2009 IEEE CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF TECHNICAL SOCIETIES
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST
COHEN HALL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
249 South 36th Street, Philadelphia
8:00 am -- 8:30 am
Conference registration
Lobby of Cohen Hall. Room G17, also known as Logan Auditorium, is adjacent to the lobby, as is Room G14, also
known as the Terrace Room.
8:30 am -- 10:15 am
SESSION 1 (Room G17)
Sessions 1 and 2
The Importance of History
Chair: Mischa Schwartz, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
"An Overview of 125 Years of IEEE History"
Sheldon Hochheiser
IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
IEEE traces its origin to the formation of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1884. This paper surveys
the Institute’s 125 year history and places it in the context of the changing relevant technologies. Among the topics
discussed are the founding of the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1912, the rise of electronics from the 1940s, the
AIEE/IRE merger that created IEEE in 1963, the evolution of the geographic region/section and society/chapter
structures, and the evolution of the Institute to a global enterprise.
"A Short Historical Glimpse of the Founding (Electrical) Fathers"
Daniel Cross-Cole
DeVry University, Arlington, Virginia, USA
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers traces its history to the founding of the American Institute of
Electrical Engineers in the spring of 1884. We know that the AIEE included such notables as Thomas Edison and
Alexander Graham Bell, but who were some of the other founders and what technologies did they bring to the
organization? This talk attempts to shed more light on these questions and to show some of the interactions between
these engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
"Remembering the Roots for the Sake of the Future"
Fumio Arakawa
Global Engineering Institute, Tokyo, Japan
The eminent U.S. electrical engineer Jack Casazza gave the opening address at the 2007 IEEE Conference on the
History of Electric Power under the title "Forgotten Roots". This paper discusses the importance of remembering
the roots and knowing the history of electrical engineering, both for the engineers and the general public, in order to
plan and establish a better society in the 21st century. The "Repeat Model" created for historical analysis suggests
that both power systems and social systems in the 21 st century be planned through dialog between engineers and the
general public so that the ubiquitous power needs be met in an energy-saving and environmentally-responsible way.
It is vital that technical societies, such as the IEEJ and the IEEE, take part in this dialog.
"The Importance of the History of Technical Societies for the History of Technology"
Jonathan Coopersmith
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
The development of technical societies offers historians a wealth of information about the evolution of a field. By
looking at when societies organized, how they evolved, changes in membership and the issues its leaders considered
important, to name but a few examples, historians can learn a great deal. Comparing the history of technical
societies internationally provides opportunities to analyze national styles. While the histories of technical societies
are important in themselves, they are also important for the wider opportunities they offer.
SESSION 2 (Room G14)
Telecommunications and Professional Societies, Part 1
Chair: John Impagliazzo, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
""Cuerpo de Telégrafos": First Attempts to Create a Professional Body for Electrical Communications in
Spain"
Antonio Pérez Yuste and Olga Pérez Sanjuán
Presenter: Antonio Pérez Juste, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
The Body of Telegraphists ("Cuerpo de Telégrafos", in Spanish) was established in Spain in 1856 in order to operate
the electric telegraph service and later to develop a national-wide telegraph network. The origins of this
professional body and the way it was formed with people from the optical telegraphy field of activity will be
described. It will also be explained how these people were educated in techniques and methods related to electrical
telegraphy. In addition, it will be described how the creation of the Body of Telegraphists caused a conflict with the
Body of Civil Engineers, which was the responsible for the development of the optical telegraph network.
"History of the Spanish Association of Telecommunication Engineers (Asociación Española de Ingenieros de
Telecomunicación, AEIT)"
Olga Pérez Sanjuán and Antonio Pérez Yuste
Presenter: Olga Pérez Sanjuán, Spanish Association of Telecommunication Engineers, Madrid, Spain
The Spanish Association of Telecommunication Engineers (AEIT) is a non-profit organization that was born around
80 years ago. Since it was created, the AEIT has been defending this profession, the telecommunication engineers,
and the way engineering has to be done in order to improve quality of communication services, in a direct way, and
to develop our society and enhance the economy, in an indirect one. To meet that objective, good quality
professionals who are able to design networks and services were needed.
"The History of the Brazilian Telecommunications Society"
Waslon T.A. Lopes, Marcelo S. Alencar, and Francisco Madeiro
Presenter: Waslon T.A. Lopes, Faculdade AREA1, Salvador, Brazil
The Brazilian Telecommunications Society (SBrT – Sociedade Brasileira de Telecomunicaes) was founded in 1983,
and it is a sister-society of the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE Comsoc). Since 1983, the SBT has annually
promoted the most important national conference on telecommunications and the four-annual International
Telecommunications Symposium (ITS). Recently, the SBrT has contributed in the specification of the Brazilian
Digital TV System (SBTVD). This paper will present some interesting points of the history of SBrT, its conferences
and its contributions for the evolution of communications in Brazil.
"The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE)"
Shoji Shinoda and Takashi Hanazawa
Presenter: Shoji Shinoda, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan
The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE) was established in 1917 as the
Institute of Telegraph and Telephone Engineers, consisting of 843 engineers. After modifying the name of the
organization in accordance with the technology progress, it was renewed to the current one in 1987. IEICE covers
electronics, information and communication technology, and about 34,000 engineers join the organization.
Publications have been thought to be important since the time of the establishment because of researching
technologies and spreading knowledge. The journal, four kinds of transactions in Japanese, and five kinds in
English are now published every month. In 1983, an educational program started, which gave members an
opportunity of learning new technologies.
10:15 am -- 10:45 am
Lobby of Cohen Hall.
Coffee break
10:45 am -- 12:00 pm
SESSION 3 (Room G17)
Sessions 3 and 4
History of IEEE Professional Activities and More
Chair: Roger Sullivan, Past IEEE Region 1 Director, Bergenfield, New Jersey, USA
"History of IEEE-USA: The First 36 Years"
John Meredith
Chair, 2009 IEEE Conference on the History of Technical Societies, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Driven by growing concerns about the lack of focus on professional needs of engineers and the standing of the
profession, the IEEE Board of Directors proposed a change to the IEEE constitution to broaden the Institute’s role to
include non-technical activities. The change was approved in 1972, and in 1973 the United States Activities
Committee (USAC) was formed. It focused on employment and career issues as well advancement of the profession
and the standing of its members. An office in Washington DC was established. The name was changed to the
United States Activities Board in 1976 and then to IEEE-USA in 1998. This presentation highlights the history of
IEEE-USA and will emphasize the importance of professional activities and their role in advancing the profession
while meeting tomorrow’s global challenges.
"Professional Activities and Student Activities, the Foundation of the 21 st Century IEEE!"
Charles Alexander
1997 IEEE President, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
There has always been a part of IEEE and its founder societies, AIEE and IRE, which has addressed the professional
side of the member. When IEEE was formed in 1963, there existed a solid group of members dedicated to
enhancing the professional value added aspect of what IEEE offered its members. Beginning with USAC, then
USAB, and finally IEEE–USA, the size and importance of professional activities increased. During the 1970’s this
focus on value added in the area of the professional side of the engineer migrated to the student member as well.
This shift for the students made IEEE a much more relevant organization. This paper will detail the history of this
shift and trace the results of enhanced student membership. The value added proposition will be studied and its
effectiveness evaluated.
"The Lifetime Experience of an IEEE Past President with the IEEE"
Robert E. Larson
1982 IEEE President, Woodside Fund, Redwood Shores, California, USA
Dr. Robert E. Larson has been associated with IEEE since 1956, when he joined the MIT Student Branch, and he
continues to be active as a Life Fellow today. He will discuss how the IEEE has influenced his career from his
student days, his industrial experience, his teaching career, his experience as founder of a Silicon Valley start-up, his
venture capital career, and his current activities with the U.S.-China Green Energy Council, an NGO dedicated to
fostering cooperative efforts between the U.S. and China in addressing energy and environmental issues.
