WIE Newsletter
September 2004
IEEE Region 10 Student Congress
By Seenu Chrispin, Chair, WIE College of Eng Chengannur Student
Branch Chapter
WIE and Captain Hamad Science
Corner
By Hanan Ishaq, Zayed University
Theme:
Date:
Venue:
Networking the people, networking the
communities, networking the world.
http://www.ee.cuhk.edu.hk/~ieeecuhk/r10sc2004/
16 – 18 July 2004
The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong
Dubai Summer Surprises can be described as The Summer
Capital of Fun. It unfolds weekly surprises from June to
August under different themes. IEEE WIE Affinity Group
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Section took a part in the
cartoon surprises, organized by Dubai Ports Authority. The
event targeted young children and up to 13 years old.
Gigin Jose, Prijoe Philips Komattu, Visan Koshy Varghese
and I started our journey to Hong Kong on 14 July 2004. We
reached there by 5:00 pm the next day. After getting
clearance from airport authorities, we headed to the reception
counter set by the students of Hong Kong University, there
we received a warm welcome from the reception team.
The bus scheduled to take us to the university arrived at 7:15
pm. We were glad to see delegates from Bangalore, Bombay,
and Delhi Sections and we met delegates from Japan,
Taiwan, Australia and Beijing. We took some time to have a
look through the fascinating views of Hong Kong Airport - “the
Continued on page 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
IEEE Region 10 Student Congress
1
WIE and Captain Hamad Science Corner
3
Flexibility Supports IT Careers
4
IEEE Honors Global Technology Innovators
4
International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation
Systems
4
The Margaret F. Donovan Endowed Chair for Women in
Engineering
5
New Book Teaches Young Engineers How to be Pros in “Real
World”
5
Call for Papers – Gender Balancing Computing Education
5
Advice for Those Seeking Admission to India’s Management
Schools
6
IEEE Email Alias Blocks Six Million Viruses in First Half of
2004
6
Protection When Traveling Abroad
6
Flexibility Supports IT Careers
Captain Hamad Science Corner
We had the chance to exhibit in the science section at the
Captain Hamad Cartoon City from July 8 to 23, located at the
Dubai World Trade Center. This activity was sponsored by
IEEE - UAE Section and Al Wakeel School Supplies (AWSL,
www.alwakeel.net). Mr. Eisa Al- Suaidi, owner of AWSL,
supplied teaching materials, equipment and accessories such
as PCs, projectors, science kits, and conference accessories.
Zayed University - Dubai Branch supported the activities by
providing an event staff. Hanan Ishaq, a recent graduate
from Zayed University, was selected to staff the event.
(Left to Right) Hanan Ishaq and Maryam Al Thani
Continued on page 3
WIE Newsletter 1
IEEE Region 10 Student Congress - from page 1
fifth busiest airport in the world”. By this time we were
sharing among ourselves values of our culture, tradition and
heritage.
electricity generation plants. Pollution checking methods
adopted by the company were also included in that. After that
we were taken to a small museum run by the company.
There we saw working models of the plant, turbine blades,
other parts of an electricity generation plant and more.
The travel through the “Asia’s world city” was one of the most
memorable experiences in my life. We reached Hong Kong
University, we met other delegates who had arrived earlier
and I believe numerous friendships started there. We went to
the rooms allotted. The windows of the rooms were opening
to the beautiful sight of Hong Kong Harbor. My roommate
was from Australia. We talked a lot about our motherland.
On day two, the opening ceremony started with a welcome
note from Clive Lee, Chair of IEEE R10 Student Congress.
He emphasized the importance of the congress theme
“Networking the people, networking the communities,
networking the world”, social dimension of networking, and
the positioning of IEEE in the modern world.
The
distinguished guests, and 109 delegates, including official
coordinators attended the opening ceremony.
The company had arranged lunch for us. After that, due to
shortage of time, the organizing committee was forced to
cancel the plant tour. We left CLP and headed to Rayson
Huang Theatre to attend guest lectures.
