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Issue: July 2009 IEEE Canada News Central
Ø IEEE Canada Board of Directors - IEEE Canada President-Elect 2010-2011 Candidates- IEEE Canada President-Elect 2010 - 2011 Candidates Featured in this Issue- IEEE Canada Presents 2009 Major Awards- IEEE Celebrates 125th Anniversary- Renew Your Membership for 2009- Membership Dues in Special Circumstances
- Ottawa Section hosts talk on next generation network convergence- Ottawa hosts the Second IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications (IEEE CISDA 2009)- Vancouver Section tours NRC Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation
- IEEE Montreal Section was awarded the Exemplary Large Section of Region 7- The IEEE Region 7 Teacher in-Service Program Workshop (Ottawa Style)- A night to remember: Jane Goodall Speaks to Ottawa- IEEE Career services- New Home and Auto Group Insurance Program
- IEEE student member winner of 2009 CEMF IBM undergraduate scholarship- IEEE Canada 2008 student paper winners- UBC IEEE Student Branch - Silicon Valley Field Trip- Robofest 2009: You are the future
Ø Our Members in the Spotlight - 2009 IEEE Canada Power Medal: William McDermid- 2009 IEEE Canada Computer Medal: Kenneth Carless (KC) Smith- Professor Masoud Farzaneh is awarded the Tribute of the President Prize of Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec for research and teaching
- IEEE Toronto International Conference – Science and Technology for Humanity- IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications- Symposium on Engineered & Natural Complex Systems, IEEE TICSTH 2009
- Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada- IEEE Power and Energy Society 2009 General Meeting- CMC Annual Symposium 2009- All IEEE Conferences in Canada
Ø IEEE Canada Board of Directors IEEE Canada President-Elect 2010-2011 CandidatesIEEE Canada Board of Directors has nominated the following candidates for the IEEE Canada President-Elect 2010-2011: 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
For complete biography and position statement, please click here Senior Engineer 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.
For complete biography and position statement, please click here Dean, Applied Research, Business Development and Innovation, Sustainable Development 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. 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.
For complete biography and position statement, please click here Director, IT Programs 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. Awards Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award, 2008. 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 2009There 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 Celebrates 125th AnniversaryTo check out local events for this occasion, please refer to the following for more information: http://www.ieee125.org Renew Your Membership for 2009There'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. Ottawa Section hosts talk on next generation network convergenceJuly 15, 2009, 6:30-7:30PM @ Algonquin College, Room T129 Commoditization of voice service has reached such a state that anyone with a server to provide registry and addressing (identification) functions can offer it to the Internet community using the voice over the Internet protocol (IP) or VoIP technology. Traditional client-server model has evolved to peer-to-peer model for near-real-time voice and multimedia (gaming, video, etc.) sessions. Voice mail service is being replaced by Instant-messaging (for presence-announced users), use of Star codes for advanced call/session feature activation is being replaced by Web based service-provisioning interface, and so on. Similar revolution is also happening in the areas of IP-based Television (IPTV) service development and distribution. These are only a glimpse of what is possible with the new/emerging converged services paradigm. However, many issues related to reliability/availability, security/privacy, mobility, service provisioning and continuity, regulation, operations, and quality of service and experience (QoS/QoE) still remain open. The speaker is Dr Khasnabish from Verizon Network and Technology. For details: http://www.ottawa.ieee.ca/comsoc/ConvergedServicesandNGN-byDrKhasnabish-15July2009.pdf Ottawa hosts the second IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications (IEEE CISDA 2009)http://ieee-cisda.org/ Given the current global security environment, there has been increased interest within the security and defense communities in novel techniques for solving challenging problems. The genesis of this interest lies in the fact that repeated attempts of using traditional techniques have left many important problems unsolved, and in some cases, not addressed. New problems have emerged within the broad areas of security and defense that are difficult to tackle with conventional methods, thus requiring new techniques for detecting and adapting to emerging threats. The purpose of the symposium is to present current and ongoing efforts in computational intelligence (e.g., neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation, swarm intelligence, and other emerging learning or optimization techniques) as applied to security and defense problems. Vancouver Section tours NRC Institute for Fuel Cell InnovationFriday July 17, 2009, 3 - 6 pm, 4250 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC The National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (NRC-IFCI) is Canada's premier applied research organization dedicated to supporting Canada's fuel cell and hydrogen industry. The NRC-IFCI invests $12 million/a in advancing fuel cell technologies in support of Canada's clean and sustainable energy priorities. As a BC and Canadian industry catalyst, NRC-IFCI addresses technology development, commercialization and sustainable energy priorities with its world-class research, demonstration and commercialization programs. http://vancouver.ieee.ca/content/industrial-tour-nrc-institute-fuell-cell-innovation-nrc-ifci IEEE Montreal Section was awarded the Exemplary Large Section of Region 7The IEEE Montreal Section was awarded the Exemplary Large Section of Region 7 (IEEE Canada) for the year 2008 during the IEEE Canada dinner gala that took place on May 2, 2009, in St. John's, Newfoundland. The Chair of Montreal Section, Dr. Anader Benyamin-Seeyar was extremely happy to receive such an prestigious award for the Section and on behalf of the IEEE Montreal Section Executive team. He thanks all of his officers for their contributions to the membership of the Montreal Section. Their work culminated in promotion, engagement, connection, and creation of various existing and new chapters and affinity groups. The section has also been responsible for creation of sister sections with Boston, running TISP program (Teacher in Service Programe), many conferences, as well as delivering successful training courses, website reconstructions, and newsletter. With this award, the IEEE Montreal Section will be in contention for exemplary large section on the IEEE global level. One of 10 IEEE regions around the world will be decided this year's winner at the next IEEE fall caucus meeting. 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: 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 ... 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 GoodallBy 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 - Ottawa Carleton University WIE chapter Vice-Chair IEEE Career servicesLooking for a new job? Check out the following site! New Home and Auto Group Insurance ProgramThe 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.
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* 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.
IEEE student member winner of 2009 CEMF IBM undergraduate scholarshipThe 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 winnersCongratulations 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) Eastern Area (Life Member Award $500) Western Area (Life Member Award $500) Western Area (Hackbusch Award (runner up) $250) UBC IEEE Student Branch - Silicon Valley Field TripBy 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. Robofest 2009: You are the futureBy 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."
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.
Ø Our Members in the Spotlight IEEE Canada Power Medal: William McDermidWilliam McDermid (LFIEEE) is currently Director of the High Voltage Test Facility for 550 kVac and 500 kVdc equipment at Manitoba Hydro which has entered the construction phase. He received his BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1961. Following a year with Ontario Hydro, he joined Manitoba Hydro in 1962 where he soon became involved in diagnostic testing of electrical insulation involving most types of electrical apparatus, including HVDC, during a period of rapid expansion. Beginning in the mid 1970's and continuing for 15 years Bill served as a monitor of a series of CEA research projects to develop on?line partial discharge (PD) measurements for large rotating machines. An early contribution was the demonstration that PD signals experience considerable attenuation as they travel through machine windings where the bandwidth of the measuring system exceeds 10 MHz. His work in the 1990's with PD measurements in this frequency range on individual stator coils and bars showed that there is sometimes a relationship between the measured PD and the subsequent time to failure during voltage endurance tests, thus providing an opportunity for quality control. Bill has also made contributions to the development of hot sticks for live line work at 500 kV which are less vulnerable to flashover than those in common use. Bill is also a member of APEGM, CSA and ASTM. He was chair of the PES Winnipeg Chapter in 1978/79, chaired the working group that developed IEEE Std 1434?2000 on PD measurements, and chaired revisions of CSA C50 on insulating oil in 1997 and 2008. He was president of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society in 2007/08 and has been chair of two of the Society's conferences. He received the APEM (now APEGM) Merit Award in 1992, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and was elected IEEE Fellow in 2005. 2009 IEEE Canada Computer Medal: Kenneth Carless (KC) SmithKenneth Carless (KC) Smith (LFIEEE) Professor Emeritus Univ?ersity of Toronto, consultant and author, was awarded the BASc in Engineering Physics in 1954, the MASc in EE in 1956, and the PhD in Physics in 1960, all from UofT. He was employed as a transmission engineer for the Canadian National Telegraph in 1954 to 1955, then by the Computer Center at the University of Toronto in a cooperative project on high?speed computer design at the Digital Computer Laboratory of the University of Illinois, Champaign?Urbana from 1956 to 1959, then as an Assistant Professor of EE at the UofT from 1960 to 1961, then as a Assistant Professor of EE at the University of Illinois from 1961 to 1964, then as an Associate Professor of EE and of CS at the University of Illinois from 1964 to 1965, then Associate Professor of EE and of CS at UofT from 1965 to 1970, then Professor from 1970 to 1997, when he retired as Professor Emeritus. He was Chair of EE at UofT from 1976 to 1981, and was appointed as Professor of Information Science in 1979, Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 1988, all at the UofT. From 1993 to 1998 he was also a Visiting Professor of EEE at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he was the Founding Director of the Computer Engineering Program from 1994 to 1997. During his career, he was the Chief Engineer of Illiac II from 1961 to 1965, and the Chief Engineer of Illiac III from 1962 to 1965, and primary consultant to 1969. Upon his return to the UofT, he concentrated on projects of concern to both the EE and CS Departments, including Star Ring (a computer networking scheme), RAP (a relational/rotational associative processor), SSSP (a computer music composition/generation/production/perform?ance system), during which time he was co?founder of the EE Computer Group and the Computer Systems Research Group (later the Computer Systems Research Institute), a cooperation between EE and CS. In 1978 he was elected Fellow of IEEE for "Contributions to Digital Circuit Design", and Life Fellow in 1996. His professional roles have included: Director and President of the Canadian Society for Professional Engineers; IEEE ISCAS General Chair 1973; IEEE ISMVL Technical Committee Chair 1993 to 1995; IEEE ISSCC Awards Chair 1975 to present; IEEE ISSCC Press?Relations Chair 1993 to present. Professor Masoud Farzaneh is awarded the Tribute of the President Prize by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec for research and teachingAt the event of Excellence Evening organized by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) in Sherbrooke on June 11th, 2009, Professor Masoud Farzaneh was awarded the Tribute of the President Prize for research and teaching by the OIQ President, Mr Zaki Ghavitian, to recognize his remarkable contribution to the development and renown of Quebec engineering through his pursuit of atmospheric icing. The mission of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec is to ensure that the engineering code of conduct is respected, its members are up to the profession standard, and that the engineering trade is up to par. Its membership numbers over 55,000. Professor Farzaneh is Fellow of IEEE, IET and ECI, Chair of IEEE DEIS Outdoor Insulation Committee, Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, and Convenor of CIGRÉ WG B2.29 on Anti- and De-icing Systems for High and Ultra-High Voltage Overhead Lines. He is currently Chair of the NSERC/Hydro-Quebec/UQAC Industrial Chair on Atmospheric Icing of Power Network Equipment (CIGELE), and of the Canada Research Chair on Atmospheric Icing Engineering of Power Networks (INGIVRE). He is also Director of International Research Center on Atmospheric Icing and Power Network Engineering (CENGIVRE).
IEEE Toronto International Conference - Science and Technology for Humanityhttp://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/ Important Dates
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.
The Second IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications (IEEE CISDA 2009)http://ieee-cisda.org/ Sponsored by The IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Important Dates
Symposium on Engineered & Natural Complex Systems: Modeling, Simulation & Analysishttp://toronto.ieee.ca/tic-sth2009/cfps/IEEE_TIC-STH09_CFP-ENS.pdf To be held at 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:
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: 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
Request for proposal to host EPEC 2010Your Conference Advisory Committee, CONAC, is seeking RFPs from Sections interested in hosting the Electrical Power & Energy Conference (EPEC) in the fall of 2010. To obtain a copy of the RFP contact A. Kash Husain at a.husain@ieee.org The RFP is due April 20th, 2009. Your proposal should include, as a minimum, information on the following points:
A Kash Husain
Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada2009 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting IEEE Power and Energy Society 2009 General MeetingJuly 26-30, 2009, Telus Convention Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Investment in Workforce and Innovation for Power Systems The IEEE Power Engineering Society General Meeting brings together an international group of practicing engineers, operators, planners, policy makers, economists, academics and others with interest in the field of electric power and energy. It thus provides an exceptional venue for learning about the latest developments in all aspects of electrical power and energy, and discussing issues with experts in related fields from all over the world. The conference will begin with a timely and valuable plenary session and will also include tutorials on a number of up-to-date topics in this area. Paper, panel and poster sessions will be scheduled, with top papers drawn from all committees to be featured in Super Sessions. Topics with the following focus:
For additional information about the meeting visit the website http://ewh.ieee.org/cmte/PESGM09. CMC Annual Symposium 2009Oct 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:
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
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IEEE Canada Newsletter – July 2009 Bulletin de IEEE Canada – Juillet 2009
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update /2009.07.08 dernière mise à jour |