IEEE Elections

The 2003 IEEE Annual elections are underway. Members have been mailed out a ballot and should have received them by now. IEEE Canada encourages all members to read the candidate biographies statements and cast their vote. Remember, ballots must be received by 3 November, 2003.

For more information, please visit the IEEE Canada website on the elections at http://www.ieee.ca/candidates, or the IEEE.org website on elections.

Canadian hailed as father of PC

The recent issue of the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing has recognized the MCM-70 Microcomputer, invented by Kerrs Mutt, as the first of its kind.

For the full article, please refer to the article in The Globe and Mail from 25 September 2003

Members with a subscription to the IEEE Annals may also log in at http://www.computer.org/annals/.

IEEE e-FAP

IEEE's Financial Advantage Program has started an electronic newsletter. The second issue is now available. The mailing list description is:

• News email alerts on changes and additions to any of the FAP programs.
• First notification of new & future member-ONLY programs
• Tools to help you structure your member benefits to fit your needs
• Reminders of critical program requisites and requirements.
• Articles discussing decisions everyone must face when choosing benefit programs

You can sign up at http://imlc.ieee.org/./notifyme.jsp?ini=/webapps/ieee/config/e-fap.ini

The IEEE FAP site is available at http://www.ieee.org/fap. Please note that not all programs are available in Canada.

IEEE Canada Student Branch Awards

The IEEE Canada Student Activities Committee is very pleased to announce the recipients of two prestigious awards granted by the IEEE for extraordinary Student Branch activities within the IEEE Region 7 (IEEE Canada).

First of all, the George Armitage Outstanding Student Branch Award. This award, supported by IEEE Canada, is given to recognize extraordinary Student Branch achievements by Student members engaged in activities conforming to IEEE objectives and purposes. For 2003, this award is granted to the Carleton University IEEE Student Branch for exceptional achievements in organizing professional and technical events that resulted in a significant increase in student membership. This award consists of a plaque and a cash prize of two hundred dollars ($200).

Secondly, the IEEE Region 7 RAB Larry K. Wilson Regional Student Activities Award. This award is to recognize annually the student most responsible for an extraordinary accomplishment associated with IEEE Student Activities in each Region. For 2003, this award is granted to Kevin Yang Ma of the University of Waterloo for an exceptional achievement by initiating, organizing and coordinating the Blackberry Programming Contest involving the IEEE Student Branches of the Kitchener-Waterloo Section, in partnership with Research in Motion Ltd. This award consists of a plaque and three years of free membership in the IEEE.

John Bandler inducted Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering

John W. Bandler, Professor Emeritus in Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, and President of Bandler Corporation, was inducted Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering on May 30 in Montreal.

The Canadian Academy of Engineering is an independent, self-governing and non-profit organization established in 1987 to serve the nation in matters of engineering concern. The Fellows of the Academy are professional engineers from all disciplines and are elected on the basis of their distinguished service and contribution to society, to the country and to the profession.

John Bandler's record spans 40 years of scholarly, pioneering and professional contributions in radio frequency and microwave theory and techniques, optimization of circuits and systems, and computer-aided engineering (355 papers). Pioneering achievements include design centering and yield-driven design, analog diagnosis, testing and tuning, and device statistical parameter extraction, now taken for granted in the RF and microwave arena. He founded Optimization Systems Associates Inc. (OSA) in 1983, developing optimization-based products until 1997, the date of acquisition of OSA by Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). His optimization contributions, even exploiting electromagnetic simulators, set benchmarks for today's software. John is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (Great Britain), a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers of the Province of Ontario (Canada) and a Member of the MIT Electromagnetics Academy. He received the Automatic Radio Frequency Techniques Group (ARFTG) Automated Measurements Career Award in 1994. He is Guest Co-Editor, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Special Issue on Electromagnetics-Based Optimization of Microwave Components and Circuits (2004).

2003 IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award

IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award was awarded to Sarma P. Maruvada, “For contributions to the understanding and characterization of electromagnetic fields and corona phenomena associated with high voltage AC/DC overhead transmission lines.” during the Awards Luncheon on 15 July at the IEEE - PES General Meeting in Toronto.

Sarma P. Maruvada’s work in the analysis and measurement of audible noise and radio interference on transmission line conductors has significantly furthered the study of electromagnetic fields and corona phenomena associated with high voltage AC/DC power lines.