All lectures by guest speakers and some delegate
presentations were expected to follow that, but unfortunately
a typhoon was about to break out and the danger signal was
hoisted. We had to move out from the conference hall
immediately into Starr Hall. The organizing committee was
forced to cut short some of the events. Since delegate
presentation was an important part of the congress, they
divided the delegates into different groups, and each one
was given a chance to present their ideas in front of two
groups. I was informed that my lecture on Women in
Engineering was postponed to the next day. After dinner, we
attended the second session and we found out that we would
be having a technical visit to “China Light and Power
Company”.
China Light Power – Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power)
is the principal subsidiary of CLP holdings. Operating a
vertically integrated electricity generation, transmission and
distribution business, their mission is to provide a safe and
reliable electricity supply at reasonable cost to two million
domestic and commercial customers, serving about 80% of
Hong Kong population.
First we were shown video clippings about working of
The first lecture was by Prof. S. Takeuchi, Director-Elect,
IEEE Region 10 Executive Committee, on the topic “Role of
Student Chapters”. He mentioned the challenges faced by
student chapters and advised all student delegates to plan
out their activities so as to face these challenges. Following
his lecture, we had lectures from Prof. Marzuki Khalid, Chair,
Student Activities Committee- IEEE Region 10 on “The future
of IEEE membership”; Ms. Cecilia Jankowski, Secretary,
Regional Activities Board, about the working of Regional
Activities Board and Mr. Y.W. Liu, Chair, IEEE Region 10
Award Committee talked about “IEEE Volunteer Family and
Award”; Ir. Jolly C. K. Wong, Vice Chair, Engineering
Management Chapter, IEEE HK section & Head, 3rd
generation Command & Control Communication, Hong Kong
Police Force, gave a very informative lecture on the topic
“Project Management for International Projects”; Dr. Tuptim
Angkaew, GOLD Representative, IEEE Region 10 Executive
Committee gave a lecture about GOLD and its activities.
While listing out the activities in Region 10, she also
mentioned about the activities by GOLD, Kerala Section.
Four lectures including mine were again postponed to the
next day.
Next session was an open forum with the various
representatives of the IEEE Region 10 Executive Committee.
Almost all delegates, especially those from developing
countries turned out with a request to reduce student
membership fee. It was concluded that instead of trying to
reduce the membership fee, we should try to increase the
value of a student membership. So many delegates
presented their problems and the team was very happy to
answer every one.
WIE Newsletter 2
IEEE Region 10 Student Congress - from page 2
After the open forum session we went to a Chinese
Restaurant for dinner. We all enjoyed delicious Chinese
dishes. Then each group was allowed to choose a
destination of their wish to go for an outing. Our group visited
Kowloon, a shopping center nearby the beach. Three other
groups were also with us. We enjoyed the trip very much.
WIE and Captain Hamad Science Corner - from page 1
Maryam Al Thani, Chair of WIE United Arab Emirates
Chapter, said “the start of engineering, and science, is
problem solving”. Children had a lot of fun playing the
various scientific games, puzzles and Lego and were
challenged to do some hands on activities from the ZOOM
Into Engineering video showings.
We reached Starr Hall by 10:00pm. We were all sad that the
congress was coming to an end.
On the last day of the congress, I gave my presentation on
Women in Engineering. I received warm responses from
most of them. Representatives from Beijing, Hong Kong,
GGS Indraprastha University of Engineering & Technology,
Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi and Ritsumeikan University,
and Japan enquired about starting a WIE Affinity Group.
Children doing ZOOM Into Engineering Projects
Everyone had a wonderful time!
Everyone involved in the months of preparation agreed that it
was well worth it when they noticed the children spent long
hours at the Science Corner. Feedback from the children
and their families were very positive.
Seenu Chrispin talking about WIE
Alwakeel Group http://www.alwakeel.net
Zayed University http://www.zu.ac.ae
Dubai Summer Surprises http://www.mydsf.ae™
Flexibility Supports IT Careers
The failure of British employers to let IT professionals work
flexible hours contributes to the decline in the number of
women entering the profession. The number of women in IT
has fallen 3% - despite an overall growth in the IT workforce.
Delegates received a WIE Snafooz-Puzzle
The congress came to an end by the closing speech by Mr.
Clive K.L. Lee, Organizing Committee Chair.
