IEE                  E IEEE Canada Newsletter / Bulletin de IEEE Canada alletin 

Issue: March 2009                                                        IEEE Canada News Central

This Issue's Content:

Ø      Your News

-     Atlantic Canada Section holds annual general meeting

-     Montreal Section reviews frequency domain equalization

-     Kingston Section hosts distinguished lecture on optical communications

-     Toronto Sections on becoming successful female engineer

-     Hamilton Section eyes underwater robots

-     London Section confronts an inconvenient truth

-     Winnipeg Sections gets certified on wine and cheese

-     Vancouver Section hosts distinguished lecture networked control systems

Ø      News of Interest

-     Icephobic coatings at UQAC: one of the ten most important discoveries of 2008!

-     Attention PPE Candidates!

-     New Home and Auto Group Insurance Program

Ø      Students' Corner

-     2009 TELUS Competition to be held in Mississauga

-     2009 Student Congress to be held in Mississauga

-     Ottawa branches connects students in IEEE Connects! 2009

-     IEEE Summer School in Biometrics: Technologies, Systems and Applications

Ø      Our Members in the Spotlight

-     New IEEE Fellow in Kingston: Prof. John C. Cartledge

Ø      Call for Papers

-     Invitation to CCECE 2009 in St. John’s, Newfoundland

-     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

-     Request for proposal to host EPEC 2010

Ø      Conferences

-     Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada

-     IEEE Power and Energy Society 2009 General Meeting

-     All IEEE Conferences in Canada

Ø      Features, Views and Analysis

-     Announcement of Montreal-Boston Sibling Sections

This Issue's Content:

Back to Top

Ø     Your News

Atlantic Canada Section holds annual general meeting

March 13, 2009, 5:30- 9:00PM, @ Royal Artillery Park Officers Mess

All are welcome. Chicken and vegetarian served. See http://cas.ieee.ca/?m=20090313 for more information.

Montreal Section reviews frequency domain equalization

March 5, 2009, 6:00 PM, @ Concordia University, Room EV002.184

First seminar for the IEEE Montreal Communications & IT Chapter for this year will be organized at Concordia University on Thursday March 5th, 2009 at 6:00PM in room EV002.184. The title of the seminar is "Recent Advances in Frequency Domain Equalization" that will be offered by Dr. David D. Falconer, Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor from Carleton University Ottawa. He is a very well known personality within the international community and I am very pleased to have him, here in Montreal.

Kingston Section hosts distinguished lecture on optical communications

March 5, 2009, 2:30 – 3:30 PM, @ Queen’s University, WLH302

Dr. John Cartledge, IEEE LEOS Distinguished Speaker, will be presenting an overview of optical and electronic signal processing technologies, including a critical assessment of each approach. Specific examples are considered in more detail to highlight key aspects of the technologies.

Toronto Section on becoming successful female engineer

March 5, 2009, 5:00 – 7:00 PM, @ Ryerson University, Room ENG103

Hosted by the Women in Engineering Affinity Group, this panel discussion provides you with an opportunity to network with your peers and meet industry leaders to discuss: the motivations and the paths that led them to success, the challenges faces and ways of overcoming them and the key skills found indispensable in their careers and lives.

Hamilton Section eyes underwater robots

March 17, 2009, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, @ Niagara College, Secord Room

IEEE Niagara College Student Branch is having guest speaker Bob Clarke from the ASI group in St. Catherines to speak about the field of underwater robotics. Mr. Clarke is a world leader in underwater robotics. He has done amazing work all over the world and will share his experien e on creative problem solving in robotic engineering.

London Section confronts an inconvenient truth

March 3, 2009, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, @ University of Western Ontario, SEB2099

An Inconvenient Truth was an award winning documentary film released in 2006 that focuses on former US Vice President Al Gore and his travels in support of his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis. Gore has been trying to tell the story of the Climate Crisis, since his early days as a college student with climate expert Roger Revelle at Harvard University, and during his extensive political career. The film closely follows a presentation (dubbed "the slide show") that Gore has presented throughout the world, which explores the scientific data and predictions for climate disaster, if the problem is left unsolved. It intersperses Gore's exploration of data and predictions regarding climate change and its potential for disaster with Gore's life story.

