NEWS from IEEE-USA
2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700
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Call For Participation:
               
***The IEEE 35th Sarnoff Symposium***      
May 21-22, 2012                          
Newark, NJ                            
http://www.sarnoffsymposium.org

Sponsor: IEEE Princeton / Central Jersey Section      

***CONFERENCE SCHEDULE***                  
Paper Sessions, Panels, and Tutorials: May 21-22, 2012    
Exhibits: May 21-22, 2012                                  
Student Posters: May 22, 2012                

We encourage you to consider attending the IEEE 35th Sarnoff Symposium, which will be held on May 21-22, 2012 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, in Newark, NJ.
 
Since 1978, the IEEE Sarnoff Symposium has been bringing together a rich diversity of telecom experts from industry, universities, and government. The Sarnoff Symposium continues to grow as the premier forum for researchers, engineers, and business executives in the northeastern United States, drawing an attendance from all over the world.  
 
The North Jersey region offers a rich array of cultural and recreational offerings, with New York City just 20 minutes from the NJIT campus.

For registration information, please visit:
http://ewh.ieee.org/conf/sarnoff/2012/registration.htm  
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Symposium Highlights
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– An exciting program of 60+ technical papers.
List of accepted papers can be seen at
http://ewh.ieee.org/conf/sarnoff/2012/conference_program.htm 
  – Keynotes:
Cyber Security Defense: Challenges & State of the Art
Dr. Parag Pruthi, Founder, Chairman, and CEO (Niksun)
       
Interference Cancellation Systems (ICS) in a Saturated Electromagnetic Spectrum in Tactical Applications
Dr. Robert G. Holland, Vice President of Engineering, L-3 Communications Telemetry East (TE)
       
Technologies for Smarter Wireless Networks
Dr. Kang-Won Lee, Manager, Wireless Networking Department, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
Dr. Seraphin Calo, Manager, Policy Technologies Department, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
     
For further information on keynotes, please visit
http://ewh.ieee.org/conf/sarnoff/2012/keynote_speakers.htm
   
– Tutorials:
T1: LTE and LTE Advanced Rollout – Opportunities & Challenges
Dr. Deepak Kataria, Director, IP Junction Inc.
       
T2: Design Issues in Time-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks
Prof. Sebastià Galmés, University of Balearic Islands,

T3: Theory and Applications of Complex Evolving Networks (TACENet)  
Prof. Symeon Papavassiliou, Dr. Vasileios Karyotis
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)

T4: Applicability of M2M Communication in Emerging Smart Grids and Smarter Cities
Associate Prof. Raziq Yaqub, University of Tennessee

T5: Machine-to-Machine Communications and Internet of Things:
What is behind the industry momentum? An in-depth view of applications, architecture, and standards
Dr. Harish Viswanathan, Alcatel-Lucent, Bell Labs

T6: Introduction to TV White Space Radio
Anthony Triolo, Applied Communication Sciences

T7: Secure Authentication Service: IBM’s internal solution for delivering secure device admission to the network, focusing on mobile devices
Drew Wyskida, IBM Research

– Student poster sessions
– Panel Sessions
– Exhibits (AWR, National Instruments, NIKSUN, and more)

More info at: www.sarnoffsymposium.org
 
We are looking forward to seeing you in Newark this May!

Conference Sponsor: IEEE Princeton / Central Jersey Section

Technical Co-sponsors:                            
IEEE Region 1
IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S)
IEEE Photonics Society
IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc)
IEEE ComSoc Radio Communications Committee
IEEE ComSoc Communications and Information Security Technical Committee
IEEE USA                                                        

Conference Chairs:        
Roberto Rojas-Cessa (NJIT)
Elias Kpodzo (L-3 Communications TE)
Technical Program Chairs:
Walid Ahmed (Broadcom)
Osvaldo Simeone (NJIT)
Invited Sessions Chairs:    
Shweta Jain (CUNY)
Ziqian (Cecilia) Dong (NYIT)
Publicity Chair: N. Sertac Artan (NYU Poly)
Publication Chair: Suman S. Das (Niksun)
Registration Chair: Silvija Kokalj-Filipovic (Alcatel-Lucent)
Student Posters Chair: Ziqian (Cecilia) Dong (NYIT)
Tutorials Chair: Alexander Kolarov (Telcordia)
Finance Chair: Nagi Naganathan (LSI)
Local Arrangement Chair: Frank O’Brien (IEEE/CS)
Commercial Panel Chair: Eric Addeo (DeVry)
Webmaster: Khondaker M. Salehin (NJIT)

Contact:
Elias B. Kpodzo
Sarnoff Symposium Co-Chair
Phone: 267-545-7202
Email: Elias.Kpodzo@L-3com.com

 Longtime IEEE Volunteer to Receive IEEE-USA’s Highest Honor

WASHINGTON (27 April 2012) — James A. Watson, who has given more than 1,900 presentations to over 90,000 IEEE professional members around the world, will next week receive IEEE-USA’s highest honor, the Robert S. Walleigh Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism Award.