During his nearly 30-year tenure at the Hydro Quebec Institute of Research (IREQ), Dr. Maruvada’s efforts in the sensitive areas of human and environmental impact have been particularly far-reaching. Through a combination of innovative research, large-scale measurement programs and shrewd analysis, he has increased understanding of electric and magnetic fields, ion densities, space charges, onset voltages, power losses and many other factors that affect the design and development of transmission lines.

Dr. Maruvada’s work has determined acceptable levels of audible noise, based on psychoacoustic studies; the subjective human response to radio interference on AM radio reception; and acceptable signal-to-noise ratios. His research has also transformed the field of electromagnetic exposure related to high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission lines. The Canadian Standards Association has used his research to develop high-voltage AC standards.

Throughout Dr. Maruvada’s career, he has worked to promote and transfer his knowledge through committees and publications. His text, Corona Performance of High-Voltage Transmission Lines serves as a defining guide for professionals in the field.

Sarma P. Maruvada was born on 1 January 1938, in Rajahmundry, India. He received his bachelor’s degree with honors in electrical engineering from Andhra University in 1958, and a master’s degree with distinction in engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in 1959. He also earned a master’s of science in 1966, and doctorate in 1968, from the University of Toronto, both in electrical engineering. Currently he is a consultant.

Dr. Maruvada is a Fellow of IEEE and an honorary member of CIGRE. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the IEEE/PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition and chairman of CIGRE Study Committee 36 on Power System Electromagnetic Compatibility. His many awards and honors include the Platinum Jubilee Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award of the Indian Institute of Science.

Student Design Teams Sought for 2004 CSIDC

The IEEE Computer Society is seeking design teams for its 2004 International Design Competition. Open to undergrads worldwide, the competition involves designing and prototyping a computer-based device to solve a real-world problem. The competition has a US $25,000 first prize. The deadline for entering is 1 November. For details, visit http://computer.org/computer/homepage/0803/CSIDC/sidebar.htm.

Free online technology specific seminars start this month

This month, IEEE will begin offering free online seminars to users of IEEE technical content. Each course will focus on competitive intelligence and the use of IEEE technical content in the creation of intellectual property, including patents. The online sessions are oriented to executives, engineers, researchers and designers in these technologies. Sessions will be held at both 10AM or 7PM EDT, last for one hour, and require access to a phone line and high-speed Internet connection. Currently scheduled classes include:

• Semiconductors - 30 September
• Aerospace and Defense - 28 October
• Biomedical Engineering - 29 October
• Information Technology - 18 November

Advance registration is required, and space is limited. For questions, or to sign up, please email training@ieee.org. Include your name, affiliation, title, and preferred session and time.

IEEE celebrates 40-year milestone

Forty years ago, IEEE - the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - was formed following the merger of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). Today, IEEE has more than 380,000 members, publishes about thirty percent of the world's technical literature in the field, and holds 300 conferences annually. To learn about the 40-year history of the IEEE since the merger, visit the five-page feature in this month's issue of The Institute.

Best fares available through new IEEE travel services booking tool

This month, IEEE Travel Services introduced a new online booking tool that will enable travelers to quickly find the best Web-only rates for flights, car rentals and hotel fares. Users can access the best fares without leaving the security and familiarity of the IEEE Travel Services system, which is more secure, trusted, faster, and easier than booking on an external Web-direct site. In addition, the search tool boasts a maximum 90-second wait time for results. To find out more, or book travel, visit IEEE Travel Services at http://www.ieeetravelonline.org.

Companies undertaking expensive initiatives to deliver new and innovative products or solutions to their customers often have good reason to harbour concerns over successful delivery of the project. Indeed, a large undertaking can bankrupt or seriously compromise a company’s future if the delivered product is excessively late, of poor quality, or significantly over budget.

Fortunately, strong signals portending problems can be observed and action taken to mitigate more serious issues. Many of these problems are recognizable at the very project launch! Here, occurring right at project launch, are our top four reasons for project slippage:

1. Mismatch in Stakeholder Expectations:
   Projects often fail due to unrealistic expectations of influential stakeholders. These expectations might be the delivery date, features, cost of the project or organizations capability to undertake the project. Influential stakeholders demanding attainment of unrealistic goals is very common and it is indeed the brave Project Manager that pushes back.

