IEEE / DEIS
Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society
Constitution
Constitution of the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation
Society (DEIS)
December 2007
Article I: Name and Object
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
Section 2. The objectives of the Society shall be technical, scientific, literary, and educational. The Society shall
strive for the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical and electronics engineering and the related arts
and sciences, in consonance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE. It shall give special attention to the
technical areas within its field of interest defined under Scope (Article III).
Section 3. The society shall promote close cooperation an exchange of technical information among its members and
to this end shall hold meetings for the presentation of papers and their discussion. Through committees it shall
stimulate research, develop appropriate studies and standards, and sponsor periodic and special publications in the
field of dielectrics and electrical insulation.
Article II: Membership
Section 1. Members of the IEEE in any grade, including students, having a professional interest in any phase of the
field of interest of the Society shall be eligible for membership in the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society.
Section 2. Other individuals may affiliate and participate in the Society activities, as provided by the IEEE Bylaws
and subject to the applicable IEEE rules and regulations and any additional limitations imposed by the Society
Bylaws.
Article III: Scope
Section 1. The field of interest of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society shall be the study and
application of dielectric phenomena and behavior and the development, characterization and application of all
gaseous, liquid and solid electrical insulating materials and systems utilized in electrical and electronic equipment.
The Society shall also be involved in the creation of voluntary engineering standards and the recommended practices
related thereto.
Section 2. The scope of the Society may be changed as needed, with the provision that such revisions shall be
processed as an amendment to this Constitution.
Article IV: Financial Support
Section 1. The Society shall collect an annual assessment or fee from its members, in accordance with the IEEE
Bylaws and applicable rules and regulations. The amount of the fee shall be established by the Administrative
Committee (ADCOM) of the Society and published in the Operations Manual.
Section 2. The Society may make registration charges at its meetings, symposia, conferences and conventions. The
registration fee for non-members of the IEEE may be higher than that for IEEE members.
Section 3. The Society may also raise revenues by such other means as advertising, exhibitions, requests for
voluntary contributions, and fees for sending out notices to persons who are not Society members, provided such
means are consistent with applicable IEEE rules and regulations. Revenues generated by any means not provided for
in IEEE rules and regulations must be approved by the General Manager of the IEEE before being adopted by the
Society.
Section 4. The Society may provide, or set aside in the budget, certain funds to be used to support the activities of
members of the Society and its technical committees for participation at international technical meetings (e.g.,
International Electrotechnical Commission) pertinent to the needs of the Society. These funds are to be approved by
vote of ADCOM and administered by the Society Treasurer.
Article V: Organization
Section 1 An ADCOM consisting of eighteen members-at-large from the Society plus all other voting and nonvoting ex-officio members as specified in its Bylaws shall manage the affairs of the Society through regular
meetings as provided in its Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 2. Standing committees, ad hoc committees and working groups may be formed as provided in the IEEE
rules and regulations, and the supervision of their affairs, other than by ADCOM, shall be as prescribed in the
Bylaws.
Section 3. The duties and responsibility of the officers shall be defined hereunder and in the Bylaws and as
delineated by ADCOM.
Section 4. The President, under direction of ADCOM, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Society.
The President shall preside at meetings of ADCOM and have other duties as may be described in the Society
Bylaws, or as may be delegated to him or her by vote of the Society’s ADCOM.. In the absence, or incapacity of the
President, the Administrative Vice-President, as further explained in the Bylaws, shall perform the duties of the
President.
Section5. The President is a member of the Technical Activities Board (TAB) of IEEE. When notified of a meeting
of TAB, the President shall insure representation of the Society at such meeting by attending or by arranging an
alternate representative, as denoted in the TAB Operations Manual. If an alternate cannot be found, the President
shall present the views of the Society by a letter of proxy.
Section6. Any Society member is eligible for membership on ADCOM as covered in the Constitution and Bylaws
provided the meeting attendance criteria specified in the Bylaws is met.
Section 7. ADCOM may establish standing committees as prescribed in the Bylaws, including both technical and
operational committees. Ad hoc committees may also be established which shall be automatically dissolved at a time
specified by ADCOM. The Society President shall appoint committee chair(s) for terms of one year, or until their
successors are appointed, or the committee is dissolved. Technical committees or operational committees may be
established to focus on specific areas or fields of interest to the Society.
Section 8. The newly elected President, Vice-Presidents, and members of ADCOM shall assume office on the first
of January of the year immediately following the year of their respective election, unless a different time is provided
in the Bylaws.
Section 9. Neither ADCOM, nor any officer or representative thereof, shall have any authority to contract debts for,
pledge the credit of, nor in any way bind the IEEE, except within prior approved budgets.
Article VI: Nomination, Election and Appointment Procedures
Section 1. Election of the 18 members-at-large of ADCOM shall be conducted as prescribed in the Society Bylaws.
