This is an election year for IEEE Canada. We encourage you to vote when you receive your ballot from IEEE.

IEEE Canada President-Elect 2010 - 2011 Candidates Featured in this Issue

KEITH B. BROWN, PH.D., P.ENG.

For complete biography and position statement, please click here

Senior Engineer
Nuclear Division
Ontario Power Generation
Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Keith Brown is a senior engineer with Ontario Power Generation's Nuclear Division and an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering at Ryerson University, Toronto. He has performed research and development in short-range radio frequency communications and also had the unique and rewarding experience of having served 15 years with the Canadian Forces; retiring from active duty in 2003. He holds degrees in mathematics and physics, advanced degrees in electrical and computer engineering (MSc'99, PhD'03), and a diploma in business management, all from the University of Alberta. He has published in excess of 23 technical documents and maintains a keen interest in the application and development of advanced instrumentation. Dr. Brown is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a licensed professional engineer in both Alberta and Ontario.

Committees/Boards

IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee, Region 7 Hearing Panel Delegate, 2006-08.

Awards

RAB Section Sustained Membership Growth Award (As Section Chair), 2005, 2004.

KEITH BROWN - Position Statement (excerpt)

It is my goal to bring more energy and enthusiasm to the region, its members and volunteers as Region 7 Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect. I am confident I can serve the needs of our members based on my industry experience as well as my IEEE involvement, having lived and volunteered in two of the three geographical areas within IEEE Canada. IEEE Canada has been very successful - but we can do better.

As Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect, my goals are:

My varied experience and insight makes me ideally suited to represent Region 7 as Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect and I would be honored to serve in such a capacity.

MAIKE LUIKEN, PH.D., FEIC.

For complete biography and position statement, please click here

Dean, Applied Research, Business Development and Innovation, Sustainable Development
Lambton College,
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
www.maikeluiken.ca

Maike Luiken obtained her Staatsexamen in Mathematics and Physics from the Technical University in Braunschweig, Germany (1979) and her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Waterloo (1982).Maike has over 30 years of professional experience in teaching, research and educational administration, community and network building and especially in connecting industry partners, government agencies and researchers in advanced technology projects. She has worked in both the public and private sectors in Canada, the USA and Germany.Maike is a founder of the Ottawa Photonics Research Alliance (OPRA), the Ottawa Wireless Research Alliance (OWRA) and is a member of numerous boards including Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) Canada.Her areas of expertise include sustainable development, advanced data communications, leadership and management of research projects in College and University environments, development of educational simulations and leading edge on-line learning modules.Maike is a SMIEEE and a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Committees/Boards

IEEE Sustainability AdHoc Committee, 2009. RAB Student Activities Committee, 2003-05

Awards

Ottawa Section Volunteer Recognition, 2002-04.
London Section Volunteer Recognition, 2007.

MAIKE LUIKEN - Position Statement (excerpt)

IEEE members are at the forefront of science, technology and applications development and are vital to meeting our evolving technological and societal challenges - like global warming - and to enabling a sustainable future for all.

As Region 7 Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect, I shall contribute to the IEEE missions by:

Representing the interests of the IEEE Canada members, I will make our voice and concerns heard nationally and internationally.

MARCELO O. MOTA, BSEE, PMP, MBA

For complete biography and position statement, please click here

Director, IT Programs
Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://marcelomota.weebly.com

Marcelo Mota holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, and a Master degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Warwick, England. He joined the Greater Toronto Airports Authority in 2001 and currently holds the position of Director, IT Programs. Marcelo has a total of 27 years of experience in the IT, Energy, Government, and Consulting industry. He was the Director of Business Development and Operations & Technical Support of a provincial information technology company. Prior to this, Marcelo spent 17 years at a large hydro company, holding the positions of Head of the Corporate Strategic Planning Division, General Manager of the Tenders & Contracts Department, General Manager of the IT Department, Regional Manager of the Metropolitan Area, and Head of a number of Engineering Divisions. He is also a Project Management Professional certified by the Project Management Institute.

Committees/Boards

Educational Activities Board (EAB): Board Member, 1997.
EAB Transnational Committee Chair, 1997-98.
EAB Outreach Committee, 1998.
EAB Section Outreach Committee, 2003.
Member and Geographic Activities Board (MGAB), Board Member, 1997.
MGA Section/Chapter Support Committee, 1997.
Publication Services and Products Board (PSPB), Board Member, 1997-98.

Awards

Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award, 2008.
IEEE Third Millennium Medal, 2000.

MARCELO MOTA - Position Statement (excerpt)

After working diligently for 20+ years to ensure that the Institute keeps providing its members with value, I have accumulated a great amount of administrative experience and operational acumen related to IEEE operations. This, together with my relevant technical and business career, will set me up for success in serving the IEEE Canadian members. In being elected, I will:

IEEE Canada Major Award Presented at CCECE 2009

There are eleven awards, seven for achievement and four for service, which will be presented at the IEEE Canada Awards Banquet on the evening of May 4, 2009 in St. John's during the 22nd annual IEEE Canada 22nd Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE09). Nominations for these awards closed on Nov. 30, your awards committee then ranked the nominations and proposed the recipients who were then approved by IEEE Canada.