SESSION 4 (Room G14)
Telecommunications and Professional Societies, Part 2
Chair: Jonathan Coopersmith, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
"International Importance of Professional Societies and Associations in Development of Telecommunication Russian Experience"
Nina A. Borisova and Lyudmila N. Bakayutova
Presenter: Nina A. Borisova, A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications, St. Petersburg, Russia
Rapid development of Russian telecommunications in the beginning of the 21 st century took place thanks to
interactions between the members of the international technical community. This paper tells about the history of
relations with the International Telecommunication Union (the International Telegraph Union was founded in Paris
in 1865 by 20 European countries; Russia was one of the founders of the Union), about interaction of Russian
Technical Association (it was created in 1866, physical, chemical and other associations appeared later) with similar
associations in the European countries, and about the important value of IEEE editions for the Russian engineers
during the Cold War.
"A History of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society"
Allan C. Schell
Fort Valley, Virginia, USA
In 1949 Dr. Lester C. Van Atta and 55 others signed a petition to form the IRE Professional Group on Antennas and
Propagation, the third of the professional groups of the IRE. By 1953 there were 1100 members, and the
Transactions was started under Editor John Smyth. Participation in annual symposia began in the early '50s, and in
1963 the first of the current series of international symposia was held in Boulder, Colorado. There are now over 70
chapters of the society worldwide. The IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society continues today in its role of
communicating developments in the field begun by James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz.
"The IEEE Communications Society: Why and How to Write Its History"
David Hochfelder
State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
This paper summarizes the history of communications engineering and the IEEE Communications Society since its
founding in 1952. Equally importantly, this paper addresses two deeper questions about doing the history of
professional societies. The first question, quite simply, is why write a history of a professional society? What value
does such a history have for a society's members and for historians? The second question is how ought the historian
research and write a history of a professional society? What questions might the historian ask? What role does oral
history play in this research? What audiences should the historian target?
12:00 pm -- 1:00 pm
Lunch
Lobby of Cohen Hall. There is some seating in Room G14. There is additional seating outside, immediately behind
Cohen Hall and in Perelman Quadrangle. There is additional indoor seating in the student union, Houston Hall,
which is also immediately behind Cohen Hall.
1:00 pm -- 2:45 pm
SESSION 5 (Room G17)
Sessions 5 and 6
Computing and Professional Societies
Chair: Emilio M. Salgueiro, Unisys Corporation, Pennsylvania, USA
"Engineering a Professional Identity: The Place of Professional Societies in the History of Computing"
Nathan Ensmenger
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Is software development science, engineering, or “black art?” In the early decades of electronic computing, the
debate what software was and how it could be best developed was a subject of contentious debate. The so-called
“software crisis” of the late 1960s provoked a series of attempts to establish a discipline of “software engineering.”
This paper explores the role of the three major professional societies in computing --- the Association for Computing
Machinery, the IEEE Computer Society, and the Data Processing Management Association --- as each attempted
impose its own unique vision of what it meant to be a “professional” in software development.
"The Failed Societies of Computing"
David Alan Grier
George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
Unlike scientific societies or even traditional engineering societies, the early computing organizations were not
always certain of their purpose. Were they building a body of knowledge? Where they setting standards of practice
for the field? Were they promoting a certain set of expertise? The answers to such questions could not always be
easily articulated and so different groups made different missteps as they attempted to build a professional
infrastructure for the new field.
"The IEEE Computer Society – Six Decades of Growth with the Technology It Represents"
Willis King and Kathy Land
Presenter: Willis King, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
The technology that dominated the second half of the 20 th century was no doubt the digital electronic computer and
its derivatives. The IEEE Computer Society was born the same year as the world’s first digital computer –the
ENIAC. As the computer became ever more important to every aspect of life in the civilized world, the Computer
Society matched its phenomenon growth to become the largest technical society within IEEE and the world. This
talk traces its development from its humble beginning to its many activities today. It shows that by effectively using
the very technology it represents, the leadership of the society not only provides its members cost effective services,
but also leads the way in designing innovative products that become beneficial to the world at large.
"Sociotechnical Settlement and Mediation in a System of Technical Societies: A Relational History of the
IEEE Computer Society and ACM, circa 1963-1987"
Brent K. Jesiek
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
The IEEE Computer Society has long occupied a unique position between its parent organization (the IEEE,
formerly IRE and AIEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). In this paper I examine how this
position was maintained from the mid-1960s to late 1980s. More specifically, I show how various structures and
processes of “sociotechnical mediation” created stability in this system of technical societies in the midst of rapid
technological and institutional change. My account is based on extensive archival research, and draws theory and
method from the history of technology, science and technology studies, and sociology of disciplines and professions.
SESSION 6 (Room G14)
History of IEEE Regional Organizations, Part 1
Chair: Mortimer Hans, IEEE History Committee Member, Great Neck, New York, USA
"Region 1, IEEE, and the Electrical and Electronics Revolution"
Richard Ackley
IEEE Volunteer, Mohawk Valley Section, Rome, New York, USA
The northeast United States including New York, New England, and Northern New Jersey, which IEEE calls Region
1, was both the birthplace of the IEEE, and also the area where much of the electrical and electronics marvels we
take for granted today were invented, designed and developed. Many of the engineers who served as inventors and
developers were also the organizers of IEEE and its founding societies. These engineers and their many
accomplishments will be discussed.
"History of the IEEE Organization in Japan"
Eiichi Ohno
Chair, IEEE Japan Council History Committee, Tokyo, Japan
The IRE Tokyo Section was established in 1955 and renamed the IEEE Tokyo Section in 1963 when the IRE and
AIEE merged. In 1998 it was divided into eight Sections. Now, we have nine IEEE Sections with a total
membership of 13,500 all over Japan. The IEEE Japan Council was established to support and coordinate the
activities of the Sections. The history of organizational transitions and their activities will be introduced.
"Region 8 Conferences – the First 30 Years"
Jacob Baal-Schem
Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Holding technical conferences is one of the major activities of IEEE Operating Units. Soon after its founding in
1963, Region 8 Committee decided to initiate a Regional IEEE Conference, in cooperation with EUREL, the
European Association of National Societies of Electrical Engineers. As the demand grew, additional series of
conferences were established, coordination was set-up and policies were approved. This paper looks at the
development of Regional Conference activities in Region 8 (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) during the years
1963 – 1993.
"The Benelux Section and IRE in Europe"
Jan Biemond and Bruce B. Barrow
Presenter: Bruce B. Barrow, IEEE Life Fellow and Founding Member of the IRE Benelux Section, Bethesda,
Maryland, USA
In 1959 the IRE approved the establishment of the Benelux Section, covering BElgium, the NEtherlands, and
LUXembourg, as well as a Section for Milan. The Benelux Section recently celebrated its 50th anniversary at a
conference in Antwerp. In September 1960 the Benelux Section sponsored the International Symposium on Data
Transmission, held in Delft. This was the first international meeting held by IRE outside North America, and it was
the world’s first technical conference dedicated to data transmission. The success of the Benelux Section led
directly to the establishment of IRE Region 9 (now IEEE Region 8) in Europe.
2:45 pm -- 3:15 pm
Coffee break
Lobby of Cohen Hall.
3:15 pm -- 4:30 pm
Sessions 7 and 8
SESSION 7 (Room G17)
IEEE Societies for Signal Processing, Information Theory, and
Computational Intelligence
Chair: David Alan Grier, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
"Concurrent Evolution of a Discipline and its Technical Society: The IEEE Signal Processing Society"
James Flanagan
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
In 1948 engineering of audio signals and devices was recognized as a sub-group of the Institute of Radio Engineers
(IRE). This identity continued as the Group on Audio when the IRE and the American Institute of Electrical
Engineers merged in 1963. Beginning in the 1950s, melding of time-discrete signal theory and computing
technology morphed eventually into the technical discipline that we know as Digital Signal Processing (DSP). A
significant force in the evolution was telecommunications research, but DSP now pervades virtually every aspect of
research on information signals. Reflecting such developments, the Group on Audio underwent several incarnations
culminating in the IEEE Signal Processing Society.
"How Information Theory Changed the World"
Anthony Ephremides
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
Since 1948, when Claude Shannon published his landmark paper that established the foundations of the
communication process, many additional advances occurred that followed his footsteps and that established on a
firm basis the implementation of the original theory he proposed. In this talk we will review these events, with
minimal technical detail, and present a short history of the IEEE Information Theory Society, remarking on its
contributions to the growth of the field.
