Past Events

AGM — 8 December 2010

Title:	Section AGM
Venue:	Chancellor 3 Level 16 James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor 147 The Terrace, Wellington
Date:	Wednesday, 8th December 2010
Time:	5:30pm - 7:30pm
Refreshments and Networking commence at 5:30pm RSVPs required for catering purposes.
RSVP or apology:	Email to
Agenda	See Here

Graph Theoretic Analysis of Brain Networks — 23 November 2010

This seminar was orgnised by the IEEE I&M Society New Zealand Chapter

Title:	Graph Theoretic Analysis of Brain Networks
Speaker:	Ashish Raj, Assistant Professor of Computer Science in Radiology Co-Director, Imaging Data Evaluation and Analysis Laboratory (IDEAL) Weill Medical College of Cornell University 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10044, USA https://www.med.cornell.edu/research/araj/
Venue:	R12 Presentation laboratory, Riddet Building, Massey University, Palmerston North
Date:	Tuesday, 23rd November 2010
Time:	10.30am – 12.00p
This talk will focus on several physics and maths-derived approaches for analysing neuroscientific questions. Whole brain connectivity networks are now possible to be derived from various MR modalities: cortical thickness association networks from structural MRI, tract connectivity networks from diffusion MRI, and correlation networks from fMRI data. These networks allow us to interrogate various network-level features of both healthy and diseased brains. In this talk Ashish will show that a) cortical thickness networks can distinguish between healthy, severe and mild epileptic patients b) connectivity networks from diffusion MRI reveal hierarchical but hub-free organization in the brain c) the brain optimally places cortical regions in order to minimize wiring cost, and achieves optimal information flow at the cheapest cost d) diffusion processes on brain networks can reproduce the spatial patterns of several well-known dementias.
	Non IEEE members are welcome.

Ultra-Fast Broadband Impact on New Zealand Transport — 20 October 2010

This seminar is being orgnised by the Joint Chapter of Communications, Signal Processing and Information Theory

Title:	Ultra-Fast Broadband Impact on New Zealand Transport
Speaker:	Dr Murray Milner
Venue:	Lecture Room 3D31, Massey University, Wellington campus Entrance C, Block 3, Level D, Wallace Street, Mount Cook. Map
Date:	Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Time:	5:30pm – 7:00pm (Refreshments from 5:30pm, presentation starts at 5:45pm)
Remote Venue:	Live videocast to Riddet R12.2.04, Massey University, Manawatu Campus.
RSVP:	Edmund Lai (e.lai@massey.ac.nz) by 19 October 2010 5pm for catering purposes
PDF Flier	Here
The Ultra‐fast Broadband (UFB) initiative is intended to transform the broadband market in New Zealand. This is a good reason for Government investment. The issue that has received little attention to date is the impact of the UFB initiative on the New Zealand wide broadband transport network. The UFB initiative is focused on access and urban aggregation, but what is the impact on the national and international transport? How can we as New Zealanders maximize the value to be gained from the UFB? What do we need to do that is different from that which we do today? This presentation explores these issues in a structured way, through some traffic modeling and associated techno‐economic analysis, to present some of the challenges and the means to address these challenges using emerging technologies.
Dr Milner spent most of his 38 years in the ICT industry in Telecom New Zealand, rising to become the Chief Technology Officer for Telecom, during the first half of this decade. Murray now runs a busy consulting practice in New Zealand and works extensively with central government, local government and enterprises on ICT strategy and infrastructure development. He has been advising on the Connected Health program for over three years. He is also currently Chair of the National Health IT Board and a member of the National Health Board and through these positions is keen to help achievesubstantial improvements in ICT capability to the benefit of health care within New Zealand.
	Non IEEE members are welcome.