Achievement Awards

Wolfgang Hoefer, a Fellow of IEEE residing in the Victoria Section, is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Victoria. He is receiving the A.G.L. McNaughton Gold Medal (IEEE Canada's highest award - for exemplary contributions to the engineering profession) for pioneering research in microwave engineering, computational electromagnetics, and working with industry to develop practical time domain simulators.

David Falconer, a Fellow of IEEE residing in the Ottawa Section, is a Professor of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa. He is receiving the R.A. Fessenden Award (Telecommunications) for outstanding technical contributions to the area of data transmission in both wireline and wireless environments.

William McDermid, a Fellow of IEEE residing in the Winnipeg Section, is the former Director of the High Voltage Test Facility at Manitoba Hydro. He is receiving the Electric Power Engineering Award for outstanding contributions to the development of rotating machine insulation testing.

Ken (KC) Smith, a Fellow of IEEE residing in the Toronto Section, is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto. He is receiving the Computer Engineering and Science Award for lasting technical and educational contributions to electronics for computing.

Rajnikant Patel, a Fellow of IEEE and EIC residing in the London Section, is a Distinguished University Professor & Tier-1 Canada Research Chair at the University of Western Ontario. He is receiving the Outstanding Engineer Award for continuous outstanding contributions to the field of robotically enhanced surgery. Note: Commencing this year, this award is available to recognize technical excellence in fields other than telecommunications engineering, electric power engineering, or computer engineering or science.

John Cartledge, a newly elected Fellow of IEEE residing in the Kingston Section, is a Professor at Queen's University. He is receiving the Outstanding Engineering Educator Award for outstanding contributions in inspiring postgraduates in fiber optics research

Lorry Wilson, a member of IEEE residing in the Southern Alberta Section, is President and CEO of Lorry Wilson & Associates. He is receiving the Industry Leadership Award for pioneering leadership in restructuring the electric utility industry in Alberta as the first CEO of the Alberta Power Pool. Note: this is the first year this award is being presented.

Service Awards

Dave Kemp, a Senior Member of IEEE and a Fellow of EIC residing in the Winnipeg Section, is a consultant in project and risk management following a 35 year career with Manitoba Telecom Services. He is receiving the W.S. Read Gold Medal (for outstanding and sustained service to IEEE Canada and the Institute) in recognition of 45 years of dedicated leadership and service to IEEE at the local, national, and international levels.

John Grefford, a Senior Member of IEEE and a Fellow of EIC residing in the Ottawa Section, is Program Support Officer with Defence Construction Canada. He is receiving the J.J. Archambault Eastern Canada Merit Award for dedicated and outstanding service to the IEEE Ottawa Section, IEEE Canada and EIC.

David Whyte, a Senior Member of IEEE residing in the Toronto Section, is the Managing Principal of CDI Datacom Inc. He is receiving the M.B. Broughton Central Canada Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the IEEE Toronto Section and the IEEE Canadian Foundation over the past 25 years.

Dave Michelson, a Senior Member of IEEE residing in the Vancouver Section, is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. He is receiving the E.F. Glass Western Canada Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the IEEE Vancouver Section and the IEEE Communications Society.

We invite you to join us at the awards banquet in May to meet and celebrate with these accomplished individuals - for more details and information on purchasing tickets, please visit the conference website at "www.ccece09.org".

Bob Alden
IEEE Canada Awards and Recognition Committee Chair
r.alden@ieee.org

IEEE Celebrates 125th Anniversary

To check out local events for this occasion, please refer to the following for more information: http://www.ieee125.org

Renew Your Membership for 2009

There's still time to renew your 2009 membership if you haven't already done so. Remember, IEEE membership can connect you with professionals who can open doors to many opportunities. Use your IEEE Web Account and password to renew online at http://www.ieee.org/web/membership/renew/index.html

Membership Dues in Special Circumstances

IEEE realizes that economic circumstances may impact some members' ability to pay the full amount of IEEE membership dues. For this reason, the following special circumstance categories have been established. Special circumstances are not available to Student members. Only one category may be claimed in any year.

-  Minimum Income Provision

-  Retired Provision

-  Unemployed Provision

-  Permanently Disabled

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Ø     Your News

Vancouver Section investigates the Creo All optical cross-connect switch

Monday August 10, 2009, 7 - 9 pm, BCIT S3 - 1750, Vancouver, BC

A small local team at what was then Creo built an optical cross-connect switch that used fiber bending rather than MEMS tilting mirrors to achieve much better performance.Our switch achieved less than 1dB loss at both 1.3 and 1.55 um while the competition never achieved better than about 6dB.