"History of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society"
Gary Fogel
Natural Selection, Inc., San Diego, California, USA
The IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) focuses on computational and theoretical aspects of mimicking
nature for problem solving. CIS core technologies include neural, fuzzy, and evolutionary computation, as well as
hybrid intelligent systems that contain these and other related paradigms. The Society has its own history of
transformation from the Neural Network Council to the Neural Network Society to the current CIS. While many of
the core technologies that define the CIS were developed early in the history of computing, their application has
expanded tremendously over the last two decades to include intelligent computer games, biomedical applications,
data-mining, and so forth and represents its own exciting and growing field of engineering.
SESSION 8 (Room G14)
Engineering Ethics and Applied History
Chair: Janet Rochester, President, IEEE Social Implications of Technology Society, Moorestown, New Jersey, USA
"A Personal View of Engineering Ethics"
Edward L. Owen
Retired, General Electric, Schenectady, New York, USA
The price-fixing scandal in the electrical industry that came into public view during the early 1960s set off a chain of
events that profoundly affected the electrical industry. Looking at these events, this paper examines some historic
attitudes towards personal character, moral behavior, codes of ethics, and legal principles. Given that the AIEE
published a code of ethics in 1912, one may ask, how could this scandal have occurred? The paper then examines
more recent incidents and presents a personal view on codes of ethics that spans nearly 50 years of professional
training. As a member of the engineering staff at General Electric, contact with Mr. Alger gave me new
understanding of ethical behavior and insight into the history of engineering ethics. The paper then brings the
subject forward to the present time.
"Creating the IEEE Code of Ethics"
Emerson Pugh
1989 IEEE President, Cold Spring, New York, USA
The origins of the IEEE Code of Ethics can be traced back to 1906 when the president of AIEE gave an address that
led to the creation of a “Code of Principles of Professional Conduct” that was adopted in 1912. Following the 1963
merger of AIEE and IRE, a new code of ethics for IEEE was adopted in 1974 and revised in 1979 and 1987. In
1990, a shorter code, with content and wording more appropriate for a worldwide membership, was adopted. Since
then only one change to the code has been made; in 2006 one troubling word was deleted.
"EMB History to Increase Health Technology Literacy in the General Public for Improved Health
Worldwide"
Ron Leder
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
History provides common access to technology for both technical and non technical persons and for youngsters.
Placed in an historical context complex health technology and health care can be more understandable and therefore
more accessible to the general public; technical persons can understand past health technology advances to help
propel the field. History is a reference for experts disguised as a story that anyone can understand and enjoy. This
can be useful and effective at improving self advocate based health care.
4:45 pm -- 5:45 pm (Moore School Building) Special tour of the ENIAC Museum
The ENIAC Museum is on the ground floor of the Moore School Building, 200 South 33rd Street, of the University
of Pennsylvania. It is two blocks from Cohen Hall. Walk from Cohen Hall diagonally to the corner of 34 th and
Walnut. Proceed one block east on Walnut Street. Moore Hall is on the right at the end of the block.
Presenters: Mitchell P. Marcus and Paul Schaffer, both of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA
The ENIAC computer, built at the Moore School from 1943 to 1946, is widely regarded as the pioneering digital
electronic computer. The ENIAC Museum contains four of the original 40 panels of the machine, as well as many
other artifacts. Mitchell Marcus, professor of computer science, and Paul Schaffer, curator of the ENIAC Museum,
will present some of the history of the ENIAC.
THURSDAY 6 AUGUST
BOSSONE HALL, DREXEL UNIVERSITY
3128 Market Street, Philadelphia
8:30 am -- 10:15 am
Sessions 9, 10, and 11
Mitchell Auditorium is on the ground floor of Bossone Hall, as is Room 2, a curtain room set up adjacent to
Mitchell. Room 302 is on the third floor of Bossone Hall; there are elevators and a stairway near Mitchell.
SESSION 9 (Mitchell)
History of National Engineering Societies
Chair: David Hochfelder, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
"History of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan"
Kouki Matsuse and Kohei Ohnishi
President and Vice President, respectively, Institute of Electrical Engineers, Tokyo, Japan
The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ) was founded in 1888. In those days Japan was beginning to
form the modern state. Afterwards, the electrical engineering in Japan developed rapidly, produced many
innovations, and gave many contributions to culture and civilization of human society. Therefore, contributions of
the predecessors are still honored. In 2008, IEEJ celebrated the 120th anniversary of its founded. Taking this
opportunity, we established “One Step on Electro-Technology” institution to award “object”, ”place”, ”matter”, and
”person”. Currently, IEEJ has developed in scale, and we believe that IEEJ will continue to contribute to the
developments of increasingly complex and diverse engineering fields.
"Setting the Standard: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers"
J. Lawrence Lee
Chair of the ASME Committee on History and Heritage, Sterling, Virginia, USA
Founded in 1880, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has grown into a worldwide organization
dedicated to public safety, engineering excellence, and the welfare of mechanical engineers. The society was
formed largely to establish safety standards for steam boilers, and the voluntary process for standards development it
pioneered has served as a model for others. One of the world’s largest technical publishers, ASME produces
hundreds of documents annually, in both paper and electronic formats, that address topics ranging from pre-college
education to the most specialized areas of mechanical engineering research. The society’s technical conferences are
attended by many who lead their respective fields. ASME has always encouraged and enabled mechanical engineers
to commit their best efforts to improving the quality of life for people everywhere. This brief history of ASME
addresses its founding, growth, principle activities, and some of the many changes over its 129 years of service.
"The Beginnings of the American Society of Civil Engineers"
Henry Petroski
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
The story of the founding of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is one of emulation, of slow and
difficult beginnings, of halting early progress, of overcoming adversity, of learning from failure, and, ultimately, of
monumental achievement. In short, the story of the founding of the ASCE mirrors the story of many a great
engineering project.
"The History of VDE: Development from a German Technical Society to an Association Acting as an AllInclusive Platform for Electrotechnology"
Michael Schanz and Frank Dittmann
Presenter: Michael Schanz, German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
In 1879 Werner Siemens and Heinrich Stephan, chief administrator of the postal system and telegraphy, initiated the
foundation of the ETV electrotechnological society in Berlin, Germany. In 1893 the VDE, the society of German
electrotechnologists, was founded as an umbrella organization covering several local ETVs all over Germany. At
that time VDE considered itself as a center for those who dealt with electrotechnology on a professional, scientific
or private basis, or at least taught it. At present the organization of the VDE comprises a setup in the field of
electrotechnology which is unique worldwide.
SESSION 10 (Room 2)
History of IEEE Regional Organizations, Part 2
Chair: Peter Silverberg, IEEE Senior Life Member, Delanco, New Jersey, USA
"IEEE in Asia and Pacific: History of Region 10"
Yong-Jin Park
IEEE Region 10 Director, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
Region 10 of the IEEE, covering an area previously referred to as “the rest of the world”, was created on 1 January
1967, with 2507 members. Since this historic moment the membership doubled every ten years, and R10 has
become a complex organization with 56 Sections, 13 Subsections, five Councils, and over 570 Student Branches. Its
oldest operational unit is the Tokyo Section, established as a part of IRE, before the merger with AIEE. Region 10
is currently the largest IEEE Region, with the highest growth rate and the highest percentage of student membership
and of female members. This paper will present important developments in the 42 years of Region 10 history.
"The History of the IEEE in Australia"
David E. Burger
IEEE History Committee, Mount Colah, New South Wales, Australia
Many prominent engineers and technologists have emerged from Australia over the years. Here we will examine
some of the key people, innovations and enterprises involved in global achievements, including those directly
involved with the AIEE and IRE. The evolution of IEEE in Australia to its current six Sections and Council exposes
some of the politics and foibles of volunteer groups in Oceania.