   The best method to combat unrealistic goals is to provide accurate and understandable information to the stakeholders at every point in the project cycle. If there are issues with schedule, cost, or quality, provide the stakeholders with a choice of alternatives. For example if time is critical, perhaps the project can be phased, with two or three releases rolling out new and improved features. This also facilitates tuning of the system to address initial teething issues.

2. Starting Design and Development with Inadequate Requirements:
   Project teams often come under enormous pressure to begin implementation and to show progress. But this is a recipe for disaster. You’ve encountered situations where your every need has been anticipated and superbly fulfilled: restaurants, buildings and work environment, computer applications. The consistent theme in superbly designed systems is forethought. Good requirements take time, effort and collaboration to execute properly. Conversely, poor requirements lead to confusion, mistakes, poor implementation, rework, unfulfilled expectations, slippages and budget overruns.

   Make your requirements complete and:

   • Define the overall mission of the new development
   • Define the “big” items such as feature list, budget, time frame, expectations
   • Work with all stakeholders to eliminate confusion and address expectations
   • Deal with reality such as staff skills, time to execute, budgets
   • Define rollout phases if applicable
   • Define the customer, beta and pilot goals
   • Get all stakeholders to meet and sign off the requirements document

3. Starting Design and Development with Incomplete or Nonexistent Requirements Analysis:
   The development organization must analyze the requirements and provide assessments on feasibility, risk, work effort and staff capability, preliminary schedule, design, and capital costs. Anything less will incur significant risk in delivering and meeting the project expectations.

   A complete engineering document will specify, in detail, each of these areas sufficient for the enterprise to make an educated decision to move forward with the project. It also allows for cash flow analysis and budgeting, hiring plan, contingency planning, and facilitates communication to various stakeholders.

4. Inaccurate Effort Estimation:
   Software effort estimation is notoriously inaccurate and, despite numerous texts on the subject, remains a black art in the eyes of some people. The difficulty in estimating software effort has impacts on the overall schedule, budget, staffing and ultimately the business feasibility of the project. Other areas of system development seem to be less problematic than software but encounter issues in feasibility, inexperience and schedule dependency issues.

   Effort estimation can be improved. The use of function points, analogous projects, and collecting data on work effort and duration on a project-by-project basis helps achieve better estimates. The latter point’s value cannot be under estimated. Having historical information available from previous similar projects is invaluable, yet it is surprising how many organizations do not have this information.

Projects don’t have to late, over budget or suffer from poor quality. Recognize the symptoms of project that are in trouble, understand the root causes that are causing issues, and take appropriate action. With practice and experience, you can consistently deliver projects on time, within budget, and with the features your clients and customers want.

In the next article, we’ll examine factors that cause significant slippage in a project well underway.

The following members were upgraded to Senior Member status at the August  2003 Admission and Advancement Panel meetings in Brookfield, Wisconsin:

• R Lloyd A. Gorling - Hamilton
• Andrzej Pradzynski - Hamilton
• Robert A. Weitendorf - Hamilton
• Alan P. Wing - Hamilton
• David A. Clausi - Kitchener-Waterloo
• Daniel E. Miller - Kitchener-Waterloo
• Howard D. Nash - Newfoundland-Labrador
• Angela Antoniu - Northern Canada
• Mrinal Mandal - Northern Canada
• Puica Nitu - Toronto
• Christopher A. Brand - Vancouver
• Stephen S. Cheung - Vancouver
• Neil B. Cox - Vancouver
• Septimiu E. Salcudean - Vancouver

For more information on the Nominate a Senior Member Initiative (NSI) Program, please visit http://www.ieee.org/ra/md/smprogram.html. The 2003 Goal for IEEE Canada is to elevate 150 members to Senior Members.

Montreal

• Workshop on Formal Approaches to Testing of Software (FATES 2003)

6 October 2003
Montréal, Québec
For more information, please visit http://www.crim.ca/fates/

• IEEE International Conference on Automated Software Engineering

6-10 October 2003
CRIM - 550,
Sherbrooke Street West,
Montréal, Québec
For more information, please visit http://www.ase-conference.org/index.htm

• Intellectual Property: A Reality Check

15 Oct 2003
Gowlings Lafleur Henderson LLP
Suite 2600, 160 Elgin Street,
Ottawa, Ontario
Please register with John Grefford at Grefford@ieee.org or 613-839-1108
For more information, please visit http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r7/ottawa/ems/

• Canadian Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 2003

16-17 October 2003
Lord Elgin Hotel,
Ottawa, Ontario
For more information please visit http://www.CRMS2003.ca
If you are a member in good standing of the IEEE Reliability Society Ottawa Chapter, and are in transition between employers, you may be eligible for a reduced registration fee. For more information, email registrar@crms2003.ca. This offer is limited to the first five qualifying registrants.

• IEEE Ottawa Section 59th Annual General Meeting

4 November 2003
The Salon, Museum of Nature,
240 McLeod,
Ottawa, Ontario
Please register by 24 October 24 2003 with Ammar Gharbi at gharbi@ieee.org
For more information please visit http://ewh.ieee.org/r7/ottawa/AGMInvite2003.htm

Toronto

• Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy

3 October 2003
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
For more information please visit http://toronto.ieee.ca/events/oct03203.htm
An IEEE LEOS and Nortel Institute Distinguished Lecture

• IEEE Toronto Centennial Forum on Reliable Power Grids in Canada

3 October 2003
High Park Ballroom,
Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel,
Toronto, Ontario
For more information please visit http://toronto.ieee.ca/events/oct0303.htm

• IEEE Toronto Centennial Banquet

4 October 2003
Yorkville Room
Toronto, Ontario
To purchase your ticket(s), please contact Section secretary, Pelle Westlind, at 416.234.0777 or at pelle.westlind@ieee.org
For more information please visit http://toronto.ieee.ca/events/03_10_04.htm

• Microoptical Array Components for UV-laser Beam Shaping and Characterization

9 October 2003
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
For more information please visit http://toronto.ieee.ca/events/oct0903.htm
An IEEE Toronto Circuits and Devices Chapter (IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society) presentation

• IEEE Sensors 2003

22-24 October 2003
Sheraton Centre Hotel,
Toronto, Ontario
For more information please visit http://www.ewh.ieee.org/tc/sensors/Sensors2003/Sensors2003_announcement.htm

Vancouver

• IP Version 6 -- a Short Tutorial

6 October 2003
Vancouver, BC
For more information please visit http://www.comsoc.org/vancouver/
An IEEE Vancouver Communications Chapter presentation

• Real-Time Kernels - Then and Now

21 October 2003
Richmond, BC
For more information please visit http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/vancouver/grs/Pages/upcomingEvents.htm
An IEEE Vancouver Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society presentation

• Westcoast Security Forum

17 November 2003
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Vancouver, BC
For more information please visit http://www.infosecbc.org/sf/
An IEEE Vancouver Communications Chapter presentation

• IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2004)

23-26 May 2004
Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel
Vancouver, BC
For more information please visit http://www.iscas2004.org

Rest of Canada

• Design of Reliable Communication Networks (DRCN 2003)

19-22 October 2003
Banff, Alberta
For more information please visit http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/drcn2003/

• Canadian Conference of Electrical and Computer Engineering

2-5 May 2004
Niagara Falls, ON
For more information please visit http://www.ieee.ca/ccece04

US

• IEEE Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing (SSP 2003)

29 September - 1 October 2003
St. Louis, Missouri
For more information please visit http://ssp03.wustl.edu/

• IEEE VTC Symposium on IP Mobility

6-9 October 2003
Orlando, Florida
For more information please visit http://www.vtc2003.com

• IEEE Topical Conference on Wireless Communication Technology

15-17 October 2003
Honolulu, Hawaii
For more information please visit http://hcac.hawaii.edu/conferences/tcwct2003/

• IEEE International Engineering Management Conference (IEMC -2003)

2-4 November 2003
Albany, New York
For more information please visit http://www.ieee-iemc.org

• IEEE International Conference on Computer Aided Design (ICCAD)

9-13 November 2003
San Jose, California
For more information please visit http://www.iccad.com/techprog.html

• Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM)

1-5 December 2003
San Francisco, California
For more information please visit http://www.globecom2003.com/

• Workshop on Multimodal User Authentication (MMUA 2003)

11-12 December 2003
Santa Barbara, California
For more information please visit http://mmua.cs.ucsb.edu

• Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC)

5-8 January 2004
Las Vegas, Nevada
For more information please visit http://www.ccnc2004.org/