The speaker, Dr. Thomas Steiner, was previously at Kodak as principal physicist before founding Etalim, a company that pursues research in energy related topics.

For details: http://vancouver.ieee.ca/

London Section holds sustainability seminar

Thursday August 27, 2009, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, N105 Lambton College, Sarnia, ON

All aspects of Wind & Solar Energy Generation will be covered; from designing and selecting suppliers to how to know when it's worth having your own system. Topics will include a REALITY CHECK on all the hype around RE Standard Offer Contracts and Net-Metering and how much of the information is distorted. Wind and solar systems are quite different but they can easily be integrated. This seminar will show you how to select a turbine or solar panel, why one technology is good or another may not be, and how to read and identify what's important in a warranty. At the end of the seminar you will feel more knowledgeable when speaking with a salesperson regarding equipment or interacting with government officials regarding local by-laws and regulations.

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Ø     News of Interest

Ottawa Won the Competition for Holding the ICC in June 2012

On June 17, 2009 at the International Conference on Communications (ICC) 2009 in Dresden, Germany, theComSoc GIMS Committee announced that the IEEE Ottawa Section (www.ottawa.ieee.ca) won the competition against other major international cities for holding the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) in Ottawa in 2012.

The ICC 2012 will be held at the Ottawa Convention Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from June 10 till June 15, 2012.

The estimated number of the conference attendees will be 1500 to 2000. The conference will have a significant impact in regaining the reputation and business of the Canadian telecom and high tech companies that are facing many challenges during these recent years, and would raise the profile and visibility of these companies. As well as the conference will benefit the academia, scientific and engineering research, industry and local business in Ottawa.

Last year conference (ICC 2008) was held in Beijing, China www.ieee-icc.org/2008. This year conferences: ICC 2009 is held in Dresden, Germany www.ieee-icc.org/2009. The ICC 2010 will be held in Cape Town, South Africa www.ieee-icc.org/2010, and the ICC 2011 will be held in Kyoto, Japan www.ieeeicc.org/2011. And the ICC 2012 will be held in Ottawa, Canada.

The IEEE Region 7 Teacher in-Service Program Workshop (Ottawa Style)

This article was written by the following Ottawa Chapter WIE members:

From left to right:
Barbora Dej [barbora.dej@ieee.org],
Carleton University M.Eng. candidate, Carleton WISE external affairs executive

Laura Mutu [laura.mutu@ieee.carleton.ca],
Carleton University B.Eng candidate, WIE Carleton Chair 08/09, 09/10

Jennifer Ng [jng@ieee.org],
Project Manager at Abbott Point of Care, WIE Ottawa Chair 2009
Rosalyn Seeton [seeton@ieee.org],
Carleton University M.A.Sc., Research Assistant, Carleton WISE outreach officer

What is TISP?

The IEEE Teacher in-Service Program (TISP) development workshop is designed for enthusiastic IEEE members, pre-university teachers, and any other individuals who wish to increase the level of technological literacy in their local schools and encourage pre-university students to pursue technical careers (including engineering). The goal is for IEEE members to develop and conduct TISP training sessions with teachers so that teachers can conduct the sessions with their students. The volunteer-teacher interaction is what makes TISP unique. This year the Region 7 IEEE TISP workshop occurred on May 15 and 16 in Montréal, Québec. For more information about the 2009 TISP Workshop in Montréal, including the agenda, presentations, and pictures, visit the following link: http://www.ieee.org/web/education/preuniversity/TISPMontreal.html

How do you get in touch with your local educators or education representatives? Ask them out to dinner ...
written by Jennifer Ng

While on the discussion panel at the Montreal TISP R7 event, one of attendees asked me and other panelists: "so how do you recommend for us (IEEE) to prepare and get in touch with the local education people?" My tongue-in-cheek response was "Ask them out to dinner and talk to them". Sometimes the simplest solution just works best. Don't start thinking about what PowerPoint slides to include or what to wear. And I was quite serious with my answer given that is how it happened for the Ottawa Section.

I attended my first TISP workshop in 2004 (held by R1 in Boston) and I was an invited guest speaker at the Education Summit held in Munich in November 2007. From my experience, I knew that it would be pointless to hold a workshop about education without having the educators themselves introduced, engaged and involved. When putting together the Ottawa Section delegation, it was important to have a balance of volunteers and interested educators.

Through one of my speaking engagements (my first WIE Carleton event) in Ottawa, I met Rosalyn Seeton and found out that she is the coordinator of YSTOP (Youth Science and Technology Outreach Program). YSTOP is a government program that funds projects to connect youth with science and technology mentors and it is where all the Ottawa school boards were well represented. Through her contacts and many emails later, I e-introduced myself and IEEE briefly. Eventually, after securing funding from the SSIT (Society on Social Implications of Technology) local chapter, I invited the school board representatives and a few IEEE volunteers to an informal dinner where I could give them more information about IEEE and TISP. The dinner was very well attended and we were able to casually discuss our common goals and initiatives as well as make plans for the upcoming TISP R7 event in Montréal.

