Editorial

This is my last column as the IEEE MGA Student Activities Committee (SAC) chair. It has been a pleasure to have served two consecutive terms, and I have learned a lot about student perspectives, needs, and the aspirations of IEEE Student Members. My successor is being appointed for the 2010 term, and I wish him/her as wonderful a time as I have had.     

Stem the tide [Education Department News]

D uring the last week of May 2008, I attended the 2007-2008 Engineering, Science, and Technology Council of Houston Annual Awards Banquet to support 1) the two IEEE Section winners of the Houston Museum of Natural Science Summer Intern Program, who are selected from the winners of the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, and 2) the local IEEE Section, which was receiving an Excellence in Education Award for its ongoing Teacher In-Service Program (TISP), featuring IEEE Section volunteers who developed and presented technologically oriented subject matter to local preuniversity educators in an in-service or professional development setting.     

My first job: combining theory and practice

I consider myself an applied physicist who practices his profession primarily by working in the field of electrical/electronic engineering, hence my association with the IEEE as both a 53-year member and past president of the organization. I obtained my undergraduate degree, B.A.Sc., from the University of Toronto (U of T). While attending the U of T, the school calendar permitted an approximately five-month period between years that enabled students to earn money and gain professional experience if they were fortunate enough to receive such summer employment.     

Foundations of innovation [President's Message]

This is my final column as the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) president. During the past years, I have had the opportunity to work with many EMBS members and to receive a variety of perspectives on what we do, what we should do, and what we could do differently. As you may guess, although some consensus exists, ourmembers have many different views on EMBS. We can profit from these perspectives and continue the task of improving our Society for the benefit of our members and the profession.     

What do people want? [President's Message]

This is my last column as SSIT President. I thank the Board of Governors for their advice and support. I also thank all SSIT's volunteers and our T&S Managing Editor, for their hard work and dedication to the society and its goals. We have a role to play in the IEEE and society as a whole, asking questions and listening to the answers.     

The way ahead

As you talk to IEEE volunteers and leaders and read through IEEE announcements, you may encounter the relatively new acronym MGA. What is MGA? What does it stand for? Is it just another department in the huge IEEE worldwide organization? In this issue, I will share my thoughts on MGA with you.     

The way ahead (SBC 2008)

I would like to share with you my recent experiences in attending two regional student conferences. In late August 2008, I attended the IEEE Region 8 Student Branch Congress (SBC 2008), held in London. IEEE Region 8 is composed of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The event takes place every other year and is organized by the Student Activities Committee of Region 8. It is hosted by a Student Branch, which volunteers to make all local arrangements.     

Good-bye and happy holidays! [From the Editor]

This is my last issue as editor-inchief of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine. It has been a wonderful experience for me to work with the readers of themagazine, column writers, IEEE staff, guest editors, and the authors. Michael Neuman is the new editor-in-chief, and I wish him the very best of luck.     

Highlights [President's Message]

The year 2009 has been a productive year for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). We have accomplished a great deal in enhancing the quality of conferences and publications, owing to the tremendous efforts from our volunteers and staff. I take great pride in recognizing the achievements of our members. Across the globe, we are fortunate to have innumerable examples of significant progress. It is my pleasure to report to you the past year's highlights.     

Service calls [From the Editor's Desk]

When the phone call came asking me to consider taking the role of Editor-in-Chief for IEEE Microwave Magazine, my first thought was "save yourself--decline!" Like every other electronics engineer I know, I was already multitasking, juggling several projects at once. Most of us agree to take on (and take home) more work than we probably should.     

President's Message - New IEEE Excellence of Power Medal Established

As you know, the IEEE has many medals as highest awards. It is my honor to announce that the Industrial Electronics Society (IES) will support a new IEEE Excellence of Power Medal (the name is still tentative) together with the Industry Applications Society (IAS), Power and Energy Society (PES), and the Power Electronics Society (PELS).     

STEM programs of IEEE [Education Department News]

The 2009 Engineering, Science, and Technology Council of Houston Annual Awards Banquet was held in May to support the two IEEE winners of the Houston Museum of Natural Science Summer Intern Program. The winners are selected from the winners of the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston. The local IEEE Organizational Unit has been a long-time supporter of the annual science fair and the summer intern program as a K-12 initiative to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs within our school systems.     