Interference Alignment — 15 October 2010

Title:	Interference Alignment
Speaker:	Dr. Syed Jafar, University of California Irvine
Venue:	Cotton 350 Victoria University of Wellington Kelburn Campus Gate 7, Kelburn Parade
Date:	Friday 15th October 2010
Time:	02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Interference alignment is a radical idea that has recently emerged out of the capacity analysis of wireless interference networks. In a relatively short time, this concept has challenged much of the conventional wisdom about the throughput limits of both wired and wireless networks. A canonical example is the wireless interference channel with K transmitter-receiver pairs where, because of interference alignment, each user is simultaneously able to send at a data rate equal to half of his interference-free channel capacity to his desired receiver over the same spectrum, even though the number of users can be arbitrarily large, thus showing that the interference channel is not fundamentally interference-limited. The talk will present a summary of the interference alignment concept and how it is applied in a variety of communication settings ranging from wireless interference networks to wired distributed data storage networks.
Biography Syed A. Jafar received the B. Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, India in 1997, M.S. from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) , Pasadena USA in 1999, and Ph.D. from Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA in 2003, all in Electrical Engineering. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA. His research interests include multiuser information theory and wireless communications. Dr. Jafar received the NSF CAREER award in 2006, the ONR Young Investigator Award in 2008, the IEEE Information Theory Society Paper Award in 2009, the Engineering School Fariborz Maseeh Outstanding Research Award in 2010, the UC Irvine Engineering Faculty of the Year award in 2006 and the UC Irvine EECS Professor of the Year Award in 2009. He was the Plenary speaker at IEEE Communication Theory Workshop 2010 and at SPCOM 2010. Dr. Jafar served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications 2004-2009, for IEEE Communications Letters 2008-2009 and is currently serving as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Information Theory.

Bridging the Broadband Divide — 30 August 2010

Title:	Bridging the Broadband Divide: Strategies for Rural and Developing Regions
Presenter:	Professor Heather E. Hudson Director, Institute of Social and Economic Research University of Alaska Anchorage
Time:	12pm - 2pm (Finger food is provided)
Venue:	Terrace Conference Centre (Lambton 3 ), 114 The Terrace, Wellington
RSVP:	Edmund Lai (Email: e.lai@massey.ac.nz) by 28 August 2010.
Sponsors:	IET, IEEE NZ Central Section, IEEE Joint Chapter of COM/SP/IT
Abstract Wireless growth in developing countries has been explosive in the past five years. More than half of all telephone subscribers in the developing regions of Asia and the Pacific as well as use wireless; for most, their cellphone is their first and only phone. In rural and remote areas of North America, voice services are available by satellite or terrestrial networks. However, broadband is also becoming increasingly important for a variety of Internet applications including distance education, e-commerce, e-government, telehealth, and other services The shift to IP-based services also offers enormous potential for lower cost voice services (using VOIP) and IP-based video and other multimedia. Broadband is a key requirement for access to these new services. However, Internet access is still very limited, and broadband is still unavailable and/or unaffordable in many rural and developing regions. These conditions severely hamper exploitation of the Internet’s potential for social and economic development. This presentation focuses on strategies to increase broadband access in rural and developing regions, with a particular focus on the Asia/Pacific region, and experiences from North America. It examines lessons from the growth of wireless including the impact of competition on innovative services and pricing, the enormous pent-up demand for communication services, and the increasing irrelevance of past regulatory distinctions. It also examines strategies from the U.S. and Canada to extend infrastructure and to provide targeted subsidies where services would not otherwise be sustainable, with examples from Alaska and northern Canada. The paper then proposes strategies to increase broadband Internet investment and access through such means as limiting exclusivity periods, allowing resale, facilitating use of appropriate technologies, reducing local barriers, and using incentives and targeted subsidies to extend service to rural and isolated communities. Abstract as PDF Flyer
Heather E. Hudson Dr. Heather E. Hudson is Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Previously, she was founding Director of the Communications Technology Management and Policy Program at the University of San Francisco. Her work focuses on applications of ICTs for socio-economic development, regulation and policy issues including universal service/access, and policies and strategies to extend affordable access to new technologies and services, particularly in rural and remote areas. Full Biographical Notes

Post-Graduate Presentations — 31 August 2010

Time:	2:00 pm – 6:00pm (approximately)
Venue:	Massey University ASTON 1 Lecture Theatre, Science Tower B, Manawatu Campus, Palmerston North
As part of the IEEE New Zealand Central Section’s technical activities we are organizing a half-day event to showcase engineering post-graduate research work in the Central region. The event will provide post-graduate students who are pursuing their higher degree studies in the areas of engineering and technology in local universities to present their research work and to share their knowledge with other fellow-students and peers. The event will allow networking between students and IEEE members. Each presentation will be time-limited to only 10 minutes with approximately 2 minutes for discussion and questions. Prizes for best presentations will be awarded, with food and refreshments available to all participants.
Post-graduate students please send your name, details, title of your presentation to Fahim Abbasi at f.abbasi@massey.ac.nz by Wednesday 25th August, 2010. Please use the form flier to furnish these details. IEEE Members wishing to attend and hear the presentations should also contact Fahim Abbasi at f.abbasi@massey.ac.nz by Friday 27th August, 2010 so that we can determine catering requirements. For any other queries please contact Fahim Abbasi at f.abbasi@massey.ac.nz Please note that you don’t need to be an IEEE member to participate in the event
More Information:	Download Flier

IEEE I & M Chapter — 1 & 2 September 2010

Title:	Sensors and Instrumentation in Environmental, Health and Agricultural Applications
Date:	1 & 2 September 2010
Venue:	Massey University, Wellington campus
Purpose:	The IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society New Zealand Chapter would like to encourage — researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners to discuss and present their latest research findings, ideas, developments and applications in the area of Sensors, Instrumentation and Measurement Technologies and their applications in Environmental, Health and Agricultural areas. The workshop entitled Sensors and Instrumentation in Environmental, Health and Agricultural Applications is intended to provide a common forum for interested people to hear about and discuss research undertaken by their fellow colleagues. Please note that you do not need to be an IEEE member to participate and present in the workshop.
Objective:	Sensors and instrumentation is core to today's Engineering curricula, being strongly cross-disciplinary and hence provides an ideal subject for today's environmentally-aware students, and for them to receive and contribute up-to-date knowledge of applications, technology and solutions. There is also a need for interactions among researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners to discuss their research findings and activities. In the regular sessions there will be an opportunity for participants to present their research works.
Presenters:	Title and a short abstract to be sent electronically to S.C.Mukhopadhyay@massey.ac.nz -by August 15, 2010.
Registration:	Students: FREE (Student MUST present a paper) IEEE Members: NZ $ 100.00 Non-IEEE members: NZ $ 125.00 The registration will allow to one to attend the workshop and will provide lunches and teas on September 1 and 2, 2010. The full paper may be considered for possible publication in International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems (www.s2is.org).
Contact People:	A/Prof. Subhas Mukhopadhyay, SEAT, Massey University, S.C.Mukhopadhyay@massey.ac.nz Dr. Ian Woodhead, Lincoln Venture Ltd, Woodhead@lvl.co.nz Dr. Ramesh Rayudu, r.k.rayudu@massey.ac.nz A/Prof. Rainer Kunnemeyer, rainer@waikato.ac.nz
More Information:	Download Flier

Smart Grids Workshop — 14 July 2010

This POWER THINKING workshop is proudly brought to you by: Electric Power Engineering Centre and IEEE Power & Energy Society.

Presenter:	Dr Bruno Meyer Deputy Director Key Accounts, RTE (France), IEEE Fellow / IEEE Distinguished Lecturer
Title:	SmartGrids and Demand Side Management
Date:	Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Time:	10am - 1pm
Venue:	Seminar Room, Transpower House, 96 The Terrace, Wellington
Contact person:	Ramesh Rayudu: R.K.Rayudu@massey.ac.nz
More Information:	Download Flyer

Source Coding: Principles and Outlook — 13 May 2010

This event is being orgnized by the Joint Chapter of Communications, Signal Processing and Information Theory

Presenter:	Professor Bastiaan Kleijn (Massey University & The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden)
Title:	Source Coding: Principles and Outlook
Date:	Thursday, 13 May 2010
Time:	5:30pm – 7:30pm (Refreshments from 5:30pm, presentation starts at 6pm)
Venue:	Lecture Room 4B06, Massey University, Wellington campus Entrance B, Wallace Street, Mount Cook. Map: https://contact.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms//About%20Massey/contact-us/maps/WL.pdf
RSVP:	Edmund Lai (e.lai@massey.ac.nz) by 12 May 2010 5pm for catering purposes
	Non IEEE members are welcome.
Synopsis Source coding is ubiquitous in modern communication systems. Mobile phones, digital television, and audio players are all enabled by source coding algorithms that reduce the rate required to communicate the audio or video signal. In this talk, Prof. Kleijn will outline the principles of source coding and discuss its increasing reliance on modeling of the signal and of perception of the signal. He will discuss how modeling facilitates the ongoing trend towards flexibility with respect to rate, robustness to packet loss, physical location of the computational effort, and, ultimately, meaningful modification of the signal. Speaker Biography Bastiaan joined Massey University in January 2010 as a Professor of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology. He is also a Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering at KTH (the Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm, Sweden, where he heads the Sound and Image Processing Laboratory. He is a founder and former Chairman of Global IP Solutions which develops voice and video processing technologies for companies such as Skype. He remains as Chief Scientist. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). He worked on speech processing at AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1984 to 1996, first in development and later in research. He has held guest professorships at Delft University of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Graz University of Technology (where he was Otto Nussbaumer visiting Professor), and Massey University. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.

Cognitive Radio — 31 March 2010

Presenter:	Alan J. Coulson
Title:	Cognitive Radio - Opportunities, Challenges and Some Physical Layer Solutions
Date:	Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Time:	5:30pm - 7:30pm Refreshments from 5:30, Presentation from 6pm
Venue	GBLT4, Level 1, Old Government Buildings, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington GBLT4 is upstairs on the end of the wing closest to the railway station. Map Here.
The increasing demand for broadband communications is placing great pressures on access to finite radio spectrum. A new paradigm in radio spectrum management - Cognitive Radio - promises to dramatically improve the efficiency with which radio spectrum can be used. However, a number of political, regulatory and technical challenges must be overcome before academic theory can be turned into economic practice. This talk summarises the promise and challenge of cognitive radio followed by an overview of some original solutions to practical technical problems. Bio: Alan J. Coulson received the BE (Hons) degree from the University of Canterbury in 1985 and the PhD degree from the University of Auckland in 1999. After an early career as an electronics and software design engineer in New Zealand and the UK, he joined Industrial Research Ltd in 1991, as a communications researcher. Since 2001, he has been Programme Leader for Communications Technology, managing NZ’s largest publicly funded ICT research programme. His research interests are statistical signal processing, estimation and detection theory, statistical performance analysis and network protocols; all directed towards application in wireless communication systems. His current research project is the development and implementation of cognitive radio techniques for broadband wireless systems operating in license-free spectrum.

IEEE Spectrum Editor — 18 January 2010

Presenter:	Glenn Zorpette - Executive Editor of IEEE Spectrum
Title:	Informal meal with the editor
Date:	Monday 18 January 2010
Glenn visited Wellington after a trip to Antarctica. However due to weather conditions in Antarctica, that trip was postponed at the last minute by several days. Glenn was to give a formal presentaion about his work and the trip. That meeting was canceled because the delay in the trip to Antarctica. Some memnbers enjoyed a meal with Glenn when he did make it to Wellington.