Watson will be presented the award during the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza on 5 May. He is being recognized “for more than 40 years of leadership in promoting professional development of IEEE members.”

In addition to the professional members he has reached, more than 50,000 student members have heard Watson speak at student-organized events such as IEEE-USA Student Professional Awareness Conferences (SPAC).

Vishnu Pandey, who chairs the SPAC committee, wrote in his nomination letter supporting Watson that the Mansfield, Ohio, resident’s “advice has been invaluable to all committee members, and his guidance has improved our ability to communicate with students greatly.”
Robert S. Walleigh, an IEEE-member electrical engineer, worked for the National Bureau of Standards — now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — for more than 35 years. He supervised the building of NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md., and retired as a senior adviser for international affairs in 1979. For the next 18 years he worked as an IEEE-USA senior specialist.

Watson, an IEEE Third Millennium Medal recipient, is collaborating with colleague Charles Alexander on a textbook, “Engineering Skills for Career Success.” The book, slated for publication in January 2013, will focus on the importance of communication and other non-technical skills for engineers.

Alexander, ironically, will receive the Jim Watson Student Professional Awareness Achievement Award “for long-term contributions to advancing professional awareness among IEEE student members.”

Watson and Alexander are among 20 individuals IEEE-USA will recognize for their professionalism and technical achievements, as well as literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession in the United States.

IEEE-USA awards are approved by the organization’s board of directors. The nomination deadline for 2012 awards is 31 July. For additional information, go to www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/committees/awards or contact Sandra Kim at sandra.kim@ieee.org.

IEEE-USA will also honor:

Award for Distinguished Public Service
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
For dedicated support of technology, innovation and the men and women who engineer our future

Citation of Honor
Dusty Fisher
For leadership in promoting K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education

Henry J. Lindborg
For leadership and contributions to the IEEE-USA Career and Workforce Policy Committee

John J. Paserba
For leadership in promoting engineering through student workshops, speaking engagements and mentoring

Regional Professional Leadership Award
Kristi J. Brooks
For leadership inspiring children as Design Squad liaison, and for student mentorship in Region 4

William O. Serre
For leadership and mentoring of students and young professionals in Region 4

Divisional Professional Leadership Award
Saifur Rahman
For outstanding leadership efforts in advancing the professional aims of IEEE in the field of power and energy

Professional Achievement for Individuals
James M. Conrad
For bringing innovation to SoutheastCon 2010 through PACE activities and student engagement

Richard H. Lamb
For leadership in developing Internet security policy related to global PKI and DNSSEC

Guruprasad Madhavan
For excellent leadership and organizational skills in organizing PACE and student activities

Richard L. Robinson
For leadership in developing exceptionally creative PACE events in the IEEE Denver Section

Perry Sprawls
For providing open and free online engineering education resources

Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering the Public Understanding of the Profession
Beryl Lieff Benderly
For outstanding journalistic effort in educating the public about the influence of engineering in medicine

Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Engineering Professionalism
Patrick Thibodeau
For outstanding literary effort in reporting on engineering technology and public policy

Harry Diamond Award
Baruch Levush
For contributions and leadership in the modeling and design of vacuum electronic devices

Precollege Educator-Engineer Partnership Award
Manuel R. Muro, Jr. and Ryan Harvey
For generating excitement for STEM studies at Cascade Heights Public Charter School through interactive workshops in Milwaukie, Oregon

Entrepreneur Achievement Award  
Richard Odenberg
For helping entrepreneurs achieve greater success through mentorship and education

Supreme Court Affirms Inventors’ Rights in Kappos v. Hyatt Decision

WASHINGTON (19 April 2012) — In Tuesday’s ruling in Kappos v. Hyatt (No. 10–1219), a unanimous Supreme Court affirmed the lower court decision in Hyatt v. Kappos, 625 F.3d 1320 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (en banc), preserving the right of a patent applicant whose claims have been denied by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to present new evidence and obtain new review of patentability of an invention in a court action brought under 35 U.S.C. sec. 145.