We went back to Starr Hall, and there, the Organizing
Committee issued certificates to the participants. Each us
had taken gifts which represented our culture, and there we
exchanged our gifts. We all departed with sweet memories of
the congress to be cherished all our lifetime.
The British Minister for Women and Trade secretary Patricia
Hewitt strongly urged senior IT employers to give greater
commitment to the work/life balance agenda, from the top
down, to reverse the downward trend in women working in IT.
™
Source: The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in England
Student Congress Photo Album
http://www.ee.cuhk.edu.hk/~ieee-cuhk/r10sc2004/photo.html
™
WIE Newsletter 3
IEEE Honors Global Technology
Innovators
By Kathy Kowalenko, The Institute
This year’s IEEE Honors Ceremony celebrated at least four
milestones. For the first time, women received the IEEE
Founders and John von Neumann medals, it was the 100th
anniversary of the IEEE Edison medal, and the Eta Kappa Nu
scholastic honor society, which counts many IEEE members
among its ranks, reached its centennial, as well. The
ceremony took place in June in Kansas City, Mo., USA.
workforce.
“As a young child, I wanted to make the world a better place
to live in. Many young people have that kind of high ideal, but
I was one of the very lucky ones who had the opportunity to
make a difference,” she said.
Commenting on this year's Honors Ceremony theme,
"Making a Global Difference," the event’s master of
ceremonies, IEEE President Arthur Winston, noted that 37
percent of the IEEE’s members are from countries other than
the United States, including himself and many of those that
were being honored at the ceremony.
“As such, the IEEE is an excellent model for global
collaboration,” he said. “Its vast resources in education,
conferencing, and networking allow people to ‘get ahead of
the curve’ in their professional careers. Its built-in, natural
geographic distribution is unique, providing instant global
relationships, touching all technical fields.”
As if to echo Winston’s remarks, the institute’s highest award,
its Medal of Honor, went to a life fellow from Japan, Tadahiro
Sekimoto. The former chairman of NEC Corp., in Tokyo,
Sekimoto is now chairman of the Institute for International
Socio-Economic Studies, an NEC think tank.
He was honored for his pioneering efforts in digital and
satellite communications, which forms the cornerstone for
today’s modern communications systems. Developed at
NEC’s research labs, Sekimoto’s work enabled smallcapacity Earth stations to communicate with many stations in
different countries, making it possible for developing
countries to participate in satellite communications networks.
These systems applied the same basic concepts as modern
[[?]] mobile telephony. When they were first designed they
signaled
the
beginning
of
the
communications
interconnectivity people enjoy today.
Landmark achievements
The first woman to receive the IEEE Founders Medal, now in
its 52 years of existence, is IEEE Life Fellow Mildred
Dresselhaus. She earned the award for her leadership across
many fields of science and engineering through research and
university teaching, as well as for her exceptional and unique
contributions to the engineering profession, according to the
citation awarded with the medal. An early worker in
nanotechnology, she made discoveries and provided insights
that have served as the building blocks for improving the
characteristics of semiconductors, nanostructures, and
nanotechnology.
An Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in Cambridge, USA, and chair of the American
Institute of Physics governing board, Dresselhaus also has
worked to equalize the treatment of male and female faculty
when they apply for university jobs, housing facilities, and
tenure. In addition, she has tried to change the way society
views women in academia, science and technology, and the
(Left to Right) John Steadman (IEEE President), Mildred Dresselhaus
(IEEE Founders Medal), Barbara Liskov (IEEE John von Newmann
Medal) and Jerry Alphonse (IEEE President-Elect)
The recipient of the IEEE John von Neumann medal,
Member Barbara Liskov, has had other firsts as well. Not
only is she the first woman to receive the medal since it was
established in 1990, but she also was the first woman in the
United States to earn a Ph.D. in computer science, as well
as the first female professor of computer science at MIT.
The von Neumann award recognizes her contributions to
computer programming languages and methodology, such
as her development in the 1980s of Argus. This was the first
high-level programming language to support distributed
programs that run on computers connected by networks like
the Internet.
Liskov explained at the ceremony that she got into computer
science by accident when, armed with a fresh degree in
mathematics in 1961, she was unable to find a job as a
mathematician.
“I took a job as a computer programmer instead,” she
recalled. “That got me into computer science at a stage when
it was a new field and everything was open. I was extremely
lucky to get into the field at a time when there was so much
interesting work to do.”
Today, Liskov is the Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT. In
2003, Discover magazine named her one of its “50 Most
Important Women in Science.”
Beyond the light bulb
Back in 1904, the Edison Medal was established to celebrate
Thomas Edison’s achievements of a quarter century of
electric light, but today it recognizes a career of meritorious
achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or
the electrical arts.
This year IEEE Fellow Federico Capasso received the medal
"for a career of highly creative and influential contributions to
heterostructure devices and materials." He was recognized
for his pioneering work in the design of artificially structured
materials
and
devices
using
semiconductor
Continued on page 5
WIE Newsletter 4
IEEE Honors Global Technology Innovators - from page 4
heterostructures, an approach known as band-structure
engineering. He demonstrated the first graded-band-gap
bipolar transistor, and he spearheaded efforts that led
to multilayer low-noise avalanche photodiodes and the solidstate photomultiplier.
Capasso did his work at Bell Laboratories, which he left in
2003 after a 26-year career to become the Robert L. Wallace
Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University in
Cambridge, Mass., USA. He noted that he was extremely
lucky to have joined Bell when he did, in 1977.
“It was the dawn of the golden age of solid-state circuits and
technology,” he said. “This was the beginning of the field of
man-made artificial semiconductor material.”
The Honors Ceremony also saluted Eta Kappa Nu on its
100th anniversary. Formed by students at the University of
Illinois in 1904 to help graduates find jobs and gain a foothold
in engineering, the society today encourages excellence in
teaching and in achievements by students, educators, and
career engineers. Membership is by invitation and the society
boasts nearly 200 000 members, including many IEEE
fellows and past recipients of major IEEE awards.
In addition to the medals, Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto,
Calif., and Qualcomm Inc., San Diego, Calif., each received
the IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition award for
outstanding contributions that have resulted in major
advancements of electrotechnology.
To see a complete listing of the recipients, visit the IEEE
Awards Web site at http://www.ieee.org/awards. ™
International IEEE Conference on
Intelligent Transportation Systems
www.itsc2005.at
ITSC 05 will take place from 13th to 16th of September 2005
in Vienna, Austria and will continue the tradition of leading
advances in basic research on technology related to
intelligent transport systems, ITS applications and the
interface between ITS technology and the society.
“ITS and the society” would like to compile and present the
advantages of applications of intelligent transportation
systems for the society. Finally all (the society) want to
benefit
from
innovative
developments,
strategies,
technologies etc. in the interdisciplinary range of the
innovative transport systems, in order to use and to increase
the efficiency of resources (above all time and infrastructure).
Paper submission:
Complete manuscripts in PDF format must be electronically
submitted for review not later than 18 January 2005 at
its.papercept.net in IEEE standard-format. For further
information please consult the paper submission webpage. ™
The Margaret F. Donovan
Endowed Chair for Women in
Engineering
The College of Engineering at The University of Akron is
inviting applications and nominations for the position of The
Margaret F. Donovan Endowed Chair for Women in
Engineering. Candidates must possess a doctorate in
electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely
related discipline. Although candidates from all areas of
Electrical and Computer Engineering will be considered,
preference will be given to candidates in the areas of signal
processing and sensors and actuators, with special
emphasis on those with bioengineering and biomedical
applications. The position will be a tenured appointment in
the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE)
at the Associate Professor or Professor level. The salary will
be competitive. This position also carries a substantial
startup package. The ECE department presently includes 15
full-time faculty members and offers BS and MS degrees in
Electrical Engineering. In addition, the department offers a
BS degree in Computer Engineering and an interdisciplinary
PhD in Engineering. Areas of faculty expertise include
communications, controls, electromagnetic fields, expert
systems and artificial intelligence, networked embedded
systems, optics, power electronics, signal and image
processing and VLSI. The Department houses several
modern undergraduate laboratories with significant
computational resources and an infrastructure that is being
continuously updated and upgraded. Numerous wellequipped graduate research laboratories have been
developed by the faculty. The Department has approximately
450 undergraduate and 55 graduate students.
