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This Issue's Content:

News of Interest
   - IEEE Canada Board
     of Directors
   - Your News
   - Students' Corner
   - Our Members in the
     Spotlight
   - Call for Papers
   - Conferences
   - Standards News
   - In Print
   - Appointment
Upcoming Events
   - New Brunswick
   - Montreal
   - Ottawa
   - Toronto
   - Winnipeg
   - Calgary
   - Other
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Issue: August 2008                                                        IEEE Canada News Central

 

 

News of Interest

 

Ø      IEEE Canada Board of Directors

-     Welcome to IEEE Section Congress 2008 , September 19-22
-     Historic Pinawa Generating Station recognized as engineering milestone

 

Ø      Your News

-     MGA Student Branch Membership Growth Award - University of Alberta
-     MGA Section Membership Growth Award - Newfoundland-Labrador Section

 

Ø      Students' Corner

-     IEEE Canada TELUS Innovation Award
-     IEEE Canada Student Workshop 2008

 

Ø      Our Members in the Spotlight

-     Dr. Hoefer elected to the German National Academy of Science and Engineering
-     Newly elevated IEEE Canada members to Senior Status

 

Ø      Call for Papers

-     IEEE Systems Journal Special Issue on Biometrics Systems
-     IEEE Transaction on Instrumentation and Measurement Issue on Biometric Instrumentation and Measurement

 

Ø      Conferences

-     Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada
-     All IEEE Conferences in Canada
-     IEEE Canada - Electrical Power and Energy Conference 2008 (EPEC 2008)
-     5th Annual Product Safety Engineering Symposium

 

Ø      Standards News

-     Canadian Objective Base Industrial Electric Code receives approval

 

Ø      In Print

-     CJECE Spring 2008 Published

 

Ø      Appointment

-     New CJECE co-Editors

 

 







News of Interest

 

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Ø     IEEE Canada Board of Directors

Section Congress 2008 Welcome Message

I note with pride that IEEE-Canada (R 7) hosted the memorable Section Congress 1990 in Toronto. Once again we are very proud to host the memorable Section Congress 2008 and the prestigious 2008 IEEE Honor Awards Ceremony in Quebec City. Let us share the celebration and congratulate all of the awards winners for their proud achievements in Quebec City.

Section Congress 2008 theme is "Celebrating Volunteer Achievements Worldwide, " and the Congress features a program that has been developed over the last three years from the responses from the 2005 Sections Congress and a survey of Section Chairs conducted in 2006. The results were reviewed by the Program Committee who identified 35 topics to be included in 74 breakout sessions. Highly ranked sessions are repeated to allow participants to attend as many relevant sessions as possible.

The highlight activity at Sections Congress is when the delegates develop and vote on recommendations that the IEEE will address in order to best serve the needs of its members for the next few years. The Program Committee has modified the recommendation process to address past concerns. All Region Committees have been asked to develop their recommendations prior to the official start of SC'08. This pre-Congress activity aims to have broad-based discussions of IEEE issues, filter out those where the needed actions are not of a global nature, local, educate the primary delegates on the issues and understand the priorities within the region for these various issues. SC'08 will start with a Region Caucus (for each Region) which will result in four issues/recommendations from each Region being forwarded to the Congress participants for consideration.

All recommendations will be reported to the Congress and grouped into Issue Caucuses. The Issue Caucuses will take place on Sunday afternoon, but there will be a computer-based forum on each of the established caucuses. IEEE volunteers and staff, as well as all delegates, may participate in the forums to provide information about "prior art" related to the issue as well as activities underway.

Participants will attend an Issue Caucus of their choice and participate in turning the issues into well-formed recommendations for consideration by the Congress. There will potentially be 20 recommendations for the Congress to consider and be prioritized by vote on Monday. The Congress will then report the top ten recommendations in priority order and report the other recommendations as a pool.

I wish to thank the Sections Congress 2008 Organizing Committee Members for their excellent work that makes this Congress a show case for all.

We hope that participants will have a memorable experience at Sections Congress 2008 as well as enjoy the beautiful Quebec City that is celebrating its 400th year anniversary in 2008.

Bienvenue à Québec et au Canada.
Welcome to IEEE Canada ( www.ieee.ca)

Dr. Ferial El-Hawary, P.Eng., F.IEEE, F.EIC, F.MTS
President of IEEE - Canada (2008 -2009)
Director of Region 7 (2008 -2009)

Historic Pinawa Generating Station recognized as engineering milestone

June 8, 08 - The Pinawa Hydroelectric Power Project was recognized by the IEEE as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing. When the groundbreaking station was completed in 1906, it became Manitoba's only year-round hydroelectric plant, and one of the first to be developed in such a cold climate anywhere in the world. In a ceremony at the Manitoba Electrical Museum, a bronze plaque commemorating this achievement was unveiled by Dr. Ferial El-Hawary, president of IEEE Canada.

