IEEE USA News
 IEEE-USA
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202 - Washington, DC 20036-5104
Tel: +1 202 785 0017 - Fax: +1 202 785 0835
Web: https://www.ieeeusa.org
 
Greg Hill, Member & Electronic Communications Coordinator
g.hill@ieee.org, 202-785-0017, ext. 8335 www.ieeeusa.org
 
CONTENTS
- Bush and Gore Outline Their Positions to IEEE-USA on Technology and the
National Economy
- NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR IEEE-USA CAREERS CONFERENCE
- PRESIDENT BUCKLEY OUTLINES FUTURE OF *TODAY'S ENGINEER*
- AUTHORS SOUGHT FOR NEW IEEE-USA PUBLICATIONS
- IEEE-USA PROPOSES AMENDMENTS TO VIRGINIA UCITA LAW
- CAPITOL AREA WORKSHOP TO EXPLORE INFORMATION LITERACY
- MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION
- IEEE-USA LAUNCHES ELECTION 2000 RESOURCE CENTER
- IEEE-USA SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR FCC, CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPS
- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR 2001 MASS MEDIA S&E FELLOWS PROGRAM
- NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK ANNOUNCES BILLBOARD AD CAMPAIGN 2001
- CONFERENCE TUTORIALS

 

- Bush and Gore Outline Their Positions to IEEE-USA on Technology and the
National Economy
 
Washington, DC (27 October 2000) ? With less than two weeks until the
presidential election, a clear-cut front-runner has yet to emerge between
the two major-party candidates. Among the top issues driving this year's
election, polls show that the American public places a high priority on
maintaining the vitality of the national economy, which is tied heavily to
the current boom in America's high tech industry. Yet, many voters remain
confused about where the candidates stand on tech-related issues. To help
voters make an informed decision, IEEE-USA President Merrill W. Buckley,
Jr. sent letters to the presidential candidates asking them to respond to a
series of questions on some of the key technology issues the 43rd U.S.
President is likely to face.
 
"Investing priorities for research and development, information security
and privacy, improving technology education in schools, and the
controversial H-1B skilled-worker visa program are just a few of the thorny
issues the next administration will face," wrote Buckley in his monthly
President's Column on the IEEE-USA website. The candidates are in basic
agreement on technology-policy issues, according to the IEEE-USA president,
including increased funding for development of new technologies and
scientific processes, although he cited some differences in emphasis and
degree. For example, both Bush and Gore support making the now temporary
research and experimentation tax credit permanent. Bush has pledged to
increase the military R&D budget by $20 million and to double the budget of
the National Institutes of Health. Gore has said he wants to expand the tax
credit to include "more innovative companies," while also ensuring that the
tax code reflects the short life span and obsolescence of high-tech
equipment.
 
With regard to privacy protection, Bush said: "I am committed to
maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of individually identifiable
medical records, and patients should have a meaningful voice before such
information is improperly used or disclosed." Gore called for an Electronic
Bill of Rights for the electronic age including "the right to choose
whether personal information is disclosed; the right to know how, when, and
how much of that information is being used; the right to see it yourself;
and the right to know if it's accurate."
 
The two major-party candidates' responses are posted online on IEEE-USA's
Election 2000 Resource Center at
https://www.ieeeusa.org/election2000/index.html
 
IEEE-USA's Election 2000 Resource Center offers a nonpartisan look at the
U.S. presidential candidates' views on science and technology and links to
related sites. The website was established to help U.S. IEEE members learn
more about the positions taken by the candidates that affect science,
engineering and the engineering profession. Its resource directory links
to IEEE-USA election resources, the presidential candidates, debates
recaps, the political parties, other election resources and news sites.
Current features include the IEEE SPECTRUM article on technology issues
confronting the next U.S. President and a Campaign 2000 Science &
Technology forum, in which representatives of Governor George W. Bush and
Vice President Al Gore discussed the candidates' plans and policies for
science and technology.
 
IEEE-USA is the career enhancement and technology policy unit of The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), the world's
largest technical professional organization with more than 350,000 members.
IEEE-USA promotes the careers and public-policy interests of almost 230,000
U.S. IEEE members.
 
For more information on IEEE-USA, visit https://www.ieeeusa.org.
 
 
- NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR IEEE-USA CAREERS CONFERENCE
 
The 11th Biennial IEEE-USA Careers Conference will be held 2-3 November
2000 at the Wyndham Hotel-San Jose. The conference theme is "Utilizing and
Retaining Technical Professionals in Today's Marketplace." This unique
conference has been conducted for more than 20 years and provides CEOs,
human resource professionals, engineering managers, engineers and academics
with the most up-to-date research and information about best practices for
employing technical professionals in the current work force.
 
The conference will include the following breakout sessions: Alternative
Staffing Approaches; Career Development and Mentoring; Changing Workforce
Environments; Educational Opportunities; Enhancing Engineering Careers;
Maintaining the Vitality of Your Technical Professionals; Society's Role in
Career Development Needs; Tools For Retention; Using Technology.
 
Who Should Attend? CEOs, human resource professionals, engineering
managers, managers of technical professionals, academics and engineers will
be able to learn about current research regarding knowledge workers,
distance learning, and find out what skills and tools are needed for the
new millennium. Also, come hear about different methods of mentoring, new
staffing alternatives, and how to maintain the vitality of your technical
professionals in a rapidly changing work force.
 
For more information and to register, visit the conference page at:
https://www.ieeeusa.org/careercon/
 
 
- PRESIDENT BUCKLEY OUTLINES FUTURE OF *TODAY'S ENGINEER*
 
In a letter to appear in the 4th Quarter 2000 issue of TODAY'S ENGINEER,
IEEE-USA President Merrill W. Buckley, Jr. outlines for readers the future
of the 3-year-old magazine. The quarterly, printed version of TODAY'S
ENGINEER will be discontinued at the end of 2000 and replaced in 2001 by a
monthly Web version, still entitled TODAY'S ENGINEER. Targeted to debut in
March 2001, the Web version of the magazine will be available to every IEEE
member as a member service. Each month, the "webzine" will offer two
informative career-related feature articles on topics such as engineering
performance; skills and competencies; product development practices;
project management; innovation and entrepreneurship; and business
practices. The new format will also include three rotating "departments"
on such topics as engineering trends, project tips, and management briefs.
 
President Buckley and the volunteers and staff who worked so hard to make
TODAY'S ENGINEER a publication of the highest quality, would like to thank
its readers and supporters for making the magazine such a worthwhile
endeavor. If you aren't familiar with TODAY'S ENGINEER, tune in to
https://www.todaysengineer.org over the coming months for more details on
the webzine. If you have questions, please write
mailto:todaysengineer@ieee.org.
 
- AUTHORS SOUGHT FOR NEW IEEE-USA PUBLICATIONS
 
Beginning in March 2001, IEEE-USA will feature two monthly webzines,
TODAY'S ENGINEER (as noted above) and POLICY PERSPECTIVES, as a free
service to all IEEE members. In addition, IEEE-USA will be proud to offer
all U.S. IEEE members a new print publication, IEEE-USA NEWS & VIEWS, which
will combine the best elements of the POLICY PERSPECTIVES and TODAY'S
ENGINEER webzines. You will receive this new quarterly "magapaper" with
your IEEE SPECTRUM and THE INSTITUTE.
 
For the TODAY'S ENGINEER webzine, we are seeking career guidance and
development articles, offering tips, strategies and solutions for all
segments of the profession -- both young professionals and experienced
engineers. The articles should be approximately 500 words in length. The
articles can be on such topics as business practices, engineering skills
and competencies, product development practices, project management, and
innovation.
 
For the POLICY PERSPECTIVES webzine, we seek feature articles discussing an
engineering career policy or technology policy issue. Topics might include
federal investment in R&D (a historical perspective); Aerospace R&D; the
IEEE-USA's 106th Legislative Agenda; medical privacy; intellectual
property; age discrimination; engineers as union members; deregulation --
where the states stand on it, and the unintended consequences;
understanding Section 1706; trends in employment benefits; the FAA and
flight safety; pros and cons of privatizing social security; and tax status
of continuing education benefits.
 
