MEMBERSHIP NEWS

NEW MEMBERS

The following individuals are IEEE members who are new to our Section:

Guthrie Briggs
Chris Butler
Casandra Cox
Andrew Daniel
Tobias Derdorff
John Dwyer
Chris Edwards
Jeffrey Gruseck
Alexander Jones 
Matthew Myers
Kevin Penn
Anthony Sargent
Michaela Scheifer
Aaron Seidel
Alander Squire
Xinyu Sun
Gregory Watson
We wish to welcome these members to the Cincinnati Section!!!

 If you are interested in upgrading your membership to Senior Member, please contact any member of the Executive Committee.

 

MARCH 2011 HISTORY

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past
Submitted by Marc Bell, Editor

Copyright 1997 IEEE. Reprinted with permission from the IEEE publication, “Scanning the Past” which covers a reprint of an article appearing in the Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 85, No. 2, February 1997.

Rudolf Kompfner and the Traveling-Wave TYibe    

     Fifty years ago this month, the PROCEEDINGS OF  THE RADIO ENGINEERS (IRE) included a paper by Rudolf Kompfner (see Fig. 1) img014.jpgon the traveling-wave tube as a microwave amplifier. At the time he was affiliated with the Clarendon Laboratory of Oxford University in England. He received the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1973 as recognition of having made “a major contribution to worldwide communication through the conception of the traveling-wave tube embodying a new principle of amplification.” He also made significant contributions to the development of communication using earth satellites.
     Kompfner was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1909. He graduated with a degree in architecture from the Technische Hochschule in Vienna in 1933. In 1934, he moved to England, where he (more…)

IEEE NEWS

NEWS from IEEE-USA
2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036-4910

IEEE/IEEE-USA’s New Face of Engineering Honored for Technological Innovations Benefiting Women and Children

WASHINGTON (1 March 2011) — Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan was recognized as the IEEE/IEEE-USA’s 2011 New Face of Engineering during National Engineer Week for developing technological solutions that improve the lives of disabled and impoverished women and children in India.Veeraraghavan was one of 14 engineers recognized for this international honor and featured in a full-page ad in USA Today on 21 February: http://www.eweek.org/Site/Engineers/newfaces2011/EWEEK_New_Faces.pdf   I’m humbled by this honor and would like to dedicate it to the disabled children that benefit from our programs,” Veeraraghavan said. “The recognition has motivated me to strongly pursue my passion toward designing engineering solutions to solve global humanitarian issues. In coming years, I will continue working to develop more technological solutions, and will strive hard to bring many more positives changes to the living conditions of people with disabilities.” Engineers Week (EWeek) was celebrated in the United States 20-26 February.Veeraraghavan, 27, is a component design engineer with the Intel Corp. and lives in Hudson, Mass. He earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., in May 2010.After graduating from India’s Anna University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering in 2005, Veeraraghavan visited a local school for developmentally disabled children in Chennai, India, where he saw children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other disorders. Their needs varied so much that proper therapy was impossible.So he and a group of medical professionals developed the Automated Screening System for Developmental Disorders, a 30-minute screening procedure that assists in the early detection of autism in children as young as 18 months.

According to a 2008 story in The Institute, the procedure “evaluates the child’s fine and gross motor, social, and language skills through (more…)

February 2011 Section Meeting Information

FEBRUARY MEETING
Police radar and laser detectors – state of the art

DATE: Thursday, February 24, 2011
PLACE : Raffel’s – 10160 Reading Road (see below for directions)
TIME : 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. –  Social Time
               6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. –  Dinner
               7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. –  Presentation
COST:   $12- $15, See information in Reservations

MENU SELECTIONS:   Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Breast with Ham & Cheese, Scalloped Potatoes, Seasoned Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Dinner Rolls and Butter.  There is also a bar available for the purchase of alcoholic drinks.

LOCATION:  Raffel’s is located at 10160 Reading Road, south of Glendale-Milford Road on the east side of Reading. Take I-75 to the Glendale-Milford Rd. Exit, go east on Glendale-Milford Road approximately ¾ of a mile to Reading Rd. and turn right on Reading.

RESERVATIONS:  (Please note New Procedure) We are changing to an on-line reservation system.  Please make reservations for each meeting by going to: https://ieeecincinnati.org/meetings/.  Please click on the appropriate link and complete the reservation.  Beginning with the March 2011 meeting, you will be able to pay on-line.  We encourage you to use the on-line system.  It is a convenience not only to you, but also to our volunteers.  For a limited time, we will be offering a price break for using the on-line system.  $12 On-line reservations for IEEE member and $15 for Guests, Email, Voice Mail, or at the door. 
** If you are having dinner you must use the Menu Selection drop down box to select “Buffet – $12”**
If for some reason you cannot use the on-line reservation system, you may register by emailing your Name, IEEE Member Number (if you wish to receive the IEEE rate), a daytime telephone number, and whether or not you will be having dinner to reservations@ieeecincinnati.org .  For email reservations, you will pay at the door by check or cash (exact change appreciated).
All Reservations must be made by Noon, Tuesday, February 22, 2011 if you plan to attend.
Voice Mail reservations will be eliminated at the end of February 2011.  Voice Mail at 513-629-9380.
PE CREDITS: Depending on the subject matter, attendance at IEEE Cincinnati Section Meetings now qualifies the attendee for Professional Development Hours towards renewal of Professional Engineers Licenses. Required documentation will be available following the meeting!  The Section Meetings also provide a great opportunity to network with fellow engineers in the area.