"It will become recognized world-wide as a milestone," said Lindsay Ingram (Hydro-X), vice chair of IEEE Winnipeg Life Members Chapter. Lindsay, who was MC of the ceremony, spent nearly a year facilitating the nomination and approval process for the award. Also speaking at the ceremony were Dr. El-Hawary; Glenn Schneider (Division Manager, Public Affairs); Len Bateman, past chairman and chief executive officer; and Viviane Thomson, vice chair of Friends of Old Pinawa.

In the early 1900s, as Winnipeg's population rapidly neared 100,000 residents, this pioneering hydroelectric project was developed to meet the city's growing energy requirements. "It supplied electricity to the streetcar system," said Lindsay. At the time, the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company had about 35 streetcars in operation, along with some streetlights and a few domestic and business customers. The major load growth was electric streetcar transportation, and the company decided to generate a supply of low-cost hydroelectric power from the Winnipeg River.

The first challenge was to build the station in such a harsh and remote location. "They depended on horses and basic construction methods, " said Lindsay. Other than steam operated derricks, shovels, and drills, the station was built with manpower and 36 teams of horses. Corduroy roads made of logs, the remnants of which can still be seen at the site, were laid down for 16 miles to transport materials into the area. After three years of work, the station was successfully built and delivered its first power on June 9, 1906.

The next task was to operate the plant year-round in Manitoba's cold climate. Because the ice could become very thick, boat crews worked throughout the winter to keep water channels clear in front of the dam. As well, frazil ice deep in the water created blockages that had to be blown periodically with dynamite. Despite the challenges, the dam successfully supplied Winnipeg year-round with 14 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and was eventually re-rated to 22 MW. After 45 years of service, the Pinawa Generating Station was shut down to allow the new Seven Sisters Generating Station to use the water more effectively.

The remains of the station are now part of a Provincial Heritage Site, where a duplicate plaque will be placed.

The IEEE (formerly the) began the Milestones program in 1983 to honour technological innovation and excellence in electrical, electronic, and computer engineering. To be approved for this award, a project must be at least twenty-five years old, must have involved a unique solution to an engineering problem, and must have had a regional impact. There are currently more than 100 Milestones around the world, over ten of which are in Canada. This will be Manitoba's second Milestone; in 2005, the Nelson River HVDC transmission system was also recognized.

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Ø     Your News

MGA Student Branch Membership Growth Award - University of Alberta

On 21 June 2008, the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board (MGA) recognized University of Alberta as a recipient of the 2007 MGA Student Branch Membership Growth Award for their success for Outstanding Leadership and Results in IEEE Membership Development Activities for the IEEE Northern Canada Section in Region 7.

Each year a Student Branch in each Region is recognized as having achieved the highest rate of growth. The greatest level of growth is based on the highest percentage of increase in membership relative to other Student Branches within each Region. Each recipient shall receive an animated graphic noting this achievement which can be displayed on the Section's Website.

IEEE Canada congratulates Student Branch of University of Alberta for having achieved this honor!

MGA Section Membership Growth Award - Newfoundland-Labrador Section

On 21 June 2008, the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board (MGA) recognized the IEEE Newfoundland-Labrador Section as a recipient of the 2007 MGA Section Membership Growth Award for their success for Outstanding Leadership and Results in IEEE Membership Development Activities for Region 7.

Each year a Section in each Region is recognized as having achieved the highest rate of growth. The greatest level of growth is based on the highest percentage of increase in membership relative to other Sections in good standing within each Region. Each recipient shall receive an animated graphic noting this achievement which can be displayed on the Section's Website.

Congratulation goes to IEEE Newfoundland-Labrador Section for this achievement!

                     

 

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Ø     Students' Corner

IEEE Canada TELUS Innovation Award

The first TELUS Innovation Awards were presented in September 2005. TELUS Communications Incorporated is continuing their generous support of this annual contest designed to stimulate the interest of Canadian IEEE student members by sponsoring this event. Up to $10,000 in cash awards plus travel and accommodation for qualifying teams is being generously funded by TELUS Communications Incorporated.

The purpose of the IEEE Canada TELUS Innovation Award is to offer IEEE student members the opportunity to engage individually or as a team in a significant ICT project, such as their final year undergraduate project in an engineering or technology program, and enter this project in the competition. The project would have a strong design and/or research component with the emphasis on design that embodies the spirit of innovation and has strong application potential in industry in the foreseeable future.

The selection of the award recipients is done in a two-phased process. All entries are evaluated by a team of IEEE volunteer judges from across Canada, and this evaluation is used to select the finalists who are invited to present their project in person before a panel of industrial, academic and media experts. This year's final competition and presentations will take place September 11 in Mississauga, Ontario, just prior to the IEEE Canada Student Workshop.

More details are available on the IEEE Canada student web site at http://www.ieee.ca/students/telus_award/index.htm

IEEE Canada Student Workshop 2008

September 12-14, 2008
Mississauga, Ontario

Deadline to submit travel and attendance information, August 15, 2008.

Each year, IEEE Canada Student Activities Committee hosts a workshop for student leaders and volunteers involved in Student Branch operations. The objectives of this workshop are to provide leadership and developmental training for the many student member volunteers who dedicate their time and effort to bring IEEE benefits and programs to their fellow students. IEEE Canada believes that these young volunteers, and the people they influence through their efforts, are truly the future of the organization and is proud to sponsor this opportunity. The workshop will entail a number of activities and presentations designed to help develop the skills necessary to lead effectively, interact with other student leaders and exchange ideas and experiences, and to provide valuable feedback to the IEEE that will help shape the future direction of the organization.

This year's workshop will be held in Mississauga, Ontario September 12 - 14. The deadline for submitting travel and attendance information of August 15th. Full details and forms for the 2008 event can be found on the IEEE Canada Student web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/students/workshop/sbw.htm

 

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Ø     Our Members in the Spotlight

Dr. Hoefer elected to the German National Academy of Science and Engineering

 

Dr. Hoefer is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Victoria. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His expertise lies in computational electromagnetics, numerical modeling of electromagnetic fields and structures, microwave and millimeter-wave circuit design, and microwave measurements.

The Academy, which has 255 members, advises policy makers and the public about technological issues and technology policy. Its role is to emphasize the importance of future technologies for the economy and society as a whole, and to support initiatives promoting technological development and young researchers and academics in technology and engineering in Germany.

The induction ceremony will take place on October 21 in Berlin.

All our congratulations to Dr. Hoefer!

Newly elevated IEEE Canada members to Senior Status

 

IEEE Canada Congratulates its 14 new Senior Members elevated at the June 2008 A&A meeting!

Hubert De Bruin

Hamilton Section

Jean Mahseredijan

Montreal Section

Kin Sze

Ottawa Section

Wa James Tam

Ottawa Section

Zhonggui Xiang

Ottawa Section

Zubair Ahmad

Toronto Section

Janaki Balakrishnan

Toronto Section

Rob Corcoran

Toronto Section

Prince Francis

Toronto Section

Michael Jenkin

Toronto Section

Bruno Korst

Toronto Section

Guomin Li

Toronto Section

Rene Midence

Toronto Section

Milos Radomir Popovic

Toronto Section

For more information and to apply visit Senior Member place on the IEEE portal.

 

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Ø     Call for Papers

IEEE Systems Journal Special Issue on Biometrics Systems

Submission Deadline: January 15, 2008
Acceptance Notification: April 15, 2009
Publication: August 2009

The increasing needs for security as well as medical diagnosis make biometric theories, technologies, design methodologies, and applications more and more valuable world-wide.

To create a biometric system various issues need to be studied in an integrated way: from sensing to measurement procedures, from signal analysis and interpretation to quality assessment, from feature extraction to classification and analysis, from knowledge creation to extraction, from algorithms to data structure, from computational complexity to system performance, from system engineering to software engineering, from privacy to social implications, and much more. Integration and cooperative combination are another key aspects if biometrics systems and applications.

This special issue is directed to collect original papers that address any aspect of the design, implementation and application of biometrics systems, by focusing on a system-level perspective.

The detailed call for papers is available at
http://www.dti.unimi.it/~piuri/pages/ISJ-SpecialIssueBiometricsSystemsCFP.pdf

Guest Editors of this special issue are: Vincenzo Piuri, University of Milan, Italy; Jie Tian, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; and Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou, Rutgers University, USA

Questions about the special issue should be directed to Prof. Vincenzo Piuri (vincenzo.piuri@unimi.it).