Winnipeg Section gets certified on wine and cheese

March 18, 2009, 6 – 9 PM, @ Holiday Inn South

Engineers will be at the venue to discuss the importance of getting the right professional certification over wine and cheese!

Vancouver Section hosts distinguished lecture networked control systems

March 27, 2009, 2 – 3 PM, @ University of British Columbia, Kaiser 2020

In this talk, Professor João P. Hespanha of University of California Santa Barbara, will review some of the challenges involved in closing feedback loops over communication networks. The focus will be on issues related to variable sampling, delays, drops, and medium access control/scheduling. A key point of the lecture is that networked control applications can profit significantly from the development of communication protocols specific for these systems.

Back to Top

Ø     News of Interest

Icephobic coatings at UQAC: one of the ten most important discoveries of 2008!

Researchers at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) have made a major breakthrough in developing icephobic nanostructured thin layered coatings which prevent ice adhesion and accumulation on protected surfaces. This is an important discovery which could revolutionize the design of strategic equipment and infrastructure in coldclimate regions by using this type of coating.

In fact, disproportionate atmospheric ice adhesion and accumulation on exposed equipment and structures is the source of disastrous technological repercussions and major economic losses. One just has to think of overhead power lines, transportation, wind turbines, bridges, and many other types of equipment and structures, the proper function of which is disrupted by atmospheric icing. The major ice storm of 1998 in Eastern Canada, an episode which is engraved in the collective memory of our society, is a striking example of the devastating effects of icing.

On the heels of many years of research in the field of atmospheric icing, Professor Masoud Farzaneh, holder of the CIGELE Industrial Chair and INGIVRE Canada Research Chair on Atmospheric Icing Engineering, and his team have been pursuing superhydrophobicity research, which is at the foundation of the recent development of icephobic coatings.

The approach consists in creating a nanostructured morphology on surfaces to be protected, using various methods. The surfaces are subsequently passivated using surfacedeposited, lowenergy nanofims. Under these conditions, the chemical and electrostatic bonding forces between the ice and the protected surface are minimized or even neutralized.

The icephobicity of the protected surfaces was characterized by submitting numerous samples to ice accretion tests in the CIGELE refrigerated wind tunnel. Comparative tests showed that there was substantially no ice accumulation on the protected surfaces, compared with unprotected surfaces on which several millimetres of ice had accreted with strong adhesion.

Professor Farzaneh’s team are proud of their achievement and are working diligently at caracterizing the developed coatings in terms of stability, durability and aging in view of their practical applications.

Professor Farzaneh and his team of researchers made the Québec Science magazine selection for one of the 10 most important discoveries of 2008.

Légende photo :Professor Masoud Farzaneh and the CIGELE researchers who developed a new material destined to become a shield against icing.

Attention PPE Exam Candidates!

               Attention

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.

Back to Top

Ø     Students' Corner

2009 TELUS Competition to be held in Mississauga

Date: September 1718, 2009
More information to follow.

Student Congress to be held in Mississauga

Date: September 1820, 2009
More information to follow.

Ottawa branches connect students in IEEE Connects! 2009

February 27, 2009, 6:00 - 10:30 PM, @ Sheraton Ottawa Hotel, Rideau Room

IEEE Connects! is a formal dinner event that aims to bridge the gap between students and their career goals. Students and employers will have the opportunity to network with each other in a friendly environment along with professionals and academics representing the field of Engineering. Successful professionals from the field of engineering will share their experiences to illustrate how a student can prudently plan their career in the present day context and embark into his most desired professional career.

IEEE Summer School in Biometrics: Technologies, Systems and Applications

May 24-30, 2009, @ University of Toronto

The 2009 IEEE Emerging Technologies Summer Series is an ongoing set of intensive programs that expose "emerging" and cross-disciplinary fields to young scholars (i.e.: graduate students, post-docs and new faculty) at higher education institutions. Each offering includes core faculty of leading-edge scholars and practitioners, and facilitates exchange and personal interaction between these individuals and attendees. These programs have been specifically developed for the next generation of intellectual leaders responsible for shaping instruction and research in engineering degree programs.

For more information: http://www.ipsi.utoronto.ca/events/ieee2009

Back to Top

Ø     Our Members in the Spotlight

New IEEE Fellow in Kingston: Prof. John C. Cartledge

Queen's University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is pleased to announce that Dr. John Cartledge, newly inducted IEEE Fellow, has won the IEEE Canada Outstanding Engineering Educator Award for 2009.