We can make it better! [President's Message]

It is my great pleasure to write to you as the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) president while we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the IEEE. The IEEE has had significant and lasting impact on engineering and related fields and has become one of the most influential professional societies in the world. Being a member society of the IEEE, the EMBS has played a significant and leadership role in the field of biomedical engineering. As the IEEE symbolizes technical excellence and societal impact, we should make every effort to maintain and enhance the quality and impact of what we are doing and what we plan to do.     

Rules of thumb [Essay]

Over the years, I have been asked many times by students, employees, and peers at management meetings, as to what approaches to my assignments during my career as an engineer and as a manager served me best. While I would always take time to think about the question, the answer was almost always the same, whether one follows a technical career or a career in management?"There are four words that can help you build strong relationships, if you use them to build your daily work approach around. You could even call them 'Rules of thumb for careers'." The usual reactions were, "Sure," "Right," or for those who insist on being literal, "What four words could do that?" At that point I would suggest that everyone get comfortable and allow me to provide some insight into the topic.     

Recognizing IAS Members [President's Message]

As the calendar year begins to draw to a close, it is time to start thinking about recognizing outstanding Members of our Society. There are many Society and Institute awards for which our Members qualify, but we have to work together to nominate them. As I have moved through various positions in the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS), I have been nominated for some things; written many nominations, references, and endorsements; and reviewed many nomination packages. I would like to take this opportunity to convey to you the importance of recognizing our Members with awards and to share some thoughts on how to maximize the possibilities of successful nominations.     

Pitfalls and paths to success in interdisciplinary scientific database research

The challenges of interdisciplinary research are often alluded to but seldom talked about directly. Focusing on interdisciplinary research conducted by biologists and computer scientists, my intent in this article is to present for your consideration thoughts emerging out of my experiences with the hope that you can avoid pitfalls and choose paths that lead to success. Ten real pitfalls in interdisciplinary research are described in the form of painful questions, and some possible paths around them suggested. The first seven are largely about data, while the remaining three are about people. Successfully managing a flood of data with a DBMS leads biologists to perform lots of analyses. But that leads to them being overwhelmed by too many results. Biologists and computer scientists could be mismatched in several ways, each of which causes frustration. However, I have found that we have much in common and really are not isolated islands, or two cultures. As I step back and extract what I have learned, my main conclusion is this: while researchers face formidable scientific and computational tasks, the truly hard part is communicating.     

All for McNaughton [IEEE Student Branch Profile]

There are tales aplenty of just formed IEEE Student Branches (SB) occupying basements, cluttered classrooms, or high traffic university student centers, just trying to eke out an existence among the bevy of college clubs and activities. For the University of Victoria (UVic), British Columbia, IEEE Student Branch, there was not so much eking as there was completing. Founded approximately 20 years ago, UVic secured an office early on, complete with a library of current journals and books, and participated in IEEE student design competitions. Over the years, with the co-op nature of the engineering program at UVic, continuity and student involvement became difficult to maintain. The growth in the engineering faculty at UVic resulted in the demand for space outpacing supply. As a result, the SB office was appropriated for other purposes.     

A voluntary decision [Personal and Professional Growth]

Volunteering can be beneficial to both the recipient and the volunteer. Given that I also have to make a living, I only have so much time to dedicate to volunteer activities, making prioritization necessary. While my particular motivations may not apply to you, volunteers should consciously consider for what they are volunteering and use some method to manage their set of volunteer opportunities.     

Probing times [Microwave Bytes]

I frequently get asked whether I find myself running out of things to write about in this column. It's a very simple question to answer, yes I do. When I started writing Microwave Bytes over two years ago, it seemed that by the time I finished one submission, usually sometime late on the deadline date (fortunately extended by my European location), I already had an embryonic idea about what the next one might be about, but that luxury was rather short-lived. I rather think this must be much the same for "real" journalists who write regular (even daily, my gosh) columns, and I suspect we all essentially get bailed out at the 11th hour by the "deadline effect"; that is you sit in front of a keyboard and start typing something, with almost no forethought. The result, for me, is that one basically starts typing about whatever first enters your head, which usually relates to something you have been doing recently. So be it, and once again I find I can string something together. Long may it continue, I guess.     

Correction to Electricity Journal papers in July 2019 issue and in July 2020 issue by James Loewen

As the result of an email exchange which occurred following the publication of my 2020 paper, I have changed my view on LCOE, and wish to retract the argument I presented in 2019. The 2020 paper, which was based on the 2019 paper, is also thus invalidated. It turns out the conventional wisdom is right in this case.