My advice to all aspiring TISP champions and volunteers out there: first seek to understand (à la Stephen Covey) what your local educators need before trying to overwhelm them with all the greatness of IEEE and TISP. Non-engineers can be quite intimidated by us so be conscious of each other's role in this partnership: theirs is to follow a curriculum set by the government bodies - while enthusiastically engaging the next generations to follow STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers - and our role is to assist in filling any gaps or any incertitude that they might encounter.

I am quite lucky to have a very active small group of WIE members in Ottawa who continuously amaze me with their ideas, talent and energy. Please read on to what they have to say about their perspectives on the event.

A night to remember: Jane Goodall

By Rosalyn Seeton, MASc. Biomedical Engineering - Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

I was invited to attend Jane Goodall's lecture "Reason for Hope" in Ottawa last April as a member of IEEE Ottawa Women In Engineering - a co-sponsor to the event.

Walking into the lobby, the buzz of anticipation and excitement that precedes a performance seemed greater than usual, as if everyone knew they were in for a once in a lifetime special treat. We found our seats, and were surprised to find a complimentary package of Fair Trade coffee in each, provided in honour of the special guest's visit.

I felt a little surge of pride when IEEE WIE was thanked as a sponsor in the opening remarks and then, in no time, there she was, walking onto the stage with her stuffed monkey. She put him down on the table beside the podium and waited patiently for the standing ovation to subside before responding with a hooting greeting from the chimps.

She started off by talking about her childhood and first interests in worms, chickens, Dr. Doolittle and Tarzan. She spoke about her mother, who had to patiently explain to her that the worms had to live outside and couldn't sleep in her bed. Her mother also reacted calmly when a very young Jane went missing for several hours because she was hiding inside the chicken roost trying to find out how the hens laid their eggs.

She went on to talk about her determination to get to Africa despite her humble background, an extraordinary goal for a young woman at that time, and certainly not something that many people would have thought possible given her situation. Nevertheless, she persisted, worked very hard, and managed to get to Africa. She talked about studying the chimps in the wild with her mother as a chaperone and once again she emphasized how much support her mother had provided in order for her to pursue her dreams. She spoke about going back to school eventually, skipping right into a PhD and being told that she had done many things wrong. She was told that she should not have named the chimps, and they certainly did not have personalities. She was not persuaded, and this would certainly not be the last time she would oppose traditional views. Her career is marked by groundbreaking discoveries, such as her observation that chimps created and used tools. The world had to catch up with her and recreate the definition of "man".

She finished by talking about the Roots and Shoots program run by the Jane Goodall Institute and the work that needs to be done to save wildlife habitats and keep the world sustainable. She took questions from the audience and made sure that all the children were able to have their questions answered. After her talk she took the time to autograph books, have her picture taken, and have a few words with anyone from the audience that was willing to wait for the chance. With such impressive life achievements it's easy to be awed by someone like Jane Goodall. Yet, thanks to her stamina and patience, she was able to communicate on a personal basis with many of us in the audience; it is at this point, speaking to her face to face that one remembers that she is just a regular person too and that each of us can make as much of a difference in our world as she has. Everyone leaving the theatre was excited by the hope and possibility that she exudes.

From left to right:

Sandra McGuire, Carolyn MacIsaac, Preeti Raman, Dr. Jane Goodall and Rosalyn Seeton - IEEE WIE Ottawa well represented.

Sandra McGuire - Ottawa Carleton University WIE chapter Vice-Chair
Carolyn MacIsaac - Ottawa Section WIE Vice-Chair 2007-2009
Preeti Raman - Ottawa Section WIE Chair 2007-2008
Rosalyn Seeton - Ottawa Carleton University EMBS chapter Vice-Chair, WIE                                member

IEEE Career services

Looking for a new job? Check out the following site!

The http://careers.ieee.org/

New Home and Auto Group Insurance Program

The IEEE Financial Advantage Program is pleased to announce that The Personal Insurance Company is now a provider of home and auto group insurance to IEEE Canada members. One of Canada's largest group insurers, The Personal insures members and employees of over 550 organizations and has over 650,000 policies in force across the country. The advantages of this voluntary benefit include preferred rates not available to the general public, exceptional service, and personalized protection.

IEEE Canada members*, their spouses and dependants** are eligible for this new program.

To find out how much you can save, get a quote from The Personal by phone or on their Web site. Take advantage of your home and auto group insurance plan. Get a quote from The Personal
English: http://www.thepersonal.com/ieee
French: http://www.lapersonnelle.com/ieee
Tel: 1-888-476-8737

* One must be a member in good standing of the IEEE at the time of application and continue active membership in order to be eligible for the group rates.
** Certain conditions apply.