"The IEEE Italy Section in the National and International Context"
Luigi Dadda
Milan Polytechnic University, Milan, Italy
We start by mentioning the existence of professional institutions founded several centuries ago and the evolution of
the universities and institutes of technology in Europe and in USA. We recall the role of T.A. Edison in building the
first European electrical power station in Milan (1883). We mention also the most relevant contributors to the
advancement of the electrical technology and its applications: Volta, Pacinotti, Ferraris, Marconi, Fermi. As a most
relevant American contribution to the scientific and industrial research in Italy we mention the electronic digital
computer, the first installed in continental Europe, donated by the USA to the Politecnico di Milano with the
Marshall Plan in 1954.
"Influence of the IEEE Spain Section in the Spanish Scientific-Technical System from 1968 to 2008: An
Historical Perspective"
José A. Delgado-Penín
Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
We will present an historical overview of the IEEE Spain Section from 1968 to 2008 and the influence of the people
of this Section in the Spanish scientific-technical system. The IEEE Spain Section was recognized inside Region 8
of the IEEE in April 1968. The Section has had ten chairs from 1968 to 2008. We will talk about such aspects as
historical membership evolution, membership typology, student branches and evolution, differences among
membership, grades evolution, societies evolution, participation in Region 8 activities, meetings and conferences
and workshops evolution, and legal aspects related with the recognized presence as institution in Spain.
SESSION 11 (Room 302)
IEEE Societies for Earth Sciences and Instrumentation
Chair: Jan Brown, JB Consulting, West Whately, Massachusetts, USA
"The 29-Year History of One of the Fastest-Growing and Most International of the IEEE Societies: The
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (1980-2008)"
Steven C. Reising, Kiyo Tomiyasu, and Keith R. Carver
Presenter: Steven C. Reising, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society was formed in 1980 from the former IEEE Professional
Technical Group on Geoscience Electronics that was formed in 1961 as the 29th technical group of the Institute of
Radio Engineers. Every year since 1981, GRS-S has been hosting the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Symposium (IGARSS), alternating within and outside of North America. The attendance at IGARSS has grown
from about 400 in the 1980s to about 800 in the 1990s, to about 1100-1400 from 2000-2006, 1532 in Barcelona in
2007 and finally 1721 in Boston in 2008. Since 2006, more than half of the GRS-S membership has been from
outside of the U.S. With 8.8% growth in 2008, the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society was the fastest-growing
Society of the IEEE.
"The Forty Year History of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society"
Stanley G. Chamberlain
Retired, Raytheon Company, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, USA
The IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) has completed forty-one years of active engagement: the initial eight
years in the form of the Oceanography Coordinating Committee (OCC), followed by seven years as the Council of
Oceanic Engineering (COE), then the past twenty-six years in the form of an IEEE society. I will briefly review the
growth of the society from national to transnational in terms of the organizational structure, the flagship OCEANS
Conference venues, chapters, technology committees, symposia and workshops, student activities and recognition of
outstanding contributors.
"Measuring History in the I&M Society"
Kim Fowler
I&M Society, Executive Vice President, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
In the 1960s the Instrumentation and Measurement Society was a moribund group primarily devoted to publishing
papers. In the late sixties and early seventies, several members transformed the Society through a number of actions
including hiring an administrator and adding the annual IMTC conference. In the 1980s the society started a
newsletter, which became the magazine in 1998. The Instrumentation and Measurement Society has been
responsible for developing a number of widely used IEEE standards. Along the way, many events etched their way
in our memories, such as the murder of the editor of the Transactions in the early eighties and the conference that
balanced its income with its expenses to the penny.
10:15 am -- 10:45 am
Coffee break
Lobby of Mitchell Auditorium, on the ground floor of Bossone Hall.
10:45 am -- 12:00 pm
SESSION 12 (Mitchell)
Sessions 12, 13, and 14
Some Special Engineering Organizations
Chair: Daniel D. Hoolihan, Chair, EMC Society History Committee, Lindstrom, Minnesota, USA
"Birthplace Philadelphia - The Origins of the Modern Day Technical Society Structure"
Eric L. Flicker, Michael McAtee, Robert Wright, and Joseph W. Krulikowski
Presenter: Eric L. Flicker, President, Engineers' Club of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
In the mid 1800s, Philadelphia was a rapidly expanding major city and a national technical hub for innovation. To
reach the best resolution for challenges associated with changing technology, engineers needed a forum to share and
expand their ideas. To fill this need, the members of the Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia, which was founded in
1877, led efforts to create the modern day technical society structure. This presentation will focus on this evolution
and will bring us full circle to where we are today, as the Club becomes a coalescing force of the many varied
technical and professional societies that exist today.
"“A Swindling Concern:” The National Institute of Inventors, 1914-1925"
Eric S. Hintz
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
In 1914, the National Institute of Inventors (NII) emerged as an organization dedicated to the “mutual aid,
betterment, and protection” of America’s independent inventors. Unfortunately, the NII was a scam – its officers
simply pocketed the membership dues, embezzling thousands of dollars from America’s unsuspecting inventors.
The NII emerged (and dissolved) at a time when independent inventors were finding it increasingly difficult to
compete with the salaried scientists and engineers at corporate R&D labs. The case of the NII underscores how
independent inventors - unlike scientists and engineers - failed to maintain durable organizations that might have
been effective advocates for an increasingly troubled profession.
"The IEEE Global History Network: A New Platform for Constructing the Past"
John Vardalas
IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
The IEEE has launched a new wiki-based website dedicated to the institutional history of IEEE in all its dimensions:
its people, the organization and the technologies. Unlike other standard historical websites, the IEEE GHN creates
an environment where the actors in the historical drama can directly and easily create the public record for the world
to see. Furthermore, the IEEE GHN supports different levels of collaboration between the writers and readers, and
very diverse forms of content. The IEEE GHN is a new and easy tool that directly empowers the members of IEEE
to create and maintain the institutional memory of their Sections, Regions, Chapters and Societies.
SESSION 13 (Room 2)
Social and Technical Change and Engineering Societies
Chair: Chris Bissell, Open University, Milton Keynes, England
"IEEE - A Bold Leader in Changing the Essence of Technical Publications"
Kenneth R. Laker
1999 IEEE President, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Through the efforts of volunteers and staff, IEEE has, over the past 125 years, served the technology information
needs of its stakeholders, while becoming a leader in the technical publishing industry. During these 125 years,
IEEE relevant technologies, the needs of the global work-force in IEEE technical communities, and the pace of
technological development have undergone several paradigm shifts. This paper will examine how IEEE
publications responded to and, in some cases, enabled these paradigm shifts. Arguably the most exciting and
turbulent part of this journey has been the transition from print to electronic publishing, proceeding to the rich
Internet based options we have today to receive our IEEE technology information.
"History of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology"
Janet Rochester
President, IEEE Social Implications of Technology Society, Moorestown, New Jersey, USA
Engineers and technologists need to extend their vision to include what the public might do with a product or what
might be done to the public. Since 1982, the Social Implications of Technology Society has addressed the
implications of technology on health care, on privacy and the use of personal data, the education of engineers, and
energy sources and policy. We publish refereed articles on these and other subjects. We have published articles on
“Sustainability” for 20 years and it is now engineering practice. Our annual conference provides a forum for IEEE
members to discuss topical subjects with social scientists, ethicists, and historians.
"Women in Scientific and Technical Societies"
Monique Frize and Rosalyn Seeton
Presenter: Rosalyn Seeton, Ministry of Research and Innovation's Youth Science and Technology Outreach
Program, Ontario, Canada
The talk will present a brief summary of women’s involvement in science, mathematics and technology from early
modern Europe to today, and include a description of the early development of technical and scientific societies that
excluded women from these early times until the mid-twentieth century for the most part. In post modern days
however, women have participated increasingly in these societies but this has not been at the same level in all.
Women fellows in academies and in societies remain very much under-represented. Strategies to increase the level
of participation of women will be suggested.
SESSION 14 (Room 302)
Technical Societies and Engineering Education
Chair: Sheldon Hochheiser, IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
"The American Society for Engineering Education and Its Contributions to Curricular Reform"
Atsushi Akera
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
The talk will focus on the long history of the American Society for Engineering Education’s contributions to
changes in U.S. engineering curricula, and its relation to perpetual transformations in the historical, intellectual, and
professional context for engineering expertise. In addition to providing a broad history of the organization and its
investigative traditions, the talk will delve in some detail into the 1968 Goals Report, as directed by Penn State
University President (and former ASEE President), Eric A. Walker, in order to raise policy-relevant questions about
what contributes to a successful (or unsuccessful) educational reform movement.
"History of the IEEE Education Society: Global Leader in Engineering Education"
Susan M. Lord, Edwin C. Jones, and Robert Reilly
Presenter: Susan M. Lord, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
Since its founding in 1957, the IEEE Education Society (EdSoc) has been a global leader in engineering education.
EdSoc is an international organization that promotes, advances, and disseminates state-of-the-art scientific
information and resources related to the Society’s field of interest and provides professional development
opportunities for academic and industry professionals. The Education Society has about 3000 members, more than
half of whom are from outside North America and includes 72 chapters. Strengths of the Education Society include
being globally engaged, recognized, and sought after to collaborate in educational innovation, generating quality
publications and conferences, and dedicated leadership.
"International Exchange between the United States and Japan on the Reform of Engineering Education"
Daishi Okada
Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan
This talk concerns the connection between the postwar university reforms in Japan and those of the U.S during the
interwar period. In the 1930s the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had reformed its education programs and
become an advanced science and engineering university. Some faculty member of the Tokyo Institute of
Technology visited MIT and learned about the MIT curricula in chemical engineering at the very time when MIT
had just completed its major reform program. After World War II Tokyo Tech, drawing on this experience,
embarked on an ambitious and drastic reform program.
12:00 pm -- 1:00 pm
Lunch
Atrium of Bossone Hall, on the third floor, adjacent to Room 302.
1:00 pm -- 2:00 pm
SESSION 15 (Mitchell)
Sessions 15, 16, and 17
IEEE Societies for Aerospace and Electron Devices
Chair: Kim Fowler, I&M Society, Executive Vice President, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
"History of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society"
Eric Herz
IEEE Director Emeritus, Rye Brook, New York, USA
The IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society ( S-10 ) is the result of the only successful merger of four
former IEEE technical groups---one that was started in AIEE and three that had their beginnings in IRE. The
designation IEEE S-10 takes its number from the chronological numbering of the origins of IRE, and later IEEE,
technical groups, the earliest being the tenth such group. The ancestry with corresponding name changes is shown,
as well as the development of the publications, conferences, and awards. A number of historical articles have been
published in the society's transactions, newsletters, and magazines.
"Milestones and Highlights of the IEEE Electron Devices Society"
Cor Claeys
IMEC, Leuven, Belgium
The Electron Devices Society (EDS) was founded in 1963 and has today more than 11,000 members and 143
Chapters worldwide. The growth of the Society has been built on the strong membership benefits. Some of those
were pioneering for IEEE and have been taken over as best practices by other Societies. Highly appreciated
activities are the Distinguished Lecture (DL) and the Mini Colloquia (MQ) programs. There are 135 DLs and
annually about 200 presentations are given. EDS is involved technically or financially in 162 conferences. This
presentation will review the history of the Society and will address initiatives taken to enable EDS to play a key role
in the coming decade.
SESSION 16 (Room 2)
IEEE Societies for Management and Product Safety
Chair: Gilmore C. Cooke, Chair for History, IEEE Boston Section, Massachusetts, USA
"From Engineers to Managers: The IEEE Engineering Management Society 1952-2007"
Dalit Baranoff
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
What is the role of a technical society whose focus is not strictly technical? This paper looks at the unique issues
faced by one of these “interdisciplinary” societies. Over its 50+ year history, the Engineering Management Society
(now the Technology Management Council) worked to define its purpose within the IEEE. A central question EMS
leadership had to answer was, who was the society trying to serve? Were their target members engineers who were
already managers? or engineers hoping to become manager? or middle managers? or those at the top? Eventually,
the EMS came to serve the needs of engineers at all stages of their careers, promoting engineering management
“education” through its publications, conferences, and educational activities.
"History of the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society"
Mark Montrose
First President, IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society, Santa Clara, California, USA
The IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society (PSES) is the youngest IEEE Society (2004), yet is one of the oldest
engineering specialty areas to be created (Underwriters Laboratories opened in 1894). Product safety was a concern
decades before nearly all fields of interest of existing Technical Societies were identified or established. With a
longstanding tradition of being the best kept secret engineering discipline around, why did the IEEE not create a
Technical Society related to the safety of electrical products until recently? A founding member will present a
history on the efforts to establish this Society.
SESSION 17 (Room 302)
Accreditation in the History of the Engineering Profession
Chair: Frederik Nebeker, IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
"ABET and IEEE: A History Intertwined"
M. Dayne Aldridge
ABET, Inc., Dillard, Georgia, USA
In 1932, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and six other engineering organizations founded the
Engineers’ Council for Professional Development, which had a mission to establish training plans for personal and
professional development, devise methods whereby engineers could achieve recognition from their profession and
the public, recognize engineering curricula that met specific standards and maintain a list of accredited curricula,
and provide guidance for engineering students. That organization was the predecessor to today’s ABET. This
presentation will address how IEEE, as a Founding Society, has impacted ABET since its inception almost 80 years
ago.
"The Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB): Promoting Quality Education in the Computing
Fields"
Gerald Engel, John Impagliazzo, and Patrick LaMalva
Presenters: Gerald Engel, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, and John Impagliazzo, Qatar
University, Doha, Qatar
The formal incorporation of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) in 1985 concluded five years of
preparation, and provided an innovative joint program of the two largest scientific and educational societies in the
computing field to initiate program accreditation of academic programs in the United States. This paper will review
and assess the development and growth of CSAB over the past twenty-five years. It will recognize the numerous
volunteers involved with this activity, and will assess how well the organization has performed and met the
objectives on which it was founded.
2:00 pm -- 2:30 pm
Coffee break
Lobby of Mitchell Auditorium, on the ground floor of Bossone Hall.
2:30 pm -- 4:45 pm
SESSION 18 (Mitchell)
Session 18, Plenary Session
Drawing on the Past to Look to the Future of Engineering
Chair: Jacob Baal-Schem, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
"Serendipity: It Rules the Lives of Engineers!"
Janie Fouke
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
It is easy to view the development of a new device or process as monotonic or incremental, with each step
improving upon and building upon the last. Yet is this really the case? Is our work really so predictable? The
author argues that the history of our discipline and electrical engineering in particular, is rife with examples of
fortunate accidents. The paper provides multiple examples of accidents that changed the history of our profession.
The evidence will show that serendipity has played a tremendous role in the history of electrical engineering
developments and process. The consequential question is: are we prepared to anticipate it and to capitalize on it?
Do we steep our students in its possibility? After recognizing this “resource,” how do we respond?
"From Printed Circuit Boards to Systems-on a-Chip: A Case Study in Technological Evolution"
George S. Moschytz
Swiss Institute of Technology, Switzerland, and Bar-Ilan University, Israel
The evolution from systems on printed circuit boards (PCBs) to integrated Systems-on-Chip (SOCs) started some
fifty years. One of the last holdouts was that of LCR filters. As a result of decades of effort towards the substitution
of the electromagnetic resonance effect by inductorless active RC circuits, combined with the dramatic development
of IC technology, continuous-time frequency-selective filters can be integrated on-chip today. Filters-on-a-chip are
a remarkable example of the evolution from PCBs to SOCs. They far exceed anything that could have been dreamt
of fifty years ago.
"From History to Future: Long Term Evolution and ‘Retro-Prospective’ Assessments"
Pierre-Eric Mounier-Kuhn
CNRS and Sorbonne University, Paris, France
A historian, asked about the future, may object that he has no more light to offer than any other citizen. Yet,
concerning the history of technology, historians have developed models of evolution over the long term, which may
show stages, cycles, and trends. Historians are also familiar with forecastings, a genre which flourished in the
second half of the 20th century and that we find in the archives of many organizations. Such reports described what
things would look like in 1980 or in 2000, and ranged from pure technical forecasts, such as Moore’s law, to global
views of the future. While it is easy, in retrospect, to smile at the illusions or short-sightedness of these forecasts, it
is intellectually interesting, and practically useful, to understand which methods produced the most accurate
predictions, what made forecasts acceptable or unacceptable, and how people went beyond obvious extrapolations to
expand the horizon of the ‘thinkable’.
"Co-Evolution of Man and Machine: Neuroprosthetics in the 21 st Century"
Justin C. Sanchez
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
Neuroprosthetics that directly interface with the brain have the great potential for restoring communication and
control in disabled individuals. The transformative aspect of direct neural interfaces is that they can be designed as
‘intelligent tools’ that not only carry out intent but also have the capability to assist, evolve, and grow with the user.
Unlike other tools, neuroprosthetics exist in a shared space that seamlessly spans the user’s internal representation of
the world and the physical environment enabling a much deeper human-tool symbiosis. Recent advancements in the
neuroscience and engineering of neuroprosthetics are providing a blueprint for how new co-adaptive designs change
the nature of a user’s ability to accomplish tasks that were not possible using conventional methodologies. This talk
covers recent advances in science and technology supporting the development of intelligent neuroprosthesis and
contrasts them with “lessons learned” from the past 20 years of neural interface design.
5:00 pm -- 6:30 pm (Historic District) Self-guided tour of Philadelphia's Historic
District
The Historic District is centered on Independence Hall, which is on Chestnut Street, between 5 th and 6th. For a selfguided tour of the Historic District, you may use the brochure entitled "Beyond the Bell", which was provided in the
conference packet. (To get from Drexel to the Historic District, take the Market St. subway eastbound from either
34th and Market or 30th and Market Station; get off at 5th Street. Transit fare is $2.00, cash or token.)
6:30 pm -- 7:30 pm (Down Town Club)
Reception to celebrate IEEE's 125th
anniversary
The Down Town Club is atop the Public Ledger Building, 6th and Chestnut, in the Historic District. (To get from
Drexel to the Down Town Club, take the Market St. subway eastbound from either the 34th and Market Station or
the 30th and Market Station; get off at 5th Street, walk south one block to Chestnut, then west one block (past
Independence Hall) to 6th, and then left on Chestnut to the entrance on this block. Transit fare is $2.00, cash or
token.)
7:30 pm -- 10:00 pm (Down Town Club)
Banquet to celebrate IEEE's 125th
anniversary
Welcome by Michael Geselowitz, Director, IEEE History Center
Comments by Joseph Bordogna, 1998 IEEE President, Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Engineering of the
University of Pennsylvania, and Honorary Chair of the 2009 IEEE Conference on the History of Technical
Societies
Remarks by John Vig, 2009 IEEE President & CEO
"The History of Technology", remarks by Richard Gowen, 1984 IEEE President, President and CEO of
Dakota Power, IEEE History Committee Chair, and IEEE Foundation President
Banquet address: "History and Engineering: Building Bridges Together"
Henry Petroski Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of History,
Duke University
"Case histories of past engineering failures provide invaluable information for the design of future successes;
designs based on the extrapolation of successful experience alone can, and often do, lead to failure. This paradox
will be explored in the context of the history of suspension bridges, which from the 1850s through the 1930s
evolved from John Roebling’s enormous successes to bridges that oscillated in the wind and, in the case of the
Tacoma Narrows Bridge, twisted apart and collapsed. Lessons learned from the history of suspension bridges apply
across a broad spectrum of engineering structures and systems."
FRIDAY 7 AUGUST
BOSSONE HALL, DREXEL UNIVERSITY
3128 Market Street, Philadelphia
8:30 am -- 10:00 am
Sessions 19, 20, and 21
Mitchell Auditorium is on the ground floor of Bossone Hall, as is Room 2, a curtain room set up adjacent to
Mitchell. Room 302 is on the third floor of Bossone Hall; there are elevators and a stairway near Mitchell.
SESSION 19 (Mitchell)
IEEE Presidential Panel 1
Panel discussion on issues in the recent history of IEEE:
Moderator: Michael R. Williams, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Arthur Stern
1975 IEEE President
Robert Larson
1982 IEEE President
Richard Gowen
1984 IEEE President
Henry Bachman
1987 IEEE President
SESSION 20 (Room 2)
Biomedical Engineering and Technical Societies
Chair: John Vardalas, IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
"The Natural History of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society from a Modern Perspective"
Jesús Requena-Carrión and Ron Leder
Presenter: Ron Leder, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is the largest international member-based society
of biomedical engineers, having more than 8000 members from at least 70 countries worldwide. The origins of the
IEEE EMBS can be traced back more than 50 years to the predecessors of the IEEE, the Institute of Radio Engineers
(IRE) and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). IEEE EMBS is an example of a diverse scientific
community including, medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, and others that share a common purpose under
biomedical engineering to improve health. In this presentation we will focus on how IEEE/EMBS contributed to
shape Biomedical Engineering as it stands today.
"Differentiation of Medical Electronics in Organization of the IRE and AIEE"
Martha L. Reiner
Miami-Dade College, Miami, Florida, USA
This paper analyzes organizational differentiation and integration in medical electronics related to technical
societies. A focus is the decade before the Institute of Radio Engineers and American Institute of Electrical
Engineers merger in January 1963, a time of internationalization, computing applications, and journal start-ups. By
1956, 16 IRE sections had formed outside the continental United States, and there were also IRE members in most
European nations. In 1957, the IRE Medical Electronics professional group had 10 metropolitan-area sections, and
the IRE board provisionally accepted a plan for this group and possibly others to include affiliate members from
other organizations. NASA sponsored a computers and medicine symposium in 1965. Contexts of medical
electronics including imaging and telecommunications relate to evolving linkages between private enterprise,
government organizations, and universities along with regionalities and technological change.
"Otto Schmitt: A Major Contributor to both Biomedical and Electrical Engineering"
Robert Patterson
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Although Otto Schmitt is best known for his Schmitt Trigger circuit and other scientific achievements, he also
contributed to many organizational efforts. Before NASA, Otto was on three of the four committees dealing with
space and chaired the committee on Bioastronautics. In 1947, a joint committee of AIEE, IRE, and ISA organized
conferences on bioelectrical issues. In 1958, Schmitt organized a meeting themed “biology and computers” with
400 attendees at the University of Minnesota. He was the founding president of the Biomedical Engineering
Society and the founding vice president of Biophysical Society. Schmitt contributed greatly to development of
EMBS and was twice given the IEEE-EMBS Career Achievement Award.
SESSION 21 (Room 302)
History of IEEE Regional Organizations, Part 3
Chair: Roland Saam, IEEE Life Member, London, England
"History of the IEEE San Fernando Valley Section"
Narisa N.Y. Chu
Chair, IEEE San Fernando Valley Section, California, USA
The San Fernando Valley Section of IEEE started in 1958 by John Guarrera (a former IEEE President) and Charles
Olsefsky. We are celebrating our 50th birthday this year, in the heart of Hollywood. The SFV Section went dormant
in the early 2000's. Narisa Chu, the incumbent Chair, together with a crew of high-caliber, dedicated and diversified
engineers, have been rejuvenating the SFV Section in the last 5 years. The experience from the commercial sector
around the Los Angeles County sets the new directions and promotes entrepreneurship to adapt to a globally
competitive and collaborative environment.
"The IEEE Washington Section: Past, Present, and Future"
Tim Weil and Raj Madhavan
Presenter: Tim Weil, Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, USA
From its modest beginnings as the Washington Society of Engineers in the fall of 1902 by a small group of
individuals residing in the District of Columbia, to its current constituency of roughly 4500, the Washington Section
of IEEE has advanced by actively engaging and nurturing technical societies. To bring the Washington Section’s
history into the Web 2.0 era, we have utilized the IEEE Global History Network (GHN) to highlight our Section’s
program during the IEEE 125th Year Anniversary event. In an effort to link the narratives of the Washington
Section we will highlight the efforts to document our first 50 years as the AIEE, the last 40 years as IEEE and our
approach to filling in ‘the missing years’ (1953-1968).
"Scanner Newsletter – Ambassador of the IEEE National Capital Area Community"
Monica Mallini
Chair, IEEE Northern Virginia Section, USA
The Scanner newsletter, a joint publication of the IEEE Washington and Northern Virginia Sections, serves as a
calling card, business card, and ambassador for the National Capital Area community. In recent years, the Scanner
has evolved into a premium quality product with a distribution of 14,000. This presentation will highlight the
evolution of the Northern Virginia Section, founded in 1977, through the eyes of the Scanner.
10:00 am -- 10:30 am
Coffee break
Lobby of Mitchell Auditorium, on the ground floor of Bossone Hall.
10:30 am -- 12:00 pm
SESSION 22 (Mitchell)
Sessions 22, 23, and 24
IEEE Presidential Panel 2
Panel discussion on issues in the recent history of IEEE:
Moderator: John Meredith, Chair, 2009 IEEE Conference on the History of Technical Societies
Merrill Buckley
1992 IEEE President
Charles Alexander
1997 IEEE President
Kenneth Laker
1999 IEEE President
Arthur Winston
2004 IEEE President
SESSION 23 (Room 2)
Control Systems, Automation, and Technical Societies, Part 1
Chair: Gerald Engel, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
"Fifty-Five Years in Control: The Story of the IEEE Control Systems Society"
Daniel Abramovitch and Gene F. Franklin
Presenter: Daniel Abramovitch, Agilent Laboratories, Santa Clara, California, USA
The IEEE Control Systems Society celebrates its fifty-fifth anniversary as the IEEE celebrates its 125th anniversary
this year. This talk will tell the story of the CSS from the early working groups of the 1940s, through the coming of
age in the Cold War, to the present time of pervasive computing and communication. We will see that this is a tale
of technologies, personalities; algorithms, and fads. Looking forward we see that even as our ability to sense,
compute, and actuate have never been greater – the new important problems needing feedback techniques are those
that are most difficult to codify with established models. Understanding how to apply feedback to these systems
will keep the CSS busy for the foreseeable future.
"The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society"
Antal Bejczy
Retired, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
RAS is twenty years old this year, houses six to seven thousand members per year, has a yearly flagship
International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), which draws well over 1000 participants, sponsors
or cosponsors 15 other conferences per year, publishes two Transactions since 2005 (“Robotics” and “Automation
Science and Engineering”), which grew out of a single “Transactions on Robotics and Automation” published since
1992, and also publishes a quarterly Magazine. RAS has established 50 local chapters around the world and 21
Technical Committees in new areas of interest, supported the formation of several new IEEE projects, and
established an Industrial Activities Board (IAB) in 2003 to promote individuals’ participation in commercial
Robotics and Automation (R&A). RAS is among the most active societies in the IEEE.
"The International Federation of Automatic Control"
Stephen Kahne
Embry Riddle University, Prescott, Arizona, USA
The International Federation of Automatic Control was created in 1957 and was designed to succeed even when the
Cold War made international cooperation difficult. IFAC consists of 50 National Member Organizations, has
remained a healthy and dynamic society over its 50 year history, is the world’s leading publisher of technical results
in control engineering, and has interesting linkages with the IEEE. The paper discusses the thinking that went into
its organizational design, its evolution into the major international society in the control engineering field, its initial
and current relationship to the IEEE and its Societies, and lessons learned about the realization of truly international
engineering technical societies.
SESSION 24 (Room 302)
History of IEEE Regional Organizations, Part 4
Chair: David Burger, IEEE History Committee, Mount Colah, New South Wales, Australia
"Across the past 50 years of IEEE Presence in Italy"
Antonio Savini and Silvano Donati
Presenter: Luigi Dadda, Milan Polytechnic University, Milan, Italy
This year, while the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of foundation of the IEEE are under way, the IEEE Italy
Section will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary year. Founded in 1959 as the Milan Section of the IRE, it then
spread over the country and followed the evolution of the US based Institute with the merging of the IRE with the
AIEE in 1963 and the creation of Regions, Societies and Chapters. This paper is the first attempt to outline a short
history of IEEE Italy Section on the basis of the documentation currently available.
"Reenactment of the IEEE Chicago Section’s Inaugural Meeting"
George M. Thomas
History Chair, IEEE Chicago Section, Chicago, Illinois, USA
The Chicago Section has the unique distinction of being the first section formed outside of AIEE headquarters. The
first meeting, held on March 21, 1894 at Armour Institute, included a reading of the paper titled “On the Effect of
Heavy Gases in the Chamber of an Incandescent Lamp.” To honor the 110 th anniversary of this inaugural meeting,
the Chicago Section held a reenactment of the event in 2004 on the same campus. Re-enactors, using 21st century
presentation technology, read the original paper. In keeping with the spirit of the first meeting, a lively debate
followed on the merits of the paper.
"History of the IEEE Shreveport Section, Its Struggles and Recent Revival"
Victor Govindaswamy and G. Balasekaran
Presenter: Victor Govindaswamy, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texarkana, Texas, USA
The IEEE Shreveport Section, a Section member of IEEE Region 5, was formed in 1947. It had served engineers in
Southwestern Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and North Louisiana down to Natchitoches County and is ideally defined
as a small Section. Geographically, it is at a disadvantage since its members are spread out throughout the Section.
Since its founding, the Shreveport Section struggled to exist due to its geographical disadvantage. This presentation
covers the history of the Shreveport Section, its organization, its struggles and recent revival due to new initiatives
that are being undertaken that suit our unique conditions.
12:00 pm -- 1:30 pm
Lunch and Multimedia presentation
Atrium of Bossone Hall, on the third floor, adjacent to Room 302.
Multimedia presentation: "Enjoying the Past and Heading for the Future"
Charles Alexander, 1997 IEEE President, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and Jim
Watson, Watson Associates, Mansfield, Ohio, USA
This presentation is designed to be fun for both engineers and non-engineers. IEEE has had an exciting past, and yet
our future looks even more spectacular! Much of what makes our lives so wonderful today was made possible by
engineers. They have, for example, added thirty-five years to our lifespan. We recognize our dependence on
engineers when we look back to the Northeast blackout of 2003, when we could not get gas at the gas stations nor
get water out of the faucet. What was the past 125 years like? What does the future hold? Come and find out about
the past and incredible world of the future!
1:30 pm -- 3:00 pm
SESSION 25 (Mitchell)
Sessions 25, 26, and 27
Control Systems, Automation, and Technical Societies, Part 2
Chair: Atsushi Akera, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
"Control Engineering and the Professional Societies"
Chris Bissell
Open University, Milton Keynes, England
By the time control engineering emerged as a coherent body of knowledge and practise (during and just after WW2)
professional engineering bodies had existed for many decades. Since control engineering is an interdisciplinary
branch of the profession, new sections devoted to control were quickly established within the various existing
technical societies. In addition, some new bodies devoted specifically or primarily to control were established. This
paper will present in outline the history of how control engineering as a distinct branch of engineering became
represented in technical societies in the USA, UK, USSR, Germany and France.
"The Brazilian Automation Society – SBA"
Carlos Eduardo Pereira and Celso Pascoli Bottura
Presenter: Carlos Eduardo Pereira, UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, RS,
Brazil
The Brazilian Automation Society (SBA- Sociedade Brasileira de Automatica) was established in 1975 to promote
the science and engineering of automation and control in Brazil. Currently SBA has more than 700 members
(professionals, students, and organizations) being responsible for the organization of the major South-American
academic event in the area of automatic control, the Brazilian Automation Conference (Congresso Brasileiro de
Automática – CBA), as well as the Brazilian Symposium on Intelligent Automation (SBAI – Simposio Brasileiro de
Automacao Inteligente). Additionally SBA co-sponsors events in other areas, such as robotics and neural networks.
SBA is coordinated by a Board of Directors and a Council and includes six Technical Committees (Industrial
Automation, Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Instrumentation, Power Electronics, and Power Systems). SBA has one
affiliated journal, "Revista Controle e Automacao" (Control and Automation Journal).