Section 2. The terms of each one of the 18 members-at-large of ADCOM shall be three years. Six members are to be
elected each year. Only two consecutive full terms are permitted for members-at-large of ADCOM, but eligibility is
restored after a lapse of one year. This eligibility rule may be waived by a two-thirds vote of ADCOM.
Section 3. Should a member-at-large of ADCOM resign, express inability to fulfill the member’s obligation in
writing, become permanently incapacitated and/or removed from ADCOM (in accordance with the Bylaws) before
the expiration of the member’s three year term, the President may fill the vacancy by appointment for the remainder
of the term, with the consent of ADCOM.
Section 4. ADCOM shall annually elect from members of the Society a President, an Administrative Vice-President,
and a Technical Vice-President whose terms shall be one year. After one year they can be reaffirmed for a second
year by vote of ADCOM. However, the Nominations Committee may nominate new candidates for these three
offices.
Section 5. The President shall appoint a Secretary and a Treasurer for a term of one year. These appointments are
renewable at the discretion of the President, with no term limits.
Section 6. ADCOM may appoint one or more corresponding member(s), but only one from any one country, to
serve for the usual three-year period to maintain liaison with that country. These corresponding members could
participate only through correspondence (including Internet or fax), and they would not count toward the limit of 18
ADCOM members-at-large. The specific privileges and procedural protocol for such corresponding members is
addressed in the Bylaws.
Section 7. Details of the nomination, election, and appointment procedures are described in the Bylaws.
Article VII: Meetings
Section 1. The Society may hold meetings, conferences, symposia, or conventions either alone or in cooperation
with Sectional, Regional, or International Convention Committees of the IEEE, or other technical organizations,
subject to IEEE rules and regulations. The Society may sponsor technical conferences of national scope, which may
be held during the International Convention, or during some other IEEE meeting, or as a separate conference.
Section 2. ADCOM shall hold at least two meetings each year, (including an Annual meeting) in accordance with
notification procedures specified in the Bylaws.. Other meetings of ADCOM shall be held at such times as are
deemed necessary and/or convenient. Special meetings of ADCOM may be called by the President of the Society at
the discretion of the President or upon request of at least three other ADCOM members, with at least 20 days notice.
Section 3. A majority of the voting members of AdCom or any committee thereof shall constitute a quorum. All
members shall have an equal vote. All retiring presidents become ex-officio members of AdCom, however only the
immediate past president will have full voting privileges for two years.
Section 4. A majority vote of those members of ADCOM attending a meeting shall be necessary for the conduct of
its business, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or Bylaws.
Section 5. Business requiring ADCOM consent, particularly matters arising between ADCOM meetings, may be
handled by correspondence (including Internet or fax) as further stipulated in the Bylaws. A majority vote of the
members of ADCOM is necessary for approval of actions handled in that manner unless stated otherwise in the
Constitution or Bylaws.
Section 6 The Society may establish awards to recognize outstanding performance in the field of dielectrics and
electrical insulation, and in service to the Society. These awards are to be presented at a regular meeting/ conference
or as directed by ADCOM.
Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to this constitution may be initiated by petition submitted by twenty-five members of the
Society or by a majority action of ADCOM, such a petition being submitted to the IEEE TAB, and to the Executive
of the IEEE for approval. After such approval, the proposed amendment shall be publicized in the Society’s
Transactions, Magazine or Newsletter (electronic or printed version), with notice that it goes into effect unless five
percent of the Society members object. If such objections are received within 30 days after the date of its
publication, a copy of the proposed amendment shall be sent to all members of the Society, along with a ballot. This
ballot will be sent at least 30 days before the proposed date for the return of the ballots. When an endorsement vote
of the entire Society membership, as stated earlier, is made necessary, approval of the amendment by at least twothirds of the ballots returned shall be necessary for its enactment.
Section 2. Suitable Bylaws, and revisions thereto, may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of ADCOM present at a
meeting , provided that notice of the proposed Bylaw, or revision has been sent to each member of ADCOM at least
twenty days prior to such meeting. A Bylaw, or revision, may also be adopted by a two-thirds vote at ADCOM,
handled by correspondence, in accordance with the discussion and voting periods specified in the Bylaws.. In either
event, the proposed Bylaw or revision shall be published in the Society Transactions, Magazine or Newsletter
(electronic or printed version). No Bylaw or revision shall take effect until it has been published and has been
mailed to the IEEE TAB Secretary.
Article IX: Publications
Section 1. Publications undertaken by the Society shall be subject to IEEE policies and to any further guidance or
controls prescribed by the Administrative Committee or its duly appointed committees. The Society shall be
responsible for the financial aspects of its publication program.
Section 2. The President, with the advice and consent of ADCOM, shall appoint an Editor-in-Chief for each of the
Society publications for a term as specified in the Bylaws. The duties and compensation if any, of the Editor-inChief, shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws.