IEEE National News

By Marc Bell

11 November, 2011

IEEE-USA E-Book on Transition from School to Work to be Offered Free as Special Benefit to IEEE Members

WASHINGTON (31 October 2011) — As a special benefit of IEEE membership for November, IEEE-USA is offering a free e-book, “Engineer’s Guide to Lifelong Employability: The Transition from School to Work.”

This e-book, prepared by the IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services Committee, provides a road map for the student preparing to enter the job market — what employers are looking for, how they can best find a job and what career paths are open to a new grad. Topics include:

* Finding a Job the Old-Fashioned Way
* Networking
* The Campus Interview
* Making up Your Mind
* Four Career Paths
* Business — Big or Small?
* A Non-Technology Company

“Demand for new BSEEs may be soaring, but so are employer’s standards and expectations,” writes Jean Eason, IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services Committee member. “Good grades and technical expertise aren’t enough anymore.”

From Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, “Engineer’s Guide to Lifelong Employability: The Transition from School to Work” can be downloaded at www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks for free to IEEE Members. The nonmember price is $5.99.

Members can purchase other IEEE-USA E-Books at deeply discounted prices and download other free e-books.

In December the free publication will be book three in the “Engineer’s Guide to Lifelong Employability” series: “What Are You Worth?”

Open Innovation for Security-Related Technology Challenges to be Featured at IEEE Homeland Security Conference

WASHINGTON (31 October 2011) — Open innovation approaches, such as the Innovation Access Network (IAN), are being increasingly used to find solutions to homeland security-related technology challenges.

Rick Mahoney, IAN vice president of business development, will be hosting a business panel, “Innovation Access Network — Fostering Homeland Security / Defense Innovation,” during the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST 11) on Wednesday 16 November at 10:30 a.m.

“The challenge faced by larger organizations is the inability to locate new innovative technologies,” Mahoney said. “For smaller companies, the challenge is finding those organizations that are actively searching in areas in which they are innovating. IAN is the connective tissue that brings innovators and seekers together.”

IAN (https://www.innovationaccess.org/), a division of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, brings together defense primes, entrepreneurs, large and small technology firms, universities, research labs and military and government agencies to share new ideas and technologies. Its goal is “to accelerate technology development and successful commercialization to create jobs and enhance economic development.”

HST 11 is 15-17 November at the Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, Mass. Technical papers will be presented in four major areas:

* Cybersecurity
* Land and maritime border security
* Biometrics, forensics and physical security
* Attack and disaster preparation, recovery and response

Three additional business panels will focus on 1) homeland security technology commercialization, 2) alternative financing for small businesses and 3) doing business in the homeland security marketplace.

For more information and to register, visit www.ieee-hst.org or contact Robert Alongi at information@ieee-hst.org or +1 781-245-5405.

HST 11 is produced by IEEE with technical support from the Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, the IEEE Biometrics Council and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Raytheon, MITRE and IEEE-USA are providing organizational support. Raytheon is the event platinum corporate sponsor, and Massport is the event gold corporate sponsor.

IEEE (www.ieee.org) is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE-USA (www.ieeeusa.org) advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of 210,000 engineering, computing and technology professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE.

‘How to do Business with Department of Homeland Security’ Among Featured Topics at IEEE Homeland Security Conference

WASHINGTON (25 October 2011) — Kristina Tanasichuk, founder and CEO of Government Technology and Services Coalition, will discuss “How to do Business with the Department of Homeland Security” at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST 11) in November.

Tanasichuk, whose coalition advocates for small and medium security-focused companies in the federal security marketplace, is also president and founder of Women in Homeland Security. She will speak on a business panel, “Doing Business in the Homeland Security Marketplace,” on Tuesday 15 November at 4 p.m.

“The climate for small and mid-sized firms is extremely competitive in the current congressional budget environment — both for technology and services firms — yet there are many opportunities for companies that know where to look, how to develop their strategy and have reasonable expectations of the possibilities,” Tanasichuk said. “This panel will explain all the components of the process: relationship building, congressional impact, the technology transfer process and areas of investment within DHS.”