Dr. Cartledge has established the premiére university facility in Canada for experimental research in fiber-optic communications. He directs the Lightwave Systems Research Laboratory and is the Principal Investigator for the Advanced Photonic Systems Laboratory (APSL) within the National Microelectronics and Photonics Testing Collaboratory, a Canada-wide initiative that provides researchers with access to leading-edge research facilities. Researchers from 5 universities have used the APSL. Through his research, he has directly trained 46 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Recipients of this Award are outstanding Canadian engineers recognized for sharing their technical and professional abilities through teaching (in industry, government or an institution of higher learning) and in doing so have made an outstanding contribution to engineering education. The Award consists of a silver medal, a plaque, and a travel allowance to the awards ceremony. The IEEE Canada Awards are to be presented at the IEEE Canada Awards Banquet held in conjunction with the CCECE conference to be held in St. John's in May 2009.

Cartledge, who received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. at Queen's University between 1974 and 1979, has conducted research on a number of topics related to optical communications, such as semiconductor lasers, optical modulators, and the impact of device properties on system performance. He is currently working on "All-Optical Signal Processing," or finding ways of performing functions in the optical domain that have conventionally been performed in the electrical domain, a technology that should create more efficiency in the optical communication systems that enable global telecommunications.

Dr. Cartledge was recognized for his contributions to the field of fiber optic communications that have advanced the fundamental understanding of the impact that device and component properties have on transmission system performance. His research has addressed (i) the modulation dynamics of directly modulated lasers, electroabsorption optical modulators, and multiple-quantum-well Mach-Zehnder modulators, (ii) dispersion compensating fiber Bragg gratings, (iii) wavelength converters based on cross-phase modulation and cross-absorption modulation, (iv) all-optical regeneration based on highly nonlinear optical fibers, and (v) arbitrary optical waveform generation.

His contributions effectively combined analysis, numerical simulation, and experimentation to develop accurate and computationally efficient device models that are suitable for computer simulations aimed at system design and performance evaluation. The models address the challenging task of achieving an appropriate compromise between the complex device properties that need to be considered and the requirement for both accuracy and computational efficiency. A particularly innovative aspect of his work is the development of models that are based on actual device measurements. To develop these measurement-based models, novel measurement techniques have been devised. His contributions also include detailed experimental assessments of the implications that component, device and subsystem properties have on transmission system performance.

For Cartledge, the recognition is a great honor, not only for himself, but also for the University. "Departments pride themselves on this type of external recognition," Cartledge said. "It is yet another indicator of the research strength at Queen's. It's recognition by my peers - my work over the past years has been deemed to be a significant contribution." Professor Cartledge is an inaugural recipient of a Queen's Research Chair and, in September 2003, was selected as one of fifteen inaugural "Champions of Innovation" by Communications and Information Technology Ontario.

This award follows twenty-two years of work in the field, most of which was conducted at Queen's University. "Many other people have contributed to this recognition - the graduate students and colleagues that I've had the opportunity to work with over the years," Cartledge said. "You don't tend to achieve these things by yourself."

Dr. Cartledge is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, and an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer (2008-2009) for the Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.

Back to Top

Ø     Call for Papers

Invitation to CCECE 2009 in St. John's, Newfoundland

www.ieee.ca/ccece09/

The Newfoundland and Labrador Section is very proud to be hosting the 22nd Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), which will be held at the Delta St. John's and the St. John's Convention Centre May 3-6, 2009. This annual flagship conference of IEEE Canada serves as an excellent opportunity for researchers and professionals in the IEEE fields to meet and present their work.

A welcome reception for all delegates will be held Sunday evening at The Rooms. We will offer pre-conference tutorials. The Conference sessions themselves, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, will be conducted in the conference facilities at the Delta St. John's with plenary sessions and meals in the St. John's Convention Centre. In addition, an active and enticing social program will be offered to all attendees, partners, and guests.

The conference committee is co-chaired by Dr. Wally Read and Dr. John Quaicoe, and the technical committee is led by Dr. Eric Gill and Dr. Dennis Peters. Experienced, enthusiastic, and dedicated volunteers from the Section round out the organizing committee and will help to ensure that the conference is very successful.