If you are interested in contributing to any of IEEE-USA's publications,
contact Georgia C. Stelluto, IEEE-USA Publishing Manager at
mailto:g.stelluto@ieee.org.
 
 
- IEEE-USA PROPOSES AMENDMENTS TO VIRGINIA UCITA LAW
 
IEEE-USA attended a 17 October meeting of the Virginia Joint Commission on
Technology and Science (JCOTS) to present five proposed amendments and
supporting rationales to the Virginia Uniform Computer Information
Transaction Act (UCITA). IEEE-USA Vice President, Technology Policy, J.
Mark Pullen met with the JCOTS UCITA Advisory Committee at George Mason
University in Fairfax, VA, to recommend amendments that IEEE-USA believes
will address concerns it has about the law. IEEE-USA's participation came
in response to a request issued by the Virginia General Assembly's JCOTS
for input from citizens and businesses on UCITA legislation. The law,
which goes into affect on 1 July 2001, governs commercial transactions
involving software, computer databases, and other intangible goods. It has
already been adopted by Virginia and Maryland and is pending in other
states.
 
IEEE-USA believes that UCITA will encourage or enable software licensing
practices that hurt the interests of consumers; discourage innovation; and
put small, entrepreneurial high-tech businesses and software consultants at
a competitive disadvantage. IEEE-USA's proposed amendments, endorsed by the
Association for Computing Machinery: address concerns about accountability
for the actual design of security vulnerabilities into software; support
lawful reverse engineering of software to promote the advancement of
scientific learning, technological improvement and enhancement of the
public interest; restore the ability for a free press and an informed
consumer base to publish objective and independent reviews of computer
information products; and stipulate that significant known defects be
disclosed to the consumer.
 
For more information:
 
- IEEE-USA's proposed amendments at
https://www.ieeeusa.org/grassroots/ucita/VirginiaAmendments.pdf
- IEEE-USA's UCITA Resource Page at
https://www.ieeeusa.org/grassroots/ucita
- Additional IEEE-USA-UCITA-related statements at
https://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/positions/ucita.html and
https://www.ieeeusaorg/intro/buckley/buckleyjune00.html.
- JCOTS 2000 UCITA Study Documents at
https://jcots.state.va.us/documents/00-01/00UCITA.htm
 
 
- CAPITOL AREA WORKSHOP TO EXPLORE INFORMATION LITERACY
 
The Information Literacy Workshop, sponsored in part by the IEEE's
Washington Section, the National Capitol Area Council and the IEEE
Communications Society, will look at new concepts and initiatives in
Information Literacy, with a special emphasis on secondary (high school)
education, college and the workplace. Hosted by Capitol College in Laurel,
MD, the workshop will kick off on 4 November with two panel sessions and a
dynamic Demonstration Session, and continue on the Web for four weeks,
concluding on 1 December. The workshop will explore and guide new concepts
and initiatives in Information Literacy. Key issues to be discussed by
panels of experts, workshop attendees and an Internet audience will
include:
 
1) Information Literacy Requirements for the Information Age;
2) Paths to Achieving, Maintaining and Enhancing Information Literacy; and
3) The Emerging Role of (K-12) Teachers in the 21st Century as
Mentors/Coaches.
 
For more information, visit https://www.ieeeusa.org/notable/infoliteracy.htm
or participate online at https://home.att.net/~infolit/.

 

- MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION
 
The 2001 IEEE membership renewals are in the mail! Like last year, you
have the option of making voluntary contributions to various IEEE funds.
As you fill out your renewal form, please consider making a contribution to
the IEEE-USA General Fund. Last year, IEEE members generously gave nearly
$74K in voluntary contributions to the IEEE-USA General Fund at renewal
time. Gifts to the IEEE-USA General Fund promote the electrotechnology
careers of the IEEE's U.S. members by sustaining member services such as
career development, employment assistance, consultants networks, and
government fellowships. Gifts also support IEEE-USA's efforts to provide
balanced, reliable information to the public on important career and public
policy issues.
 