Joining Tanasichuk on the podium will be Chani Wiggins, former DHS assistant secretary for legislative affairs and principal at the Joseph Group, LLC; and Michael Kelly, executive advisor, homeland security & defense, The Analytic Sciences Corp.

HST 11 is 15-17 November at the Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, Mass. The annual event gathers global science and technology thought leaders to foster homeland security technology innovation. Three additional business panels will focus on 1) alternative financing for small businesses, 2) homeland security technology commercialization and 3) fostering homeland security and defense innovation.

The event will also showcase peer-reviewed technical papers highlighting emerging technologies in four tracks:

* Cybersecurity
* Land and maritime border security
* Biometrics, forensics and physical security
* Attack and disaster preparation, recovery and response

For more information and to register, visit www.ieee-hst.org or contact Robert Alongi at information@ieee-hst.org or +1 781-245-5405.

The HST 11 Technical Program Committee, which reviewed the papers, is made up of leading science and technology experts from academia, national laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, the federal government and industry.

HST 11 is produced by IEEE with technical support from the DHS Science & Technology Directorate, the IEEE Biometrics Council and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Raytheon, MITRE and IEEE-USA are providing organizational support.

More than 380 people attended the 2010 conference, including representatives from at least 11 foreign countries. Raytheon is the event platinum corporate sponsor, and Massport is the event gold corporate sponsor.

IEEE-USA Government Fellowships:

Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors three qualified IEEE members to serve as government fellows: one Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow and two Congressional fellows. The fellows spend a year in Washington, serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress or key U.S. Department of State decision-makers. IEEE-USA’s Government Fellowships link engineers with government, providing a mechanism for IEEE-USA members to learn firsthand about the public policy process through personal involvement.
The congressional fellowship consists of an appointment to the personal staff of a U.S. Senator or Congressman, or to the professional staff of a Congressional Committee. The Fellow along with the Congressional sponsor and IEEE-USA, negotiates a starting date, although IEEE-USA recommends that Fellowship terms run from January 1st to December 31st. For an application Kit for the 2010 Congressional Fellowship Program, visit: http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/cfapply.asp
The State Department fellowship begins in January of each year and offers an opportunity for an engineer to provide technical expertise to the State Department, and help raise awareness of the value of engineering input while learning about and contributing to the foreign policy process. For an application Kit for the 2013 Engineering & Diplomacy (State Department) Fellowship Program, visit: http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/state.asp
The postmark application deadline for 2013 Fellowships is 16 March 2012. For more information, visit: http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/default.asp
Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE)

SUMMER 2012 PROGRAM Monday, 4 June – Friday, 3 August:
WISE seeks applications from outstanding engineering students who display evidence of leadership skills and have a keen interest in public policy. Minority students are encouraged to apply.
Applicants should select a sponsoring society(s), fill out an application form, write two (2) brief essays in response to questions, arrange for two (2)faculty references, and forward an official transcript. The deadline for Summer 2012 applications is December 31, 2011. For more info and application forms, please visit: http://wise-intern.org/application/index.html
“…one of the best summers of my life. One which truly transformed my dreams and goals. ….when I left D.C. I really wanted to instill in my fellow engineers the appreciation of the interaction between public policy and engineering.” — Marc Canellas, WISE 2011

Seminar on New Patent Law and its Potential Impact on Inventors, Investors and Engineering Managers Saturday at George Mason University

WASHINGTON (20 October 2011) — The America Invents Act that President Barack Obama signed into law last month represents the biggest change to U.S. patent law since 1870. IEEE-USA and its new Intellectual Property Professionals Initiative is hosting a seminar to help those interested in the patent process better understand the law’s potential impact.

“The New Patent Law and What it Means to You,” will be held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., (Johnson Center, room C) on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided. The event will also be streamed live at http://www.ieeeusa.org/calendar/seminars/AIA-seminar/default.asp.

The seminar is designed to help inventors, investors and engineering managers mitigate risks, protect their inventions and adapt their business practices to the new law.

