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IEEE Electric Vehicle Conference Seeks Technical Papers

WASHINGTON (18 July 2011) — IEEE International Electric Vehicle Conference (IEVC) organizers are seeking technical papers on the technology, standards and engineering of electric vehicles.

Accepted papers will be presented during the inaugural conference, 4-8 March 2012, at TD Convention Center in Greenville, S.C. They will also be published in conference proceedings and available through the digital library IEEE Xplore. The deadline for extended abstract submissions is 15 October.

For more on the specific types of papers being sought, as well as paper submission guidelines, see http://electricvehicle.ieee.org/cfp.html.

IEVC (http://electricvehicle.ieee.org/) is expected to draw electric vehicle engineers, manufacturers, utility experts, corporate executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, legislators and regulators, among others, to discuss the impact the electrification of transportation is having, and will have, on society and the electric grid. Smart Grid planners are interested in EVs because of the increased demand they are expected to have on the electricity delivery system.

Greenville has become a major hub of electric vehicle research because of the nearby presence of major auto manufacturers and the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/cu-icar/), a public-private partnership advancing automotive safety, testing and design.
 
For sponsorship opportunities and more information on the conference, contact Lee Stogner at l.stogner@ieee.org.

IEEE Electric Vehicle Committee Chair and former IEEE-USA President Russ Lefevre is one of the event organizers. IEEE-USA is a financial cosponsor.

**IEEE-USA IN ACTION** IEEE.TV AIRS “ENGINEERING OUR FUTURE” SPECIAL ON FORUM CONVENED FOR HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORS TO TELL ENGAGING, REALISTIC STORIES ABOUT ENGINEERING

WASHINGTON (1 September 2011) — IEEE.tv is airing a special public access presentation on “Engineering Our Future: Because Dreams Need Doing” at https://ieeetv.ieee.org/ieeetv-specials

The “Engineering Our Future” forum was convened for some 150 Hollywood professionals by The Science and Entertainment Exchange, a program of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), in collaboration with IEEE-USA. It was held at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on 9 June.

According to Frances Arnold, one of the three Hollywood forum panelists, and Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology: “Science is a limitless source of ideas, and engineering is both cool and fun. Filmmakers like those here tonight need to spread the word to young people that engineering gives you the tools to change the world.”

During the program, Dr. Arnold, who creates new biological molecules and organisms by forcing their evolution in the laboratory, stated: “I began my career by studying astronomy, but found that I didn’t need to look to the stars for wonder or magnificent complexity — it was all around me in the cellular world. I now study how nature solves problems so I can then figure out how to solve others.”

Maja Mataric, who develops socially assistive robots that provide personalized human-machine interaction, explained that robots can assist individuals with autism, in stroke rehabilitation, and those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. As she noted, they never get tired and minimize embarrassment. Added Dr. Mataric: “People respond to co-present, physical caregivers. They form relationships, even with machines.” She is an IEEE Fellow and professor of computer science, neuroscience and pediatrics at the University of Southern California.

Randi Wessen, who has worked on multiple spacecraft searching for Earth-like planets around other stars, asserted: “When it comes to space exploration, we’re not even out of the driveway. We’re  only exploring things in our front yard.” Dr. Wessen is deputy manager of the Project Formulation Office at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL).

Jon Spaihts, screenwriter for Ridley Scott’s forthcoming “Alien” prequel, “Prometheus,” and the Hollywood forum’s moderator, enthused: “I’ve been a geek since I was a fetus…I hope this auditorium is filled with storytellers whose imaginations are magnified by what they hear tonight, and think about things like chemistry and robots in ways they never have before. I know that these sorts of fertile conversations have directly influenced my own storytelling.”

JPL’s Wessen agreed: “The importance of a night like tonight is that it allows writers and filmmakers access to a rich world they can then integrate, making for far more compelling stories.”