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Ø     Students' Corner

IEEE student member winner of 2009 CEMF IBM undergraduate scholarship

The Bahar Memarian from the University of Toronto and Neha Sharma from the University of Western Ontario have been named the 2009 recipients of the $2,500 IBM Canada Undergraduate Scholarships by CEMF. Both Ms. Memarian and Ms. Sharma will also receive a summer job opportunity at an IBM Canada facility.

Ms. Memarian of North York, Ontario is a second year electrical engineering student at the University of Toronto. She believes in the positive impact women in engineering can have and says she has learned that "much creativity and diversity is added to a project when the group includes both male and female members." Ms. Sharma of London, Ontario is a third year electrical student at the University of Western Ontario where she is specializing in biomedical signals and systems. Her personal motto is "if you have an interest in something, don't let anything stop you."

The Foundation is proud to present both Bahar and Neha with these well-deserved scholarships. Both are outstanding young women who are already demonstrating they will be leaders in the future and are excellent role models for others," says Suzelle Barrington, ing., CEMF president. Along with the $2,500 scholarship, both students are being funded by Foundation to attend the CEMF Annual Awards Luncheon in Montreal during the Annual General Meeting of Engineers Canada being held on May 22, 2009.

The Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation was founded in 1990 and honours the memory of the 14 women from École Polytechnique in Montreal who lost their lives on December 6, 1989. CEMF is committed to creating a world where engineering meets the needs and challenges of Canadians by utilizing the skills and talents of men and women alike, promoting engineering as a career choice with the generous support of Canadian corporations and many individual engineers from coast to coast.

The Foundation provides a total of 13 scholarships at the undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels of study and promotes engineering as a career choice for women through their website, press releases, Annual Awards Luncheon and scholarship winner presentations to high school students. Bahar Memarian is an IEEE student member.

IEEE Canada 2008 student paper winners

Congratulations to the winners of the IEEE Canada student paper awards 2008. The following are the winners and paper titles:

Central Area (Life Member Award $500)
"Closed-Loop MIMO Systems using Phase Steering"
Ben Leung, Queen's University
Branch Counselor: Keyvan Hashtrudi-Zaad

Eastern Area (Life Member Award $500)
"The Unshredinator: A Machine Vision Approach to Shredded Document Reconstruction"
Simon Silk, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Branch Counsellor: Dennis Peters

Western Area (Life Member Award $500)
"A Road Quality Measurement System using GPS Technology"
Mark Roy and Paul Klassen, University of Manitoba
Branch Counsellor: Witold Kinsner

Western Area (Hackbusch Award (runner up) $250)
"Radio Frequency Identification: A Wireless Scale"
Aaron J. Gillrie, University of Victoria
Branch Counsellor: Kin Li

UBC IEEE Student Branch - Silicon Valley Field Trip

By Aryan Navabi

The field trip from April 30 to May 8 was organized by UBC IEEE Student Branch. The goal of this field trip was for students to become more familiar with the recent technologies being used in industry and university laboratories. UBC IEEE Student Branch executives contacted companies and IEEE student branches in Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, to get in touch with laboratory technicians to arrange tours to their facilities. 24 students registered for the trip and registration fee was $600 for non-IEEE members and $500 for IEEE members.

The following cities were visited: Seattle April 30-May 2; San Francisco May 2-3; San Jose May 3-8.

The following companies, schools and locations were visited and tours to facilities were given by staff and engineers: Microsoft, Google, Sun Microsystems, Anritsu, Cisco, Intuitive Surgical, Lick Observatory, Intel Museum, Museum of Flight, Stanford University, UC Berkeley . Each company arranged a discussion panel with the students and their engineers. Students were all satisfied with the management and scheduling of the trip. The tours in all companies were also informative and gave students an overall picture of what to expect after graduation.

The UBC IEEE student branch thanks UBC Applied Sciences, IEEE Canadian Foundation, and IEEE Vancouver Section for sponsoring this field trip. Also many thanks to students who oranized this event: Stanley Lee, Faye Limbo, Aman Bhatia, Salma Farzim, Edwin Jaury, Andy Tsai, Chen Yan, and Branch Chair (and able photographer) Aryan Navabi.

Robofest 2009: You are the future

By Clinton Blackmore

"You are the future," said an announcer to the competitors at the World Robofest 2009 Competition. I was taken aback, but, upon further reflection, I realized that the people here represent tomorrow's electrical, mechanical, and software engineers, who will face tomorrow's challenges and solve problems that we haven't even considered as problems yet.

In the fall of 2008, I ran a LEGO Robotics course in rural southern Alberta, with 13 pupils, aged 9 to 13. After the course, I took three of my most reliable students -- Jase Sommerfeldt (11), and Chase (11) and Wyatt Nelson (14) -- and we entered the RoboZone Jr. event of the local Robofest competition, which had two parts. First, an unknown problem challenge, in which a shape to be drawn was unveiled and teams had 20 minutes to program their robot to reproduce the shape. Second, the RoboZone event itself: two autonomous robots were placed on a tabletop, and they had to find and occupy a shiny surface on the table (which starts with a pop bottle sitting on it), or, they had to push their opponents off it.

