee.org for detailed length and format guidelines. Undergraduate contest winners will advance to Region 5 Area contests. Graduate papers do not advance.
Second, we are increasing the cash awards to $150 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third. Winners will also be recognized at the Section awards program during Metrocon luncheon in September 2000.
And, third, the abstracts of the winning papers will be published in Signals and the papers will be published on the Fort Worth Section web site (with permission). Winners will also be offered the opportunity to post a r‚sum‚ on web site with their paper.
Entrants/collaborators must be students at a Fort Worth Section school having an IEEE Student Branch and must be members of IEEE or must have submitted an application for membership prior to entry. No more than three students may collaborate on a paper.
Papers should cover technical, engineering, management, or societal aspects of subjects related to the areas with which the IEEE is concerned, and with which the entrant is familiar, either from courses, hobbies, summer employment, or other similar experience. Papers may be submitted in either (preferably both) hard copy or electronic format (readable by Microsoft Word or Word Perfect). An electronic copy is required for web publication. Submit papers to Diane Bowen Collier, d.b.collier@ieee.org.
The IEEE Student Paper Contest offers the IEEE student member opportunities to exercise and improve the written and verbal communication skills essential to their careers as engineers. Students interested in participating in the contest should contact as soon as possible. IEEE members who are interested in participating in the judging should also contact Diane.
LOCAL MEMBER WINS ELECTION - Jean Eason won the election for IEEE Region 5 Director-Elect with more than 60% of the vote. [Editor's Note: Thanks to all of you for your support. What this means is that I have two years "in training" and two years as Director, finishing my term at the end of 2003. So you'll still see me around for a while.]
Other election winners include:
In addition, Bob Krause was appointed by the IEEE-USA Assembly to be IEEE-USA Vice President of Member Activities. For all election results, see www.ieee.org/organizations/corporate/candidates.htm.
IEEE-USA LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT: CONGRESSIONAL CO-SPONSORS NEEDED FOR KEY R&D LEGISLATION - IEEE US members are urged to use the IEEE-USA Legislative Action Center to ask your US Representatives to cosponsor the Federal Research Investment Act (H.R. 3161), key legislation to sustain the federal investment in science and technology that was introduced by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) on Oct. 28. The bill is a companion to similar legislation (S. 296) introduced by Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) and passed by the Senate earlier this year. IEEE-USA is one of over 25 engineering, scientific or industrial organizations participating in the R&D Doubling Coalition which have endorsed both H.R. 3161 and S. 296. To respond, consult: congress.nw.dc.us/cgi-bin/alertpr.pl?dir=ieee&alert=ieee122.
WORKSHOP EXAMINES THE FUTURE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND GOVERNMENT POLICY IMPLICATIONS - A summary report of a workshop on The Evolution of the US Telecommunications Infrastructure Over the Next Decade is now available on-line. This workshop was held on Oct. 21-23 and organized by IEEE-USA's Committee on Communications and Information Policy and Cornell University. It's output will be used to help draft IEEE-USA positions on policy implications related to the future of telecommunications.
CAREERS IN ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING - The IEEE-USA Precollege Education Committee's eye-catching brochure provides K-12 students an overview of engineering, the work engineers perform, and how to prepare for work in the profession. It also touches on how engineering students can cover school costs. To obtain a free copy of the new brochure, contact Ann Hartfiel at a.hartfiel@ieee.org.
AFTER DECADES OF RED INK, the United States posted a record $122.7 billion federal budget surplus in the 1999 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. That marked the first back-to-back surpluses since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. The Treasury Department announced Monday that the federal government paid off $15.9 billion of the national debt in the third quarter and expects to retire another $12 billion in the first quarter of next year.
NEW BILL OUTLINES FRAMEWORK FOR FEDERAL DEREGULATION OF ELECTRIC INDUSTRY - In late October, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power finally reported out the Electricity Reliability and Competition Act (H.R. 2944), comprehensive legislation intended to create a national framework for the deregulation of the electric utility industry. The subcommittee considered almost 50 amendments relating to renewable energy sources and the market relationship between the investor-owned, publicly-owned, and independent power producers. Several of the more controversial amendments have been withdrawn, but will be reintroduced when the full Committee on Commerce marks-up the subcommittee bill next spring at the earliest. For more details see related statement from the office of bill sponsor Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) at www.house.gov/barton/deregpassagerelease.html
DEFENSE R&D FUNDING TO INCREASE FOR FY2000 - On Oct. 25, President Clinton signed into law the $268 billion FY 2000 Defense Appropriation bill (H.R. 2561), which provides funding for defense-related research programs at the Department of Defense. The bill provides a healthy 7.3% increase for basic and applied research and advanced technology development at DoD, boosting the "Science and Technology" budget, which has been flat or declining in recent years, to $8.36 billion.
Broken down by service, the combined S&T budget for the Army jumps 15.5%, the Navy increases 12.8%, the Air Force increases 9.6%, and other defense agencies remain nearly flat with a 0.8% increase. Among the Defense Agencies, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization saw its funding slashed by over 10%, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was cut by 3.9% (or $75 million), DoD's contribution to the President's Next Generation Internet initiative was cut by more than half to $36 million, and only $30 million in new funding is provided for Extensible Information Systems (slightly under half of the President's request).
The overall 7.3% increase represents a legislative victory for IEEE-USA and other members of the Coalition for National Security Research, who urged Congress to improve on the President's FY 2000 budget request of $7.4 billion, which would have held DoD S&T programs at an 0.5% increase.
NEW IEEE CREDIT CARD: MILEAGE AND NO ENROLLMENT FEE - With the new IEEE/First USA Platinum Visa Card IEEE US members can use their points on almost any airline, with no "blackout" dates that restrict their travel plans. In addition, the travel program's first-year enrollment fee has been waived for new cardholders - a $29 value. All travel must be redeemed through the IEEE Global Travel Services. For more information, contact fap-benefits@ieee.org.
TECHNIQUES FOR PROPER SELECTION AND APPLICATIONS OF ADJUSTABLE SPEED DRIVE SYSTEMS, a compendium of over seventy of the most current and classic articles on adjustable speed drives (ASDs) has been released by IEEE. These selected readings provide up-to-date information on recent advances in the selection and application of ASD systems, historical review and future trends of ASDs, overview of power quality issues and considerations, impact of system supply voltage transients and sags, overview of induction motor interactions in ASD systems, installation considerations for ASD systems, motor insulation withstand capability issues, and motor shaft voltages and resulting bearing current issues. List price $69.95; IEEE Member price $49.95. Contact customer-service@ieee.org; 1.800.678.4333; www.ieee.org/eab.
Jean Eason, Editor