ABOUT THE MEETING:  
Ever since speed measurement devices were introduced in the late 1960s using microwave (radar) frequencies, devices to detect these transmitters have been sold to the public.  As detectors become more and more capable, police radar and laser guns manufacturers introduce features, and sometimes new frequencies, to make them less detectable and more efficient.  This contest continues today with the widespread use of laser guns, as well as the introduction of ultra-short duration radar pulse guns, referred to as “POP” in the industry.
 
This talk will cover the various technical aspects of this cat-and-mouse game and will review the present state of the art in radar and laser speed measurement and its countermeasures.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Marwan Nusair is from Amman, Jordan receiving his BA(Hons) and MA(Hons) from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences (experimental physics), and his M.Sc. from the American University of Beirut (theoretical physics). He went on to receive a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Cincinnati, and, more importantly, met his wife there.
He spent two years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Toronto Physics Department, followed by two years as an instructor. He then started a business in Cincinnati, designing antennas and feedhorns for home satellite use, and later commercial satellite systems. The business was sold in 1985. He has been a consultant since 1987, doing design work for RF and microwave projects, with the majority being in the police radar detector industry. He is currently busy with radar detector design work. He has published 4 papers in peer-reviewed physics journals and has 7 patents in microwave design and 3 currently pending. He was also a visiting professor of physics at the University of Cincinnati in 1987-88. He is also proud of the fact that an antenna system of his design is in use in a U.S. military project known as “Spider”.
He has served as IEEE Cincinnati Section Secretary and is now Treasurer, and looks forward to helping the Section continue its success, whether as a member or officer.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
If you are interested in upgrading your membership to Senior Member, please contact any member of the Executive Committee.
NEW MEMBERS
The following individuals are IEEE members who are new to our Section:

Daniel Amundson
Joshua Biltz
Ralph Campbell
Waylon Chambless
Eric Cochran
Keith Frikken
John Gebhardt
Greg Harrington
Herman Harrison
Nathan Kincade 
Joe Koetters
Robert Maertz
Dean Oliver
Rodney Phillips
Jim Ramler
Michael Shannon
Antar Vasi
Timothy Waters
Dalric Webb
We wish to welcome these members to the Cincinnati Section!!!

FEBRUARY 2011 HISTORY

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past
Submitted by Marc Bell, Editor

Copyright 1997 IEEE. Reprinted with permission from the IEEE publication, “Scanning the Past” which covers a reprint of an article appearing in the Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 85, No. 1, January 1997.

Harold A. Wheeler: A Pioneer in Radio and Television
   img001.jpg

     Fifty-five years ago this month, the PROCEEDINGS OF THE RADIO ENGINEERS (IRE) included a paper on interference between frequency-modulated signals by Harold A. Wheeler (see Fig. 1). Remembered as the inventor  of a much used automatic volume control (AVC) circuit and numerous other technical contributions to communi¬cations engineering, he was a frequent contributor to the PROCEEDINGS during a professional career that spanned much of the 20th century. He served many years as a member of the IRE Board of Editors and was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1964.
      Wheeler was born in 1905 in Minnesota where his father was an agricultural teacher. The family soon moved to South Dakota where his father taught for four years at South Dakota State College in Brookings. From 1907 to 1916, the Wheeler family lived in Mitchell, SD, where his father worked as manager of a seed company. Wheeler remembered Mitchell as having been “a small town with Hazeltine, inventor of the neutrodyne radio receiver and a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Wheeler worked for Hazeltine during the summer of 1923 and came to (more…)

IEEE NEWS

IEEE NEWS
NEWS from IEEE-USA
2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036-4910

A Million Electric Vehicles on the Road by 2015? Austin Workshop to Examine the Challenges and Opportunities

WASHINGTON (26 January 2011) — In last night’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for the United States to “… become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.”
      The IEEE-USA Electric Vehicles & Personal Transportation Workshop will explore the challenges and opportunities to make that vision a reality. The all-day event, at the Renaissance Austin (Texas) Hotel on Friday 4 March, will feature eight panels and more than 20 technology, industry, academic and policy experts.
     Workshop focus areas include the electric vehicle market; charging infrastructure; plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the electricity business; (more…)

Motor Rebuild Experts?

One of our members is looking for someone who has expertise in rebuilding fractional horsepower electric motors, specifically capacitor start switches. If you can help please write a comment to this posting. Thanks.

Ford to recruit engineers in Cincinnati

Cincinnati is one of nine U.S. markets where Ford Motor Co. said it will be recruiting engineers this year for its push into electric vehicles. The automaker announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit it will add more than 7,000 salaried and hourly jobs over the next two years. Included in that number is 750 salaried engineering jobs in product development and manufacturing. Check out this article for more information.