Please check your 2001 IEEE Membership Invoice for more details on making a
gift to IEEE-USA. If you have any questions, contact the IEEE Development
Office at +1 732 562 3915 or at mailto:supportieee@ieee.org. Please note
that contributions to the IEEE should be paid in full at the time of the
renewal and cannot be included in the installment renewal payment plan.
 
 
- IEEE-USA LAUNCHES ELECTION 2000 RESOURCE CENTER
 
This web site is designed to help the IEEE's U.S. members learn more about
the positions taken by the candidates on issues that affect science,
engineering, and the engineering profession. Its resource directory links
to IEEE-USA election resources, the presidential candidates, debates
information, the political parties, other election resources and news
sites. Current features include Candidate Bush's response to IEEE-USA's
questions and the SPECTRUM article on technology issues confronting the
next U.S. President.
 
The URL is https://www.ieeeusa.org/election2000.
 
 
- IEEE-USA SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR FCC, CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPS
 
FCC FELLOWSHIP
IEEE-USA is seeking U.S. IEEE members interested in an Executive Fellowship
at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (June-December 2002). The
Fellow will help the FCC chart its course in the rapidly evolving areas of
wireless and network technologies. Eligible candidates must be IEEE
members and U.S. citizens and have a strong background in new and emerging
telecommunications technologies as well as an interest in regulatory
policy. Fellows may not be presently employed by or have a significant
interest in companies regulated by the FCC. Fellows receive a stipend of
$50K from IEEE-USA.
 
CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP
IEEE-USA is also seeking U.S. IEEE members interested in spending a year
(January-December 2002) in Washington as a Fellow working for a Member of
Congress or congressional committee. Eligible candidates must be IEEE
members and U.S. citizens, and have a minimum of 10 years professional
experience, which may include graduate-level education. Fellows receive a
stipend of $35,000-$50,000 depending on current salary, plus relocation
assistance.
 
The deadline for receipt of applications for both the FCC and Congressional
Fellowships is 23 February 2001.
 
For more information and an application kit for the FCC and Congressional
Fellowships, go to https://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/govfel, or contact Chris
Brantley at mailto:c.brantley@ieee.org, or +1 202 785 0017, ext. 8347.
 
 
- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR 2001 MASS MEDIA S&E FELLOWS PROGRAM
 
For a 10-week period during the summer, the AAAS Mass Media Science and
Engineering Fellows Program places advanced college and university students
in the natural and social sciences and engineering at radio stations,
television stations, newspapers, and magazines throughout the country. The
goal of the program is to strengthen the connections between science and
the media. This past summer marks the first time that IEEE-USA has placed
a Science and Engineering Fellow. Elan Ruskin, a junior at the University
of Pennsylvania majoring in computer science engineering, spent 10 weeks at
the ST. LOUIS (MO) POST DISPATCH covering environment, nature and
technology news. IEEE-USA is looking forward to continuing its
participation in the Mass Media Sceince and Engineering Fellows Program in
2001. IEEE-USA will sponsor a U.S. IEEE member who is a Junior, Senior, or
Graduate/Post-Graduate level student in the 2001 program. For more
information, visit https://www.ieeeusa.org/notable/mediafellow2001.htm. The
deadline for receipt of applications is 15 January 2001.
 
 
- CONFERENCE TUTORIALS
 
To all that replied,
 
Thank you for replying to our request regarding "CONFERENCE TUTORIALS"
in August. In addition to the information supplied, please send future
educational offerings that extend over the first quarter of the year 2001.
This will help us ensure that your educational opportunities will offer our
members the latest in career advancement information. Due to a phased in
approach, some of the links that were sent earlier will no longer be viable
by the time we post them on our website. We apologize that our previous
request did not indicate this.
 
Please submit your links to: www.education-services@ieee.org or for
additional information, CONTACT Lorraine Bisheit or Amanda Lopes- IEEE PDI
at 1 732-562-5321.
 
***********************
IEEE-USA
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202
Washington, DC 20036-5104
Tel: +1 202 785 0017
Fax: +1 202 785 0835
Web: https://www.ieeeusa.org
***********************

 

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Updated 11/01/2000