IEEE Transaction on Instrumentation and Measurement Issue on Biometric Instrumentation and Measurement

Submission Period: February 14 - March 1, 2008
Acceptance Notification: June 30, 2009
Publication: December 2009

Biometrics is a growing and important applications area receiving significant interest as a result of the criticality and the social impact of its applications. In addition, the increasing worldwide interest in security makes biometrics even more valuable and desirable, from many perspectives including its theory, technologies, design methodologies, and applications. The constituencies that may benefit from this ever growing field include academia, industry, government, and the general public.

This special issue is focused on publishing original papers that address instrumentation and measurement aspects of the design, implementation and applications of biometrics. The detailed call for papers is available at
http://www.dti.unimi.it/~piuri/pages/TIM-SpecialIssueBiometricIMCFP.pdf

Guest Editors of this special issue are: Fabio Scotti, University of Milan, Italy; David Zhang, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong; Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou, Rutgers University, USA

Questions about the special issue should be directed to Dr. Fabio Scotti (fabio.scotti@unimi.it).

 

 

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Ø     Conferences

Upcoming IEEE Conferences in Canada

EMBC 2008 - 30th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
August 20-25, 2008
Vancouver, BC

ICWCUCA 2008- 2nd International Conference on Wireless on Communications in Underground and Confined Areas
Aug 25-27, 2008
The Forestel Hotel Vald-'Or, QC

OCEANS 2008
September 14-19, 2008
Quebec, QC

VTC 2008 - IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference
September 21-24, 2008
Mariott Hotel, Calgary, AB

North American Power Symposium (NAPS)
September 28-30, 2008
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Contact: William Rosehart
partment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4
Tel: 1-403-220-5005
Fax:1-403-282-6855
E-mail: rosehart@ucalgary.ca
Web: http://www.naps2008.net

All IEEE Conferences in Canada


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

IEEE Canada - Electrical Power and Energy Conference 2008 (EPEC 2008)

October 6-7, 2008
Renaissance Harbourside Hotel
Vancouver, BC

The paper submissions process is now closed after a larger-than-expected number of papers was submitted covering the conference theme (Energy Innovation). The abstracts are now being reviewed and authors will be notified shortly. Several distinguished speakers have been confirmed for the panel sessions. British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) and BC Hydro are the main conference sponsors. Bob Reid, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BCTC, is the keynote speaker. Events such as the BC Hydro Powersmart Technology Showcase are being organized to complement the conference topic tracks. The conference organizers and the IEEE Vancouver Section are working together to ensure a successful event for all participants. Conference registration is open. Please register early to take advantage of early registration and hotel accommodation fees.

Topics of interest to the conference include the following:

Topics

Subtopics

Extending the Limits of Transmission and Distribution

         Physical Assets Monitoring

         Real-Time Operation

         Power Flow Control

         Continuity of Supply

 

Expanding Generation and Alternative Energy

         Large Generation Expansion

         Distributed Generation

         Energy Storage

         Impact and Operation of Distributed Generation

 

Intelligent Grid Technologies

         Data Gathering and Information Flow

         Wide-Area Operation and Control

         Distributed Networks

         Cyber Security in the Automated Grid

 

Conservation and Energy Efficient Technologies

         Energy Conservation Measures

         Energy Efficient Loads

         Power Factor Correction and Power Quality

 


General Conference Chair is Dr. Ebrahim Vaahedi P.Eng., FIEEE.

5th Annual Product Safety Engineering Symposium

October 20-22, 2008
Austin, Texas

Product designers and regulatory engineers - come and join your colleagues at the Fifth Annual Product Safety Engineering Symposium in beautiful Austin, Texas! Update your knowledge of regulatory issues and meet other engineers solving tough product safety problems on a daily basis. Take the iNARTE certification examination, or attend UL University's Hazard Based Safety Engineering course at the sessions following the symposium.

Exhibitors will be showcasing safety products and services including product test services, instrumentation and certification, as well as consulting and engineering services. Exhibition space is limited, contact us as soon as possible for a booth!

For more information or to register, please visit the Symposium web site:http:www.ieee-pses.org/symposium/

 

 


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Ø     Standards News

 

Canadian Objective Base Industrial Electric Code receives approval

Calgary... The OBIEC Stakeholder Advisory Committee announced today that the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) - OBIEC Technical Committee has approved 2 standards: C22.4 No. 1 Objective based industrial electrical code and C22.4 No. 2 OBIEC Safety management system - Requirements. These OBIEC standards are intended for use by authorized industrial users as an alternative to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC).