One of the beautiful things about this event is that it focuses on nurturing the next generation. I had to pledge, "As a Robofest Coach, I understand that the students come first. Robofest is about students learning computer technologies, science, engineering, and mathematics. Everything my team does starts and ends with the principle: the students do all of the work. My team members will do the designing, building, and programming of the robot. Adults may help them find the answers, but cannot give them the answers or make the decisions in detail."
[http://www.robofest.net/2009/robofest09rules.pdf, Appendix 1].

The local competition was run at R. I. Baker Middle School, in Coaldale, Alberta, on April 4th. My team, with members from Cardston and Stirling, competed against teams from Coaldale, Lethbridge, and Milk River.

The unknown problem challenge is designed to show that the team members really have learned about robotics; no outside help is allowed, not even from the coach. The unknown problem proved to be a 10 cm line, followed by a 60 degree turn, and a 15 cm line. As is to be expected, there were difficulties when the teams actually had to show off the result of their efforts. Some robots drove off the paper; one which had the shape down didn't leave a mark. "Team Justice" came in second place.

The first and second place winners of the drawing challenge chose teams out of a hat and there were two sets of round-robin competitions. We had a few false starts -- once, one of the students didn't push the start button firmly enough, and we lost the round -- but in each best-out-of-three match, we won, and went on to win the event.

As we were driving to the competition, I half-jokingly said, "If we win, we will go on to the World Championship, but we'll deal with that if it happens." Well, it happened. We decided we were serious, and raised funds in the month that we had. In truth, I was amazed, and am grateful for all the donations we received, including a generous one from the IEEE, which made it possible for us to go.

We worked hard. The boys refined their skills and robots, and I gave them challenges to broaden their abilities.

Soon enough, we found ourselves at Lawrence Technological University, in Southfield, Michigan, which is near Detroit. We came for the special dinner the night before the event, and practiced at the setup tables. The boys continued to improve their robot right up to the event. Why, just an hour before the unknown drawing problem was unveiled, the boys came up with a good way to leave a clear mark with a red marker and make sharp turns on their drawing, which was much better than the mark left by the stubby pen they'd been using (and which, at times, would high-center the robot).

The drawing problem was unveiled, and turned out to be a triangle. This was a shape the team had practiced, and the boys knew how to make the robot turn at a desired angle. Sitting on the stands with both boy's families, we were thrilled to see the red triangle that their robot produced. Hearing us cheering, the man behind Robofest, Dr. C.J. Chung, having looked at their result, turned around and gave us a thumbs-up. Of the 50 teams, "Team Justice" took tenth place. At last, the RoboZone event itself began. The fifty teams were divided into groups with three teams each, to have round-robin tournaments and advance the winner. At length we were called up, and beat our competitor. Later, we faced off against our next opponent. It wasn't clear to the spectators on the stand or the judge who won, and when I came down to find out what had happened, they still hadn't determined it. [I availed myself of the excellent opportunity to talk to the other team's coach, from Texas, who works for NASA and is able to spend paid time each week coaching robotics!] The judge awarded us the win, and we moved on.

Our next and final opponent successfully employed a strategy wherein the operator would push one of three buttons to start the robot and indicate where the opponent was initially placed. It turned right away and escorted our robot off the playing surface.

I thoroughly enjoyed coaching this first-year team, and hope I to continue to inspire tomorrow's engineers.

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Ø     Our Members in the Spotlight

2009 IEEE Canada Outstanding Engineering Award: Rajnikant Patel

Rajnikant Patel (FIEEE) received the B.Eng. (Hons) degree in Electronics from the University of Liverpool in 1969, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1973. From 1973 to 1998 he held postdoctoral and faculty positions at various universities and research centres in Canada, U.K., U.S.A., Sweden, and Holland. At present, he holds the position of Distinguished University Professor and Tier?1 Canada Research Chair in Advanced Robotics and Control in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering with a cross appointment in the Department of Surgery at the University of Western Ontario. He was a founding member of Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics (CSTAR), a multidisciplinary research centre for medical robotics, and is currently serving as its Director of Engineering.

Dr. Patel has made outstanding contributions to the design, prototyping and control of advanced robotic and other mechatronic systems. He has collaborated with the Canadian Space Agency and Bombardier Inc. on the development of novel robotic technologies for space applications and is currently focusing on robotic applications in minimally invasive surgery. He has published over 300 papers in refereed journals and conferences and has co?authored a textbook and 6 research monographs on robotics and control, and co?edited an IEEE Press Reprints Book.