Janet Gongola, patent reform coordinator at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will discuss the USPTO regulatory agenda. Additional speakers include intellectual property attorneys, many of whom specialize in technology patents. Panelists, their affiliations and topics are:

* Keith Grzelak, Wells St. John, PS, “Introduction & Overview of the America Invents Act”

* David Boundy, Cantor Fitzgerald, “First Inventor to File, Diminished Grace Period & Prior Art Issues”

* Charles Gholz, Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, LLP, “Derivation Law, Prior User Rights & Related Implications”

* Harold Wegner, Foley & Lardner LLP, “Patent Office Procedures, Appropriations, User Fees & Prioritized Examination — Adapting Prosecution Strategies to the America Invents Act”

* Robert Sterne, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC, “Post Grant Review, Reexamination & Supplemental Examination”

* Michael Flibbert, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, “Impact on Patent Legislation”

For more information on the agenda and the speakers’ biographies, see http://www.ieeeusa.org/calendar/seminars/AIA-seminar/files/announcement.pdf.

IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of 210,000 engineering, computing and technology professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. http://www.ieeeusa.org

IEEE-USA Commends Introduction of High-Skill Immigration Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON (14 October 2011) — IEEE-USA endorses the “American Innovation and Education Act” introduced by Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), legislation that would make it easier for foreign-born students with advanced STEM degrees from U.S. institutions to fully participate in our nation’s economy.

Labrador’s bill, H.R. 3146, would make such students immediately eligible for a green card after earning their degrees if they have a job offer from a U.S. employer in their chosen field. Fees from these visas would fund improvements in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and training for Americans.

“By giving foreign STEM graduates certainty in their pursuit of legal permanent residency, this bill will encourage the creation of new technology companies, create jobs and contribute to our country’s long-term competitiveness,” IEEE-USA President Ron Jensen said.

The legislation would also eliminate employment-based per-country limits for EB-2 visas (advance degree and professionals).

Research by AAES found that 55.3 percent of master’s and 63.3 percent of Ph.D. graduates from U.S. universities in electrical and electronics engineering are foreign nationals. Because of difficulties and long waits for permanent residency, many are returning to their home countries and establishing job-creating companies there rather than in the United States. This bill sends a clear signal to international students earning advanced degrees from American universities that America welcomes them.

“Unable to navigate the immigration process in a timely fashion, many of these graduates return to their countries of birth, where their talents and the knowledge and skills acquired in the U.S. are put to work for our foreign competitors,” Labrador said in a news release. “Our American universities are training the next generation of innovators and creators — and it is up to us to decide where they will create jobs.”

The Labrador bill contains provisions similar to those in the IDEA Act (Immigration Driving Entrepreneurship in America) introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) in June. IEEE-USA has long supported her efforts to advance high-skill visa reform.

Ensuring Cybersecurity of Nuclear Power Plants to be Featured at IEEE Homeland Security Conference

WASHINGTON (14 October 2011) — An emerging threat to U.S. nuclear power plants is a cybersecurity attack that disrupts operations or compromises nuclear safety. A security system to protect against such an attack is one of the topics that will be presented at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST 11) in November.

In the paper, “System-Aware Security for Nuclear Power Plants,” three Charlottesville, Va., researchers discuss how system-aware security can be combined with the nuclear turbine control system to avert the threat of cyber attacks, even if they have been built into the initial system components and triggered during maintenance, or activated by an insider.

“There are significant threats of embedded infections by the producers of equipment that support our nation’s nuclear power plants that cannot be completely addressed by advancing perimeter security solutions,” wrote Rick Jones and Barry Horowitz of the University of Virginia, and Troy Nguyen of the Northrop Grumman Corp. “In this paper, we lay out a new systems engineering-focused approach for addressing these threats.”

Jones will present the paper during HST 11 at the Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, Mass., USA, 15-17 November 2011. For more information and to register, visit www.ieee-hst.org or contact Robert Alongi at information@ieee-hst.org or +1 781-245-5405.

HST 11 will bring together global science and technology thought leaders to foster homeland security technology innovation. It will showcase selected technical papers highlighting emerging technologies in four tracks:

— Cybersecurity
— Attack and disaster preparation, recovery and response
— Land and maritime border security
— Biometrics, forensics and physical security

Additionally, the conference features business panels that address effective business strategies in the current homeland security market.