Following the lead of CCECE '08, the conference will be structured into a seven mini-symposia in the areas of Circuits, Devices and Systems; Control and Robotics; Communications and Networking; Computers, Software and Applications; Ocean Engineering; Power Electronics and Energy Systems; and Signal and Multimedia Processing. A full paper review process will be used to ensure that the conference is of very high technical quality. For further details please refer to Call for Papers at www.ieee.ca/ccece09/pdfs/cfp_e_09.pdf

The CCECE 2009 will be an unforgettable experience - an overwhelming technical and financial success that also offers a wealth of activities and networking opportunities for delegates. We hope to see you in May!

For further information and updates see the conference website at www.ieee.ca/ccece09/.

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

The Second IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Security and Defense Applications (IEEE CISDA 2009)

http://ieee-cisda.org/
Ottawa, Canada
8-10 July 2009

Sponsored by The IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

Important Dates

Tutorial/Special Session Proposals submission:	February 15, 2009
Full Paper Submission:	March 15, 2009
Notification of Acceptance/rejection:	April 15, 2009
Submission of Camera-Ready Submission:	May 15, 2009

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

Request for proposal to host EPEC 2010

Your 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:

• Sponsoring Section(s)
• Proposed Location
• Proposed Dates
• Conference Chair & other key Organizers
• General Theme
• Supporting potential Corporate / Academic Sponsors
• Conference Plan

A Kash Husain
Chair, CONAC
a.husain@ieee.org

Back to Top

Ø     Conferences

Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada

2009 3rd Annual IEEE Systems Conference
23 Mar - 26 Mar 2009, Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver, BC, Canada

2009 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS)
26 Apr - 30 Apr 2009, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel Montreal, QC, Canada

2009 IEEE Commercial Power Systems (I&CPS) Annual Technical Conference
3 May - 7 May, 2009, Calgary, AB, Canada

2nd Climate Change Technology Conference 2009
May 12 - 15, 2009, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The 2009 Canadian Workshop on Information Theory
May 13, 2009 - Friday, May 15, 2009, School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE), University of Ottawa

2009 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting
26 Jul - 30 Jul 2009, Calgary Telus Convention Ctr. Calgary, AB, Canada

IEEE Power and Energy Society 2009 General Meeting

July 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:

• Transmission Capacity Enhancements in the 21st. century
• Wind Power- Real or Imaginary
• Regulatory and Public Challenges to Utility Enhancements
• Going "Green"
• Integrating Distributed Generation
• Smart Grid
• Training Future Workforce for the Electric Power and Energy Industry

For additional information about the meeting visit the website http://ewh.ieee.org/cmte/PESGM09.

All IEEE Conferences in Canada

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

Back to Top

Ø     Features, Views and Analysis

Announcement of Montreal-Boston Sibling Sections

The following article is courtesy of Dr. Anader Benyamin-Seeyar of the Montreal Section. The ideas presented in this article strictly represent his personal view.

I am very pleased to let you know that Montreal and Boston Sections have become Sibling Sections! Final signature on the agreement between the two sister-sections was received from IEEE Canada president, Dr. Ferial El-Hawary on January 28th, 2009. As of now, we are becoming the number 7th Sibling Sections on the list of IEEE Global. We thank Dr. El-Hawary, who supported this initiative from day one. Many thanks.

I sincerely thank Mr. John Conrad (Boston Section Executive member) with whom I talked first and he showed significant interest in this collaboration. We are very much excited to start many interesting mutual programs between the two sections and you all will be kept informed about upcoming events. We are also looking forward receiving any good suggestions from everyone about this collaboration.

Background: For the first time, I was introduced to the concept of becoming Sister Section and its main benefits of this alliance in IEEE Canada Fall's Board meeting in Quebec City, September 2008. After hearing Toronto and India (region 10) have become sibling sections, I got encouraged to find a good sister Section. I discussed this goal with Dr. Bob Hanna (Past President of IEEE Canada 2006 and 2007) and his wisdom shed light that Boston Section can be an ideal choice for Montreal Section due to its proximity and being another large section. Then, during Section Congress 2008, which took place a day after the Board meeting, during the lunch period, I started searching from table to other tables and asking for someone from Boston Section. Shortly after, I met Mr. John Conrad, who at that time was the Vice-Chair (presently the Chair) of Boston section. I suggested the initiative to John and he was very enthusiastic about the proposal and he also mentioned that Boston section had a sibling Section from Japan until 2008 and he thought that the two sections alliance can be a blessing for both and promised to actively help with getting a mutual agreement in place as soon as possible. In fact, Mr. John Conrad noted that he has sought advice from Dr. Art Winston, former IEEE president, who indicated that there could only be benefits from forming such an alliance and the formalities were minimal. Everyone in the Boston Section and Region Director Howard Michel were all supportive and we look forward to a long and rewarding relation with our Sister Section in Montreal.