Writing for the Court, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion concludes, “there are no limitations on a patent applicant’s ability to introduce new evidence in a [sec.] 145 proceeding beyond those [that apply in any other court proceeding]. Moreover, if new evidence is presented on a disputed question of fact, the district court must make de novo factual findings that take account of both the new evidence and the administrative record before the PTO.”

In an amicus curiae brief filed with the Supreme Court in September 2011, IEEE-USA argued for this result, citing statutory history and noting that “the consequences of narrowing the scope and nature of judicial review pursuant to a [sec.] 145 civil action are likely to have very negative and damaging effects on PTO operations and patent quality, in light of the whole of the patent system.”

“We are pleased that a unanimous Supreme Court agreed with the arguments outlined in IEEE-USA’s amicus curiae brief,” said Keith Grzelak, IEEE-USA vice president of government relations. “This opinion respects 150 years of legal precedent and upholds the rights of inventors and entrepreneurs, ensuring that they will obtain a fair and accurate determination of whether an invention is entitled to a patent.

“It is a victory for U.S. innovation, pure and simple.”

The Supreme Court’s decision in Kappos vs. Hyatt is online at http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-1219.pdf.

IEEE-USA’s amicus curiae brief is available at: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/policy/2011/090611.pdf

 Economist Richard Freeman to Speak at Sci-Tech Measurement Event at AAAS in June

WASHINGTON (13 April 2012) — Registration is now open for the second STEM enterprise measurement workshop in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday 6 June. Harvard professor and leading labor economist Dr. Richard Freeman will deliver the keynote address.

The workshop, “STEM Enterprise: Measures for Innovation and Competitiveness,” is designed to measure the impact and effectiveness of all federal, state, private and academic money spent on research and development in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) area. Sessions will focus on four main areas: funding, workforce, output measures and indicators, and policy implications.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is hosting the event at its Washington headquarters. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A reception open to the public will follow from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information and to register, see http://www.ieeeusa.org/calendar/conferences/stem/default.asp.

Workshop chair and former IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow Marty Sokoloski said the workshop is designed as a forum for STEM thought leaders to better measure the outcome and impact of R&D investment on society and quality of life.
 
“Work in this area serves as the driving force for economic and social advancement in the United States and worldwide,” Sokoloski said. “The economic health of the STEM enterprise is important to everyone, and policies should be derived from basic incorruptible data and measures. This will help us to better plan for a healthy and productive enterprise, future economic growth and rapid innovation.”

The workshop is organized by IEEE-USA, AIChE, AIME, ASCE and ASME and supported by a grant from the United Engineering Foundation. Cosponsors include AAAS, ASTRA, SME, Thompson Reuters and Northrop Grumman.

Former Astronaut, Daughter of World War II Codebreaker to Speak at IEEE-USA Technical Workshop Friday in Cincinnati

WASHINGTON (2 May 2012) — A former astronaut and the daughter of a World War II codebreaker will be featured speakers at an aviation and aerospace technical workshop during the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting in Cincinnati on Friday. http://www.ieeeusa.org/calendar/conferences/annualmeeting/2012/.

Dr. Charles Camarda, a senior adviser for innovation to the Office of Chief Engineer at Johnson Space Center, will discuss NASA collaborations at 10:30 a.m. Camarda served as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-114) in 2005, the first flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

The Return to Flight astronauts docked with the International Space Station and evaluated new procedures for Shuttle safety, inspection and repair. The crew traveled through space for two weeks and 5.8 million miles before landing safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Luncheon speaker Deborah Anderson will talk about her father, Joseph Desch, who as an electrical engineer for the National Cash Register Co. (NCR), led the top secret codebreaking operations in Dayton, Ohio, during World War II. His electronics laboratory designed and manufactured the advanced machine needed to read the encrypted communications of the German Navy’s Enigma machine. Desch and his colleagues kept the project secret for 50 years. http://www.daytoncodebreakers.org/.

The program gets underway at 8 a.m. with an introduction by IEEE Dayton Section Chair Rob Ewing. Dr. Michael Wicks of the University of Dayton will follow with a talk on the way forward, and Dr. Chris Baker of Ohio State University will discuss innovation. Dr. Rob Williams of  Tec^Edge will join Camarda in discussing NASA collaborations. At 11:30, Dr. Hao Huang of General Electric will talk about “Next Generation Power Systems – Vision for Midwest.”

Three afternoon tracks featuring technical papers, posters and panels will follow. For the complete program, which runs until 6 p.m., go to http://www.ieeeusa.org/calendar/conferences/annualmeeting/2012/program/.