Dr. Patel is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, IEEE, ASME (USA), IET (UK), and EIC (Canada). He has served or is serving on editorial or advisory boards of several journals including the IEEE Transactions on Robotics, the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, and the International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery. In 2005, he served as the Chair of the IEEE Conference on Control Applications held in Toronto. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

2009 IEEE Canada Outstanding Engineering Educator Award: John C Cartledge

John C. Cartledge (FIEEE) is Professor and Queen's Research Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He received the B.Sc. (mathematics and engineering, 1974), M.Sc. (mathematics, 1976) and Ph.D. (mathematics, 1979) degrees from Queen's University. From 1979 to 1982, he was a Member of the Scientific Staff at Bell?Northern Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He has been with the Queen's University since 1982 and has spent sabbatical leaves with the Lightwave Systems Technology Research Division of Bellcore, Red Bank, NJ, in 1988?89, and the Optical Communications Department of Tele Danmark Research, Hørsholm, Denmark in 1995?96.

Dr. Cartledge has made significant contributions to the field of fiber?optic communications by advancing the fundamental understanding of the impact that device and component properties have on transmission system performance. Key differentiators of his work include the breadth and practical significance of his contributions. His results have contributed to the development of fiber?optic communications, thereby advancing global telecommunication networks that have benefited society.

Dr. Cartledge is a member of IEEE LEOS and IEEE ComSoc, an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer (2008?09), a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, and Professional Engineer in Ontario. His service on Technical Program Committees includes the Conference on Optical Fiber Communication, the European Conference on Optical Communications, and the IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting. He is Chair of the Optical Networks and Systems Technical Committee of IEEE LEOS (2007?09). Dr. Cartledge participated in the research network Agile All?Photonic Networks which received the Synergy Award for Innovation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (2006). With BTI Photonic Systems he received the Mind To Market Award from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (2007).

IEEE Canada member awarded the 2009 Electrical Safety Excellence Award by the IEEE Petroleum & Chemical Industry Committee

Shahid Jamil, a Senior IEEE member, has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Electrical Safety Excellence Award by the IEEE Petroleum & Chemical Industry Committee. This is a prestigious industry recognition awarded by the IEEE PCIC to make note of Mr. Jamil's "Outstanding dedication and contributions made to advance and accelerate the dispersion of information and knowledge impacting electrical safety through activities within and outside the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee." Mr. Jamil will be the first Canadian to receive this award at the 2009 IEEE PCIC Conference in Anaheim, California this September.

After graduating in the early 1970s from the Aligarh Muslim University, India, Mr. Jamil went on to gain an M.Sc. from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. Shahid is a Registered Professional Engineer in Alberta, Canada.

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Ø     Call for Papers

Symposium on Engineered & Natural Complex Systems: Modeling, Simulation & Analysis

http://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/cfps/IEEE_TIC-STH09_CFP-ENS.pdf

To be held at
2009 IEEE Toronto International Conference -Science and Technology for Humanity TIC-STH 2009 September 27-29, 2009 Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/

CALL FOR PAPERS

We cordially invite prospective authors to submit papers to the "Symposium on Engineered & Natural Complex Systems: Modeling, Simulation & Analysis" to be held at the TIC-STH 2009 conference in Toronto. This interdisciplinary Symposium provides forum to discuss the state-of-the-art research across a broad spectrum of the IEEE science and technology fields of interest and is not limited to the traditional IEEE areas. The Symposium topics include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Structure, function and dynamics of complex systems, i.e. data communication networks, cyberspace, transportation networks, organizational networks, power grids, biological, physical, social, ecological, epidemiological and other complex systems & networks
• Emergence, multiscale phenomena, self-organization, self-similarity, long range dependence, phase transition, pattern formation, synchronization, robustness, reliability, fragility, interdependence, cooperation, adaptation, evolution, clustering, small world, degree distribution, diameter, motifs, etc...
• Analysis & control techniques of dynamics & performance, mean field & information theory of complex systems & networks
• Cellular automata, agent based & individually based and other models of complex systems & networks and their simulations

The accepted papers will be published in the IEEE TIC-STH 2009 Proceedings indexed by IEEE Xplore - Most Respected Scientific Full-Text Database. All paper submissions will be peer reviewed, must conform to the IEEE TIC-STH 2009 submission policy and should be in English language:
http://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/#call
http://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/author/submission.php

The Symposium provides an opportunity to Publish Lengthier Papers - Up to 6 (six) Pages With No Extra Fee. Additionally, high-value tutorials are included with registration.