"A Half-Century History of SICE (Society of Instrument and Control Engineers) in Control and
Measurement Areas"
Hideki Hashimoto, Yutaka Wakasa, Satoshi Honda, Eiju Matsumoto, and Hiroshi Shimanuki
Presenter: Hideki Hashimoto, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Control and measurement areas emerged as important industrial fields after World War II with some keywords
being "automation", "process control", and "cybernetics". Many private-sector organizations based on control and
measurement technologies grew up and performed as worldwide players. With those backgrounds SICE (Society of
Instrument and Control Engineers) was established 30 September 1961 to organize a group of engineers who
worked in control and measurement fields. In this presentation we will describe the necessity to form a group of
control and measurement engineers in Japan with a viewpoint of economy and show our history from 1961 until
present.
SESSION 26 (Room 2)
Electromagnetics, Ultrasonics, and Professional Organizations
Chair: Ron Leder, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
"The IEEE UFFC Society – Over 55 Years and Still Going Strong"
Jan Brown and Fred Hickernell
Presenter: Jan Brown, JB Consulting, West Whately, Massachusetts, USA
The IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society (UFFC) has had a very exciting and rich
technical and human heritage. The founders, zealous in their efforts to establish a place for its technology among
the engineering disciplines, petitioned the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) for the formation of the Professional
Group on Ultrasonic Engineering (PGUE) in 1953. Though there have been various name changes over the years,
UFFC became the 19th Society of the IEEE. The international membership and the technology have had a positive
impact on the welfare of the world.
"NEM, AMEREM and EUROEM and the Road to High-Power Electromagnetics"
Leigh A. Gardner, Robert L. Gardner, and Carl E. Baum
Presenter: Robert L. Gardner, Consultant in High-Power Electromagnetics, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Historically, professional societies have played an important role in deciding which lines of scientific inquiry should
be rejected or encouraged. This paper will use the meeting programs of a series of symposia, including the Nuclear
Electromagnetics Meeting (NEM), the European Electromagnetics Meeting (EUROEM), and the American
Electromagnetics Meeting (AMEREM) from 1978-2008 to trace the evolution of the study of the nuclear
electromagnetic pulse into a much more diverse discipline that studies lightning, high-power microwave devices and
effects, electromagnetic effects on electronics as well as various forms of electromagnetic pulse. It will also
examine the influence of growing interest in this research from outside the United States since the early 1990s.
"History of the IEEE EMC Society"
Daniel D. Hoolihan
Chair, EMC Society History Committee, Lindstrom, Minnesota, USA
The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is
one of approximately forty Societies in the IEEE. Whereas the IEEE was founded in 1884, the EMC Society
celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007. This paper discusses the start of the EMC Society, its interim years, and the
last few years (the modern years) of its organizational story. We will discuss some of its major accomplishments
over the past fifty-two years and relate those to the IEEE and its distinguished heritage. This will be an overview
effort to keep it at a reasonable length.
SESSION 27 (Room 302)
Electric Power and Technical Societies
Chair: Amir I. Zaghloul, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Arlington, Virginia, USA
"The History of the IEEE Power & Energy Society"
Alan C. Rotz
PPL Electric Utilities, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
Both IEEE and the Power & Energy Society can trace their roots to 1884. Thomas Edison and a group of
fledgling electric industry professionals formed a new society called the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
(AIEE). Early leaders included Edison (power), Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), and Norvin Green (telegraph).
Over the ensuing years, AIEE became more focused on power. After the merger of AIEE and IRE, the Power
Group (which eventually became the Power Engineering Society) was formed. More recently, PES changed its
name to the Power & Energy Society to more closely mirror the expanding interests of our membership.
"The Electrical Power Engineering Profession in Sweden – Overview and Milestones"
Sture Eriksson
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Sweden is highly electrified, and power engineering has played an important role for the country. Swedish electrical
engineers have also from an international perspective been very successful. Fundamental for these professional
engineers is their education, their working experiences, and their professional network. The Swedish development
over time of these three main factors will be highlighted and illustrated by short overviews and examples.
Organizations for engineers are essential parts of the professional network and the country has a long tradition in
this respect. It started with national, and even local, assemblies but successively a transition to international
organizations has taken place.
"Fred Stark Pearson, the AIEE, and Transnational Engineering in the Early 20 th Century"
Gilmore C. Cooke
Chair for History, IEEE Boston Section, Massachusetts, USA
Fred Stark Pearson was a remarkable electrical engineer who, by the time he died at the age of 54, had engineered
and built some of the world’s great power, lighting, and traction companies in South America and other foreign
countries. Pearson was a member of the AIEE, and many of the engineers he employed in his enterprises were
AIEE members. Moreover, Pearson sponsored and enrolled many of his staff in Mexico and Brazil as associate
members, and he encouraged project engineers to write articles for major journals. In spite of his enthusiasm for the
AIEE, Pearson was shunned by the organization in 1915. A long lasting feud between Pearson and the editor of
Electric World, T.C. Martin, an executive member of AIEE, may have been the source of resentments.
3:15 pm -- 4:30 pm
Session 28 and Optional oral history workshop
SESSION 28 (Room 2)
History of IEEE Regional Organizations, Part 5
Chair: Michael Geselowitz, IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Juan Carlos Miguez
IEEE Senior Member and former IEEE Region 9 Director, Salto, Uruguay
"History of the IEEE in Latin America"
In Latin America, interest in the activities of the Technical Societies AIEE and IRE--which later formed the IEEE-started early in the twentieth century. This resulted not only in individual memberships but also in the formation of
local Sections, notably of the AIEE in Mexico in 1922 and of the IRE in Argentina in 1939. In this article those
early events and a detailed chronology of the formation of the Sections and the Latin America and the Caribbean
Region 9 are presented, with mention of key events, Regional Directors, and a look at membership growth.
Other topics explored include the publications of the Region, its main conferences and regional meetings, and IEEE
award recipients. Student Groups have always been active in the Region; their main activities are also described.
"The History of IEEE Region 8"
Roland Saam
IEEE Life Member, London, England
Region 8 is the most extensive of the ten IEEE Regions, as it covers Europe (including all of Russia), the Middle
East, and Africa. Following on IRE Sections in these parts of the world, IEEE Region 8 was established shortly
after the formation of the IEEE in 1963. This paper will review 46 years of Region 8 history, with steady growth in
membership and continued expansion of activities.
Workshop (Room 302)
Optional oral history workshop
"An Introduction to Oral History: Its Importance and Methodology"
Frederik Nebeker and Sheldon Hochheiser, both of the IEEE History Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey,
USA
Oral history, a technique for capturing the experiences of individuals through recorded interviews, has become a
vital method for historians of modern technology. The purpose of this workshop is to provide an introduction to oral
history for individuals or organizations interested in starting an oral-history program or learning more about the
technique. The presenters, who have many years of experience in conducting oral-history interviews, will review
the place of oral history in historiography and its special importance for the history of 20 th-century technology,
describe types of oral history, including video history, and discuss techniques of oral-history interviewing. The
workshop is open free-of-charge to all those registered for the conference.
3:30 pm -- 5:00 pm (American Philosophical Society)
Special open house at the
American Philosophical Society
The open house takes place at the American Philosophical Society Library, 105 South 5 th Street, next to
Independence Hall in the Historic District.
Presenter: Roy Goodman, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
The collections of the American Philosophical Society span from colonial times to the computer age, including
scientific specimens and instruments, patent models, portraits, maps, art works, rare books, and more than ten
million manuscripts. Librarian and curator Roy Goodman has selected materials from these collections, which
include the Benjamin Franklin Papers, that will be of interest to attendees of this conference.
5:00 pm -- 6:00 pm (American Philosophical Society)
IEEE Milestone dedication
ceremony
The ceremony, open to anyone interested, also takes place at the American Philosophical Society Library.
IEEE Milestone dedication ceremony: Book "Experiments and Observations on Electricity" by Benjamin
Franklin, 1751
Plaque citation: In April 1751 the Royal Society published Benjamin Franklin's book, "Experiments and
Observations on Electricity: Made in Philadelphia in America." A collection of letters to London's Peter Collinson,
the book described Franklin's ideas about the nature of electricity and how electrical devices worked, and new
experiments to investigate lightning. This important book led to a better understanding of charges, stimulated
Franklin's work on lightning rods, and made him an internationally known figure.
Organizer: IEEE Philadelphia Section