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.     

The dreaded question. . . [GOLD]

All good things must come to an end, including a thesis. After years of reading countless journal articles, scouring through textbooks, listening to hours of lectures, attending annual IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) conferences, meeting numerous clinicians, coding at all hours of the night, and dissecting draft after draft after written draft, there comes a time in every graduate student?s life when the thesis is ready for the print room. Engineering graduate students around the world spend years of their lives striving toward the goal of a finished thesis product, one which contributes novel ideas and techniques to the scientific community. However, upon reaching the pinnacle of their early careers, it is almost a certainty that every student will be faced with the dreaded question: "Now that you have finished your thesis, what's next?"     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Student support ubiquitous when you know where to look

This article sheds some light on where IEEE Student Members look for support opportunities. Some of the major types of awards available are: regional student awards, graduate student fellowship, student paper contest, undergraduate student competitions, and travel grants. In addition to these awards SAC (Student Activities Committee) has initiated two new awards: IEEE Darrel Chong Student Activity Award and the IEEE XTreme 24-Hour Programming Challenges. Thus, this type of awards provides knowledge sharing among students     

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.     

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.     

Texas A&M Student Branch motto: host activities and they will join

The goal of every activity that the IEEE Texas A&M Student Branch hosts is to educate students about life as an engineer and what it will take to get a job in the industry. With that in mind, the Student Branch organized the IEEE LAN (Local Area Network) 2006, which took place for the first time in November. The event gave all engineering students the opportunity to get together in a large gaming atmosphere that would not otherwise be available to them. This was an all-night event that was held in the College of Engineering building . Attendees played computer games over the local network and competed for prizes. The goal is to make IEEE LAN a yearly event that is free to the students. Financing will be arranged through fund raising activities. The Branch will also ask industry professionals to sponsor the event by providing door prizes and monetary donations. Branch officers are also working on plans for other IEEE Texas A&M Student Branch activities     

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.     

Golden accomplishments in biomedical engineering

The 50th anniversary of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is an appropriate time to look back at the origins and growth of both the field of biomedical engineering and the EMBS. The present account gives most attention to the aspects of biomedical engineering to which IEEE members (and, earlier, American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) members and Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) members) contributed, which is to say that this account emphasizes the electrical, electronic, and computing aspects of biomedical engineering. Topics covered include: history of the technologies; the roots of biomedical engineering; prehistory and history of the profession; biomedical applications of the computer; health care; ultrasound technology; new means of medical imaging; endoscopy, lasers, and fear of electromagnetic fields; study of human metabolism; the Human Genome Project, robotics, and internationalization; and forecasting progress in biomedical engineering.     

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.     

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?     

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.     

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.     

Online visibility: EMBS gets e-savvy [Student Activities]

I came across an e-newsletter from the British Museum last week advertising free delivery when you spend more than ￡100 on British Museum sculptures and replicas. Inasmuch as my small flat in London could use a bust replica of an Egyptian noble woman or a Rosetta Stone coffee mug, it was the ending of the newsletter that caught my eye in particular. To help others find this newsletter, the British Museum has conveniently provided links to ten networking Web sites (some of which I have never heard of): Digg It!, Del.ico.us, Newsvine, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn. The British Museum is e-savvy. I started to think about the IEEE and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), and I thought I would share some of our own proud e-achievements and current endeavors that we have come a long way over the past several years.     

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.     

New ideas spring from Virginia Tech's historical roots

Although it has been around since 1917, the Virginia Tech Student Branch is anything but an old timer. Attracting members, educating the public about what electrical and computer do and operating the student branch with a modicum of fiscal independence has always been the focus of the student branch sponsors a number of activities that address those goals. The officers added up a new component to their most popular event the student professional awareness conference (S-PAC) which is held at all IEEE Student Branches to promote professionalism in engineering