Important Dates

Paper Proposals Submission (Title/Abstract)	Friday, March 6, 2009
Submission of Full Length Papers for Review	Friday, May 1, 2009
Notification of Acceptance	Friday, June 26, 2009
Final Paper Submission Deadline	Friday, July 31, 2009
Author's Registration Deadline	Friday, July 31, 2009
Advance Registration Deadline	Friday, August 28, 2009

IEEE Electrical Power and Energy Conference (2009 IEEE CEPEC)

Date: October 22 - 23, 2009
Location: The Conference will be held at the Hotel Holiday Inn
Select Located at 99 Viger Ave West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Your proposal should include, as a minimum, information on the following points:

Website: http://www.epec09.com/
For more information contact: Anader Benyamin anader.benyamin@ieee.org

IEEE IAS Electrical Safety, Technical and Mega Projects Workshop

March 29-31, 2010
Telus Convention Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.ieee.org/estmp

The IEEE IAS ESTMP Workshop provides a forum for exchanging and advancing industry knowledge in the areas of electrical safety, engineering design, system reliability and the implementation and execution of Mega Projects. The Workshop focus will be to share innovative concepts, successes as well as lessons learned in the areas of: 1) advancing state of the art knowledge and best practices, 2) stimulating innovation in creating the next generation of technology and 3) design and implementation of Mega Projects.

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Ø     Conferences

IEEE Toronto International Conference - Science and Technology for Humanity

http://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/

Important Dates

Tutorials Proposals submission	Friday, January 9, 2009
Paper Proposals Submission (Title/Abstract)	Friday, March 6, 2009
Submission of Full Length Papers for Review	Friday, May 1, 2009
Notification of Acceptance	Friday, June 26, 2009
Final Paper Submission Deadline	Friday, July 31, 2009
Author's Registration Deadline	Friday, July 31, 2009
Advance Registration Deadline	Friday, August 28, 2009

The TIC-STH conference is an international forum for state-of-the-art research across a broad spectrum of the IEEE science and technology fields of interest.

The format of the conference is several parallel Symposia focusing on the advanced scientific and technological problems, especially of the interdisciplinary nature.

• Systems (including systems engineering, education, standards, processes and methodologies; design aspects for robust design, human factors, safety, security and usability; quality control and system management; risk management)
• Superconductivity(including the science and technology of superconductors and their applications, including materials and their applications for electronics, magnetics and power systems, where the superconductor properties are central to the application)
• Technology Management(including technology policy development; management of research; education of personnel engaged in managing innovation; the economics of innovation; the impact of technology on society)
• Advances and History of the Pacemakers(In conjunction with the IEEE Milestone celebration - External Cardiac Pacemaker)
• Aerospace and Electronic Systems
• Enterprise Architecture
• Information and Knowledge Management
• Modeling and Simulation
• Sustainable Development
• Intelligent Transportation Systems in a Large City
• Sensors (including the theory, design, fabrication, manufacturing and application of devices for sensing and transducing physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, with emphasis on the electronics, physics and reliability aspects of sensors and integrated sensor-actuators)
• Nanotechnology (including the theory, design, and development of nanotechnology and its scientific, engineering, and industrial applications)
• Electronic Design Automation (including the theory, implementation and use of EDA/CAD tools to design integrated electronic circuits and systems; tools that automate all levels of the design, analysis and verification of hardware and embedded software up to and including complete working systems)
• Biometrics(biometric characterization of human beings, based on physiological and/or behavioral features and traits, in particular for identification, identity verification, authentication, encryption, recognition and medical diagnosis)
• High-Performance Computing
• Quantitative Methods in Managing Scientific and Technology Projects
• Continuous Operations and Disaster Recovery
• Emerging Scientific Methods and Technologies

IEEE International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology 2009 (ICCST 2009)

Date: October 5 - 10, 2009
Location: Renaissance Hotel, Zurich, Switzerland

Website: http://www.iccst2009.com
For more information contact: science@iccst2009.com

CMC Annual Symposium 2009

Oct 13-14, 2009, Crowne Plaze Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

This is the 2nd edition of the graduate research conference focusing on microsystems, microelectronics, and nanoelectronics research. In addition to the opportunity to learn about research achievements and challenges in the area of manufacturing, design, implementation, and test of integrated microsystems and micro/nano-electronics devices, circuits, and systems, the purpose of this conference is to:

• Encourage favorable exposure of graduate students and their research
• Create synergy between research groups, the academic world and industry
• Benchmark graduate research in a friendly and cooperative environment

The conference is being organized in conjunction with the CMC Microsystems Annual Symposium and co-sponsored by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. Papers will be accepted for either oral or poster presentation. All accepted papers will be published on IEEE Xplore.

For more information: http://www3.cmc.ca/symposium_2009/MNRC.aspx

All IEEE Conferences in Canada

Find information about these and all IEEE Conferences in Canada here.

Upcoming Events

Many IEEE Canada sections maintain their own listings of upcoming events:

Canadian Atlantic Kingston Kitchener-Waterloo London Montreal Newfoundland and Labrador New Brunswick

Northern Canada Ottawa Southern Alberta Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg

Submission Information

I look forward to receiving news/article(s) from your sections and/or yours or other IEEE colleagues' achievements for the newsletter. Please forward any such correspondence by the 20th of the month to the Editor at
newsletter@ieee.ca