I brought this initiative to the attention of Dr. Ferial El-Hawary, President of IEEE Canada, who was also very supportive and enforcing the agreement to proceed with during the Section Congress. But, unfortunately signing authorities from the Boston section were not present at this gathering. Therefore after returning from Section Congress, John and I actively prepared a mutual agreement and defined certain initial steps of collaborations between the two sections. This agreement and the program were approved by all parties, including the Directors of Region 7 (Dr. Ferial El-Hawary) and Region 1 (Dr. Howard Michel) and Section Chairs of Montreal (Anader Benyamin-Seeyar) and of Boston (Lori Jeromin) on January 28th, 2009.

Biography:

JOHN CONRAD: John Conrad is a Program Manager in the Intelligent Battlefield Systems Department at Textron Systems in Wilmington, MA. He graduated many years ago with a degree in Electronics Engineering from Leeds University in England and after working for Marconi Radar for ten years he moved to the United States where he has had varied career in the Defence Industry working on such products as aircraft landing systems and smart weapons.

John, who is currently the vice-chair of the Boston Section, discovered the benefits of the IEEE when he moved to Tampa in 1998 and quickly took on a variety of positions on the Florida West Coast Section, EXCOM ending up as Section Chair in 2003. While there, he gained valuable experience organizing conferences as the FWCS regularly hosts small to medium sized conferences with around 150 attendees. (They really extended themselves by hosting the last Sections Congress!) For many years John was treasurer of the annual Wireless & Microwave Conference, WAMICON, that grew out of the University of South Florida. More recently, in Boston, he has helped organize Careers Fairs with the Boston Engineers Week Committee and is currently secretary of the conference organizing committee for a new Boston conference, the 2008 Conference on Technologies for Practical Applications for Robots, TePRA. Serving on multiple executive committees and conference steering committees has given him many insights into recruiting and retaining volunteers.

ANADER BENYAMIN-SEEYAR (IEEE M1977 and IEEE SM1991) received his BSEE from Iran University of Science and Technology (Tehran, Iran) in 1973, his MSEE from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 1979, and his PhD from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) in 1984. From 1973 to 1976 he was a full-time lecturer in undergraduate electronics and communications courses, and carried out supervision tasks in the communications laboratory, at Iran University of Science and Technology.

Since March 1985 he has been working for advanced technology companies - including ISR Technologies, PolarSat, ART Advanced Research Technologies, Harris Corporation (Montreal), Vistar Telecommunications, Spar Aerospace/ComStream (or MDA Corporation), and Bell-Northern Research (BNR) - in satellite and terrestrial communications, wireless indoor/outdoor personal communications, high-speed multimedia networking, computer communications, and telephone systems. His main interests and responsibilities are in directing R&D development programs in satellite/wireless/terrestrial network design, advanced systems design, communication protocol engineering, and hardware and software design. In parallel, Anader was a part-time Adjunct Associate professor at Concordia University (1987 to 2007) teaching a graduate course and running research work that was supported by individual NSERC Canada and group FCAR research grants.

He has been actively involved in contributing to the development of the IEEE 802.16a standard for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) Air Interface (Wireless MAN). In addition, since 2005, he has also been involved with the IEEE Montreal Section, initially as its secretary, and for the last two years as its chair. During these years, he has shown significant leadership in improving the services of the section for all its members. Very recently, he was the recipient of a prestigious IEEE MGA Leadership Award for the year 2008. Presently, Anader is the Chair of Communications & Information Theory Chapter of IEEE Montreal Section.

Back to Top

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

 IEEE Canada Newsletter – March 2009                Bulletin de IEEE Canada – Mars 2009

Last update /2009.03.08 dernière mise à jour

Free counter