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.     

The nuts and bolts of EMBS student chapters! [Student's Corner]

The Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) student chapters and clubs enable students world wide to engage with the global biomedical community, build relationships that extend beyond college, and better understand societal benefits that result from biomedical pursuits. This article addresses lessons learned from the formation of an IEEE EMBS student chapter at Kansas State University (KSU) and highlights some of the activities supported by this group, which include research to aid persons with disabilities and hands-on efforts to interest young women in science and engineering.     

Retrospective: student events at EMBC'08 [Student's Corner]

The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) reaches the community and its members every year, bringing together researchers, clinicians, industry representatives, and trainees from around the world. The 30th annual international conference of the EMBS was held at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre in Vancouver, Canada, on 20-24 August 2008. The 2008 edition of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC) gathered more than 1,600 biomedical engineers in beautiful downtown Vancouver for four exciting days of science, networking, and social interaction.     

Society News [let's welcome new IEEE Fellows]

Reviews the history of the Fellows grade and lists the 16 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) members confirmed as IEEE Fellows effective 1 January 2008.     

Student activities around the world: IEEE EMBS UKRI student club features PGBIOMED 2009

One of the benefits of promoting the formation of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMBS) student associations around the world is to allow university trainees to engage with the global biomedical community at a local, national, and international scale. As part of our continuous efforts toward promoting student activities within EMBS, this column reflects on the experience of a successful EMBS Student Club from Europe [the IEEE EMBS United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (UKRI) Student Club] in hosting the fifth edition of a conference organized by students for students: the Postgraduate Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics (PGBIOMED).     

What's up in the regions? [Society News]

Four geographical representatives of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Administrative Committee (AdCom) report on activities held in their regions. Stephen Davies (North America) reports on events in Canada. Kenji Sunagawa (Japan), Jyh Horng Chen (Taiwan), and Yong R. Yoon (Korea) refer to biomedical engineering (BME) activities in several countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Here is what they want to tell us.     

From the Editor

I hope everyone has had a restful and productive summer. For me, this summer has been full of traveling around the world, and I still find it hard to believe that summer is coming to a close and another school year begins. I amsure that you will enjoy this issue on biomedical engineering in China from guest editor Bin He, who is also the IEEE Engineering inMedicine and Biology Society (EMBS) president-elect.     

President's Message

Over the past decade, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) has expanded its international outreach in a number of areas. Almost half of the EMBS members now reside outside the United States. The international efforts of the EMBS can be seen in many of the activities summarized below.     

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.     

History among the Engineers

The IEEE's Center for the History of Electrical Engineering is the latest manifestation of a sensitivity about and interest in history that the electrical engineers have shown for much of the last century. Particularly since the late 1940's, the IEEE's predecessors, the Institute of Radio Engineers and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, have recognized a professional responsibility toward their heritage. Finding the best means for carrying out this responsibility has been a long process, however, culminating in the establishment of the Center in 1980. Since the Center's establishment owed much to a genuine concern about the preservation of the documentary record of electrical engineering's achievements, the identification and preservation of significant archival collections has been a major priority from the beginning. This effort has been joined by a similar concern for the artifacts of the electrical engineering heritage. The Center's programs have also included a variety of publications, exhibits, and other efforts to heighten awareness of the history of electrical engineering, and particularly of the profession itself, among members of the IEEE, the scholarly and technical communities, and the general public.     

Protection of the health care and public health critical infrastructure and key assets

I write these lines with mixed emotions. Our dearest friend Swamy is now with us only in spirit. I coedited past special issues of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine with him, namely, "The New Face of Terrorism: Combating Bioterrorism with Biomedical Engineering" [1], a year after 9/11 (September/October 2002), and "Protecting the Homeland: The Many Facets of Homeland Security," January/February 2004 [2]. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this body of work to his memory. This special issue is also the last to be published under the guidance, and the tender love and care, of John Enderle, as the editor-in-chief of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine. As an editor-in-chief, John Enderle provided an extraordinary service for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) and IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine. As the editorial remarks in the 2004 issue reflect: "Editor-in-Chief John Enderle's foresight to keep our readers abreast of the current and upcoming developments and initiatives is a source of constant encouragement to the biomedical engineering community to take on a broader role in the continuing fight against terrorism." I take this opportunity to thank John for all the years of strong and visionary leadership and for the wonderful opportunities that he provided to bring forward before the EMBS community broader, meaningful, and highly relevant scholarly perspectives, which attempted to tackle the tough and persistent problems so evident in the times in which we live.     