For a recap of the Hollywood forum, see www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/blog/event-recap-engineering-our-future

IEEE-USA’s Vice President for Communications and Public Awareness Nita Patel escorted a group of IEEE volunteer leaders to the forum, one of several engineering awareness programs spearheaded by IEEE-USA. Patel noted that IEEE-USA is collaborating with the NAS Science & Entertainment Exchange “to increase public awareness of engineers and engineering through television, movies and games.”

Earlier, in 2004, IEEE-USA helped introduce “Primer,” the Sundance and Alfred P. Sloan award winning movie about engineering ethics and the creative process, in a special screening at the Motion Picture Association of America in Washington.

The Science & Entertainment Exchange connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists and engineers from across the country to create a synergy between realistic science and engaging entertainment. Chartered by Congress in 1863 under an Act signed by Abraham Lincoln to provide crucial scientific advice to the nation, the National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit institution, is uniquely positioned to draw on the expertise of thousands of men and women who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields in science.

For more information on The Science and Engineering Exchange,see www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/

For more on IEEE-USA public awareness activities, go to www.ieeeusa.org/communications/massmedia.asp

U.S. College Students Challenged to Create Videos for Younger Students on How Engineers Improve the World; $5,000 in Student Awards to Be Presented in 2011-12 IEEE-USA Online Engineering Video Competition  

WASHINGTON (18 August 2011) — IEEE-USA is challenging U.S. college students to create YouTube videos that reinforce for an 11-to-13-year-old “tweener” audience “How Engineers Make a World of Difference.”

The organization is seeking to tap the enthusiasm of U.S. college students to spark younger students’ creativity and ingenuity and to inspire their interest in learning about engineering. IEEE-USA also seeks to expand broader public understanding of engineering through the wide dissemination of these videos.

As part of its 2011-12 online engineering video competition, IEEE-USA will present awards totaling $5,000 in four categories to U.S. undergraduates and graduates who create the most effective two-minute personal video profiles:

— CONTENT/MESSAGE: $1,500 scholarship award for best conveying the message most closely aligned with the theme “How Engineers Make a World of Difference”
— PRODUCTION VALUE: $1,500 scholarship award for best production quality and most professional look to the video
— VIEWS: $1,500 scholarship award for the most viewed submission, as determined by the number of YouTube hits as of midnight Eastern Time on Friday, 27 January 2012
— EARLY SUBMISSION: Ten $50 Amazon gift cards totaling $500 to the first 10 students who submit online entries that meet the basic competition requirements

The IEEE-USA video competition is open to all U.S. undergraduate and graduate students regardless of academic discipline. However, at least one undergraduate or graduate participant must be a U.S. IEEE student member.

Entries must be submitted through YouTube by midnight Eastern Time on Friday, 27 January 2012. Winning entries will be announced and shown during Engineers Week, 19-25 February 2012, and will also be featured on PBS’ “Design Squad” website.

For more detailed information on how to enter, go to www.ieeeusa.org/communications/video_competition/.

DHS Chief Technology Officer, Massachusetts National Guard Adjunct General and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Official Headline Speakers at IEEE Homeland Security Conference

WASHINGTON (24 August 2011) — Daniel M. Cotter, chief technology officer of the Department of Homeland Security, will be a featured speaker at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST 11) in November.

Mark S. Borkowski, assistant commissioner of U. S Customs and Border Protection; and Major General Joseph C. Carter, adjunct general of the Massachusetts National Guard, will join Cotter as featured speakers.

The Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, Mass., USA, will host HST 11, 15-17 November 2011. It will bring together global science and technology thought leaders to foster homeland security technology innovation. The conference features a technical advisory committee of leading S&T experts from academia, national laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, the federal government and industry.

The event will showcase selected technical papers highlighting emerging technologies in cyber security; attack and disaster preparation, recovery and response; land and maritime border security; and biometrics, forensics and physical security.

For more on the featured speakers, see http://www.ieee-hst.org/featured_speakers/featured_speakers.html#cotter_bio.

HST 11 is produced by IEEE with technical support from 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. For more information, visit www.ieee-hst.org or contact Robert Alongi at information@ieee-hst.org or +1 781-245-5405.