The OBIEC and its companion Safety Management System Requirements standard are developed under the CSA consensus process involving a cross section of major Canadian industry partners and impacted stakeholders from across the country. Regulators from provincial and municipal jurisdictions have also been significant contributors to the process, and have been involved in technical writing and approval of the OBIEC and the SMS Requirements standards.

Benefits for industry will be significant including enhanced safety performance and design flexibility with a strong emphasis on superior engineering. The OBIEC has an element of continual improvement that includes operations and maintenance requirements providing for a more complete cradle-to-grave life cycle for industrial electrical installations.

The OBIEC will encourage global best practices, products and technologies and will serve to lay a foundation for harmonization of an industrial user's Canadian and global operations. The CEC, NEC, IEC, IEEE and other industry-recognized standards are referenced, with the CEC serving as the benchmark for measuring safety performance.

Based on early pilot projects, industry can realize 10% - 15% or greater in overall electrical installation cost savings while maintaining or even improving safety performance. On large projects this is significant.

Installation contractors will have a better road map from which to work from. Under an OBIEC safety system, engineering designs will better reflect electrical installation specifications derived from the safety objectives of the OBIEC rather than under the current safety system where there is a tendency to pass on design responsibility to installers, relying on their knowledge of prescriptive requirements to compensate for gaps in design.

Over 75 companies and professional associations have partnered in various ways from seconding personnel, to providing seed funding and/or support in principle.

Enquiries may be directed to:

John Dickin, P. Eng.
OBIEC Communications
john.dickin@obiec.org

      Tim Driscoll, P. Eng.
      Chair OBIEC Stakeholder Advisory Committee
      tim.driscoll@obiec.org

 

 

 

 

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Ø     In Print

 

Canadian Journal Electrical and Computer Engineering Spring 2008 Published

Table of Contents
Volume 33:2, Spring 2008

TO ACCESS FULL-TEXT VERSIONS OF THESE PAPERS ONLINE, VISIT IEEE Xplore.

1.

Performance analysis of a reluctance synchronous motor under abnormal operating conditions
Analyse de performance d'un moteur synchrone réluctance sous des conditions anormales

Prabhakar Neti and Subhasis Nandi

2.

Real-time Bluetooth communication system for control of a mobile robot
Système temps réel communicant Bluetooth pour le contrôle de robot mobile

Fabrice Peyrard

3.

Time-delay compensation of a wide-area measurements-based hierarchical voltage and speed regulator
Compensation des délais de communication d'un régulateur global de tension et de vitesse basé sur les mesures à la grandeur du réseau électrique

Tarik Zabaiou, Francis A. Okou, Louis-A. Dessaint, and Ouassima Akhrif

4.

Application of combined electric- and magnetic-conductor ground planes for antenna performance enhancement
Application de combinés de plan de masse électriques et magnétiques pour l'amélioration du rendement des antennes

Alireza Foroozesh and Lotfollah Shafai

5.

Adaptation of turbo coding and equalization in turbo equalization for time-varying and frequency-selective channels
Adaptation du turbo codage et de l'égalisation en turbo égalisation pour les canaux variant dans le temps et sélectifs en fréquence

Abdellah Berdai, Jean-Yves Chouinard et Huu Tue Huynh

6.

A simplified audiovisual fusion model with application to large-vocabulary recognition of French Canadian speech
Un modèle simplifié de fusion audio-visuelle avec application à la reconnaissance à grand vocabulaire du français canadien parlé

L. Gagnon, S. Foucher, F. Laliberté, and G. Boulianne

 

 

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Ø     Appointment

New CJECE co-Editors

As of July 2008, two new Co-Editors have been appointed to manage the CJECE: Professor. Bob Dony from University of Guelph and Professor. Vijay Sood from UOIT.

The CJECE, the archival, peer-reviewed journal of IEEE Canada, is published four times per year. 2008 marks its 33 volume. In each issue five to six research papers are included while the Fall issue of each year includes the best student papers from the annual Canadian Conference of Electrical and Computer Engineering. CJECE is included in the IEEE Xplore.

For more information on CJECE you may visit http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/journal/index.html. If you want to connect with co-editors you may reach Bob at rdony@uoguelph.ca and Vijay at Vijay.Sood@uoit.ca.

 

 

 

 

 

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Upcoming Events


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

Canadian Atlantic

Kitchener-Waterloo

London

Montreal

Newfoundland and Labrador

New Brunswick

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 – August 2008                Bulletin de IEEE Canada – Août 2008

Last update /2008.08.01 dernière mise à jour

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