March 2009 – History

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past

Copyright 1995 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. 83, No. 11, November 1995.

Benjamin G. Lamme and Giant Generators

One hundred years ago, a large hydroelectric power plant began operation at Niagara Falls, NY. The plant was a milestone in the history of the generation and distribution of electric power and it helped educate a generation of engineers on the advantages of alternating current. The plant was a prototype which provided enough flexibility to serve the needs of a variety of consumers both near the power plant and at remote locations. Benjamin G. Lamme played a leading role in the design of the giant generators used in the Niagara Falls power station and would later become chief engineer of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.

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March 2009 – IEEE News

New IEEE-USA President Shares Members’ Concerns about their Careers,
Looks to the Promise of Technology

WASHINGTON (30 January 2009) — IEEE-USA’s great challenge in 2009 will be to live up to its motto, “Building Careers & Shaping Public Policy.””Never before in my memory have both of these tasks been as important as they are now,” said Dr. Gordon W. Day, who became IEEE-USA president on New Year’s Day. “Rarely have so many of our members been so concerned about the future of their careers, and rarely has a U.S. president been so committed to using technology to preserve our prosperity, keep us secure and protect our environment.”In a recent letter to President Barack Obama (http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/policy/2008/120508.pdf), Day strongly endorsed the president’s strategy of making investments that will save or create jobs now and build a stronger America for the future.

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From Charlie’s Desk

  • We had a great turnout at last month’s meeting. Marwan Nusair’s presentation on global climate change was very compelling. It was great to see everyone.
  • At our February 26th meeting Vic Spang of the Buckeye Power Sales Company will discuss ways to install residential backup power generators. Considering the incredible weather last year, it would be a good idea to know what backup options are available. Check the meeting notice for details.
  • On February 17th the Retired Engineers and Scientists of Cincinnati will hold a meeting about “Procter and Gamble in World War II and Korean War – How a Soap Company Revolutionized the Shell Loading Industry”. The meeting is at Evergreen on Galbraith Road. Lunch will be at 11:30AM and the presentation at 1:00PM. See their website a www.resc.org for more information.

February 2009 – Section Meeting Information

EMERGENCY ELECTRIC GENERATORS FOR HOME – THE TECHNICAL, THE DIFFERENCES,
AND HOW TO CHOOSE

DATE :     Thursday, February 26, 2009
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 FOR DINNER: $10.00 per person – REGARDLESS OF MEMBERSHIP OR MEMBERSHIP GRADE!

NOTE:  DINNERS ARE ALWAYS OPTIONAL – YOU MAY ATTEND THE PROGRAM ONLY. 

MENU SELECTIONS:   Spinach Stuffed Tomato, Pan Fried Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce, Beef Stroganoff, Steamed Fresh Broccoli, Buttered Noodles, Tossed Salad, Dinner Rolls and Butter, Apple & Peach Cobblers, Coffee, Tea, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks. There is also a bar available for the purchase of alcoholic drinks.

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February 2009 – Membership News

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

Steven M. Bak
Nancy Marie Connelly
Benjamin Corrado
Jim Ray Gross
Alero Boritsegin Jakpa
Alexander Wayne Juncker
Thomas Gerard McLaughlin
Alex Meier
Obioma Nwigwe
Diana Treece
Lee Watson
Brandon Williams

We wish to welcome these new members to the Cincinnati Section!!!

February 2009 – History

Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering from the Past
Submitted by Bob Morrison, Editor
Copyright 1995 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. 83, No. 10, October 1995.

Greenleaf W. Pickard and the Eclipse Network

Seventy years ago this month, the PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTE OF RADIO ENGINEERS (IRE) included a paper by Greenleaf W. Pickard on the effect of a recent solar eclipse on radio reception. At the time he was a consulting engineer with the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company of Boston, MA, and a past president of the IRE. He was the author or coauthor of 15 Proceedings papers published between 1920 and 1934.

Pickard was born in 1877 in Portland, ME. The well known poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, was his great uncle. Pickard attended the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University and also took classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1899 he received a grant from the Smithsonian Institution to support his wireless research at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA. He joined the American Wireless Telegraph and Telephone Company in 1901 and installed wireless apparatus to report the Americas Cup yacht competition that year.

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February 2009 – IEEE News

Washington, DC Public Radio, Metro Transit
Announcements Promote EWeek Discover Engineering Family Day

IEEE-USA is sponsoring announcements on Washington, DC’s all-classical public radio station and in the capital city’s Metro transit system that promote  Discover Engineering Family Day, to be held at the National Building Museum in Washington on Saturday, 21 February.  

Discover Engineering Family Day, part of Engineers Week 2009, provides an interactive day-long program to introduce youngsters and their families to the excitement of engineering. The program engages more than 6,000 participants annually in “hands-on” and “minds-on” experiences to create an interest in engineering principles that are encountered in everyday life. The 2009 event encourages attendees to “work with engineers to invent something new.”

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January 2009 – Section Meeting Information

JANUARY MEETING
The Science of Global Warming

DATE: Thursday, January 22, 2009
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 FOR DINNER: $10.00 per person – REGARDLESS OF MEMBERSHIP OR MEMBERSHIP GRADE!

NOTE:  DINNERS ARE ALWAYS OPTIONAL – YOU MAY ATTEND THE PROGRAM ONLY. 

MENU SELECTIONS:   Egg Plant Parmesan, Salisbury Steak, Baked Ham with Pineapples, Scalloped Potatoes, Seasoned Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Rolls and Butter, Assorted Pies, Coffee, Tea, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks. 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 email Fred Nadeau for reservations at mailto:fnadeau1@earthlink.net (preferred) or call the Section Voice Mail at 513-629-9380 by Noon, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 if you plan to attend. Please leave your Name, IEEE Member Number, and a daytime telephone number.

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:  Our speaker this month, Dr. Marwan Nusair, will give a fact based, analytical presentation on the hard science of global warming. He will discuss, based on scientific data, why some scientists think the earth is warming and why other scientists think the earth is actually cooling. Dr. Nusair is a member of the Cincinnati IEEE section and has a keen interest in the way climatology data has been presented to make the case for global warming.

January 2009 – Membership News

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

Daniel Abbott
Patrick Annan
Jarret Callahan
James Anthony Charles
Jonathan Ford
John Gideon
Retina M. Hobbs
Nicholas Hunter
Johnny Maynard
Will Middleton
Michael James Pierce
Kirthi Radhakrishnan
Joshua Shank
Kyle A. Siefring
Daniel Ryan Talpas
Makio Tamura
Nishanth Vepachedu
Timmy R. Williams
Thomas Zajdel

We wish to welcome these new members to the Cincinnati Section!!!