• International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC)

14-19 February 2004
San Francisco
For more information please visit http://www.isscc.org/isscc/2004/authors.htm

International

• IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics and Drive Systems (PEDS 2003)

17-20 November 2003
Singapore
For more information please visit http://www.ieeepeds.org/

• International Conference on Information Technology & Applications (ICITA 2004)

8-11 January 2004
Harbin, China
For more information please visit http://www.icita.org/

• Managing Next Generation Convergence Networks and Services

19-23 April 2004
Seoul, Korea
For more information please visit http://www.noms2004.org/

• European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO-2004)

7-10 September 2004
Vienna, Austria
For more information please visit http://www.nt.tuwien.ac.at/eusipco2004

IEEE Montreal maintains a page of upcoming events at http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r7/montreal/evenements_e.html.

IEEE Ottawa maintains a page of upcoming events at http://members.attcanada.ca/~max-com/IEEEOttEvents.html.

IEEE Toronto maintains a page of upcoming events at http://toronto.ieee.ca/events/upcoming.htm.

IEEE Vancouver maintains a page of upcoming events at http://www.ieee.org/vancouver.

For more IEEE conferences, visit IEEE Conference Search at http://www.ieee.org/conferencesearch/.

New volume provides Engineer's complete waveguide resource

Simplified manufacturing and faster, cheaper development in wafer technology provide the focus of a new book by IEEE Fellow Rainee N. Simons entitled "Coplanar Waveguide Circuits Components and Systems." Simons works in the Communications Technology Division at NASA's Glenn Research Center, and calls this work "an engineer's complete resource" on the topic. Find out more about this Wiley-IEEE Press book at http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471161217.

Book available on linear time-invariant systems

Wiley-IEEE Press offers engineers a book covering the fundamentals of linear time-invariant or continuous system theory. In "Linear Time-Invariant Systems," the basics of system theory are presented from a system, rather than an application-oriented perspective. Author Martin Schetzen provides a foundation for further study of system modeling, control theory, filter theory, discrete system theory, state-variable theory, and other subjects requiring a system viewpoint. Find out more about this Wiley-IEEE Press book http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471231452.

Book examines smart antenna technology

A new Wiley-IEEE book entitled "Smart Antennas" is the first book to examine adaptive antennas using digital technology. This text looks at the latest developments in smart antenna technology and offers timely information on fundamentals. Authors Tapan K. Sarkar, Michael C. Wicks, Magdalena Salazar-Palma, and Robert J. Bonneau have developed new adaptive techniques that are offered in this title. The book serves as an excellent resource for anyone working in electromagnetics and signal processing who deal with performance improvement of adaptive techniques. For more information, or to purchase, visit http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471210102.html.

New IEEE Press title looks at challenges of IP Networks

Hot off the presses comes "Managing IP Networks: Challenges and Opportunities," a new book from Wiley-IEEE Press. Editors Salah Aidarous and Thomas Plevyak have assembled contributions from seven other experts to make this an essential resource on the future of IP networks. For more information, or to purchase, visit http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471392995.

New book covers theory and design of IGBT

Semiconductor devices, particularly the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), form the heart of the power electronics industry and play a pivotal role in the regulation and distribution of energy in the world. In his new Wiley-IEEE Press book, "Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT): Theory and Design," Vinod Kumar Khanna covers basic theory and design aspects of IGBTs, including the selection of silicon, achieving targeted specifications through device and process design, and device packaging. Find out more about this book at http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471238457.

Pulse width modulation for power convertors book now available

A new book offered by Wiley-IEEE Press, "Pulse Width Modulation for Power Converters: Principles and Practice," is now available.  This book, written by D. Grahame Holmes and Thomas A. Lipo, brings together the field's diverse approaches into an integrated and comprehensive theory of PWM. For more information, or to purchase, please visit http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471208140.

Text offers practical information on radio control

Wiley-IEEE Press has published "Practical Radio - Frequency System Design," a hardcover book addressing practical information for radio frequency system design professionals. The book is written by William F. Egan, Ph.D., instructor at Santa Clara University and noted author. For more information, or to order, visit http://www.wiley.com/remtitleinternational.cgi?isbn=0471200239.

You can send any submissions by email to the editor:
Abhi Gupta at newsletter@ieee.ca

Please ensure you send in your submission by the 20^th of the month