The University of Akron is a state-assisted metropolitan
university in northeast Ohio with approximately 23,000
students. In 2003, it was selected as one of twelve Carnegie
Cluster Leaders by the Carnegie Academy for Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning and the American Association of
Higher Education.
Candidates are expected to have
demonstrated success in securing competitive federal
research grants and have an excellent teaching record. The
successful candidate shall conduct research and teach in the
department at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,
and actively participate and serve as a role model in the
activities of our reputed Women in Engineering Program in
the College of Engineering. Nominees will be contacted by
the chair of the search committee. Applicants, please submit
a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research and
teaching goals, and the names of at least three references to
Dr. Joan Carletta, Search Committee Chair, The Margaret F.
Donovan Endowed Chair for Women in Engineering,
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The
University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3904.
The
committee will commence the review of applications
immediately and the search will remain open until the
position is filled. Additional information available at
http://www.ecgf.uakron.edu/~elec/donovan.html
The University of Akron is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer. ™
WIE Newsletter 5
Call for Papers – Gender
Balancing Computing Education
Call for papers for an upcoming special issue of ACM
JERIC (Journal on Educational Resources in Computing).
The special issue will be called 'Gender Balancing
Computing Education' and we are soliciting reports of
research into the influence educational practices may have
on the gender composition of post-secondary computer
science. We are particularly interested in articles that
explore the role of pedagogical practices including
collaborative learning and closed labs, curriculum,
classroom practices, departmental culture and support
programs.
IEEE Email Alias Blocks Six
Million Viruses in First Half of
2004
The IEEE Personal Email Alias prevented more than six
million viruses from penetrating IEEE members' accounts
during the first half of this year -- three times as many
viruses found in all of 2003. With approximately 100,000
IEEE members using this service, the IEEE Personal Email
Alias is blocking approximately ten attacks per month per
user. Find out more about the IEEE Personal Email Alias,
an exclusive benefit of IEEE membership, at:
http://eleccomm.ieee.org/personal-aliases.shtml ™
The entire CFP is attached. It soon will be available online
at: http://www.acm.org/pubs/jeric/
Deadline for submissions: November 1, 2004
For information on ACM JERIC and author guidelines, see:
http://www.acm.org/pubs/jeric/guildlines/authors/index.shtm
l
All manuscripts should be submitted via ACM's Manuscript
Central (http://acm.manuscriptcentral.com/).
Manuscripts may be 15-30 pages long when formatted
using the author guidelines.
Please send questions or comments to:
acm-jeric@acm.org.™
Advice for Those Seeking
Admission to India’s
Management Schools
Preparing for the entrance examinations for India's "Blevel" MBA schools requires a year of carefully planned
study, advises Tarun Wasan, writing for The Times of
India. The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the first,
offered in late November. The CAT and other exams like it
are not intelligence tests. It is important to remember that
these examinations measure how well test takers
communicate, do math and analysis situations, reason and
make decisions. Speed and skill are what's valued.
Read the entire article at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/790558.
cms ™
New Book Teaches Young
Engineers How to Be Pros
in”Real World”
A new book from IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons offers
help to young engineers just entering the business world to
comfortably face the complex professional world of dealing
with people, processes, and meetings. "Stuff You Don't
Learn in Engineering School: Skills for Success in the Real
World" covers non-technical leadership skills like decisionmaking, setting priorities, negotiating, teamwork, running
meetings, and better writing and speaking.
To purchase this book or find more information, visit:
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd0471655767.html
Protection When Traveling
Abroad
Planning to travel away from your home country this
summer? The IEEE Financial Advantage Program offers
five Gateway insurance plans, which provide coverage for
accident and illness-related medical expenses when
traveling abroad. Gateway insurance is available to IEEE
Members, their families, and their associates.
For
more
information
http://www.ieeeinsurance.com/gtwy/highlite.asp
***IEEE members: Receive a 15% discount on any WileyIEEE Press titles. Use code 18493 at checkout*** ™
visit:
IEEE Travel Services offers a variety of services for IEEE
members. Get information and make reservations online at:
http://www.ieeetravelonline.org ™
WIE Newsletter 6