EMBC 2009 at a glance. . . [Student's Corner]

Another year has gone by and while you are all enjoying summertime, keep in mind that every year, near the end of the summer, it's time for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC). This year, the 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) will be held 2-6 September 2009 at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, the world capital of the medical device industry. The meeting will bring together more than 2,000 of the world's experts in biomedical engineering, including academics, researchers, industrialists, clinicians, and trainees for five days of science, networking, and social events.     

Compound interest [President's Column]

The IEEE is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. This is certainly a noteworthy event to acknowledge the history of the world's largest professional technical association. Yes, the IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology. It all began with the formation of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) in 1884. This was followed by the formation of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) in 1912. In 1963, the AIEE and IRE merged to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the IEEE. Today, the organization's scope of interest has expanded into so many related fields that it is simply referred to by the letters I-E-E-E ("Eye-triple-E"). It is a global organization with almost 400,000 Members in over 160 countries. IEEE Members have access to the industry's most essential technical information, networking opportunities, career development tools, and many other exclusive benefits. And the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) is proud to be part of that heritage.     

Reviving democracy at the IEEE

It is argued that since 1963, when the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) merged to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), autocracy within the organization has increased. Autocratic and bureaucratic characteristics became more pronounced after 1972 when the IEEE-USA Professional Activities Program (PAP) was established. The ways in which single-candidate ballots, approval voting, the IEEE Assembly, and communication control contribute to a situation in which volunteers who perform professionally, but contrary to the establishment's wishes, are ignored, censored, fired, or ostracized are discussed. The consequences of what transpired in the IEEE since 1963 and recommendations of actions to overturn the deeply rooted selected entrenched hierarchy are outlined     

Early organizations of biomedical engineering in the US

The author provides some facts about the early history of the Institute for Radio Engineers Professional Group on Medical Electronics, which later became today's IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, to supplement the information given in a 1959 article by L.H. Montgomery, which is reprinted in ibid., vol.12, no.3, p.30-3 (1993)     

基于Petri网的配电网重构

提出一种基于Petri网的配电网重构算法。并引入了最佳优先搜索的思想方法。以电气和电子工程师协会（IEEE）的3馈线16节点系统为算例，应用所提出的算法进行了网络重构，比较了重构前后配电网系统的网损。结果表明该算法准确、可行、实用。     

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.     

Best of both worlds [Emerging Technologies]

Expanding on the experience gained at 2006 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC'06) in New York, the 30th IEEE Annual International Conference of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), held on 24 August 2008, hosted the second Industry--Academia Partnership Roundtable. The panel that pioneered the EMBC'06 efforts, with members from academic and industry communities, debated topics related to the following: · reciprocal value that academia and industry can offer in medical device new product development · the basics of starting up your own company · clash of cultures (industry versus academia): what obstacles academicians may face in reaching entrepreneurship? · intellectual property (IP) joint development and sharing between industry and academia · quick tutorial on use of provisional patents. How are patents used by companies?     

Report of the EAB Committee to Study Programs in Engineering Technology

Many groups and many individuals are disturbed by the presence of baccalaureate programs in engineering technology (BSET), the rapid growth of these programs, and the presence in the job market of graduates from these programs along with graduates from baccalaureate programs in engineering (BSE). Apprehension has been expressed by engineering educators as well as by engineers working in industry; concerns have been articulated by students enrolled in BSET programs and by their parents. Individual members of the IEEE have brought related issues that have disturbed them to the attention of various groups within the Institute. In response to these concerns, the IEEE Educational Activities Board formed an ad hoc Committee to recommend a position for the EAB on the questions concerning BSET programs, and to suggest whether the IEEE should change its position regarding baccalaureate programs in engineering technology. This report attempts to describe the problems from which the apprehensions have arisen, the nature of BSET programs, as well as employment and career opportunities for graduates of BSET programs. The recommendations suggest several directions IEEE efforts may take that the committee believes would be effective in alleviating many of the problems and questions that have been raised.     

IEEE is 125 years old! [From the Editor's Desk]

The year 2009 is the 125th anniversary of the founding of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), the parent organization of the IEEE. In recognition of our 125th anniversary, the IEEE Board of Directors has authorized that a special anniversary master brand be used on IEEE publications this year. Shown below, this is its first appearance in this magazine.