PUBLICATION
OF THE NORTH JERSEY SECTION OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERS
December 2003
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IEEE North Jersey Section
Back Issues
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December 2003
Volume 50, Number 6
Publication No: USPS 580-500
“The IEEE Newsletter” (North Jersey
Section), is published monthly except June and July by The Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
Headquarters: 3 Park Avenue,
17th Floor, New York, NY
10016-5997. $1.00 per member per
year (included in annual dues) for each member of the North Jersey
Section. Periodicals-class postage paid
at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to: “The IEEE Newsletter”, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway,
NJ 08855-1331. USPS 580-500 (ISSN 1076-3732).
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Editor........................................... Keith Saracinello
Business Manager...................... Keith Saracinello
k.saracinello “AT” ieee.org (908) 791-4067
Deadline for receipt of material is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication.
All communications concerning editorial and business matters, including
advertising, should be sent to the Business Manager via e-mail at k.saracinello
“AT” ieee.org or to The IEEE Newsletter,
c/o Keith Saracinello, 25 Messenger Ln, Ringoes, NJ 08551, (908) 791-4067.
IEEE NJ SECTION HOME PAGE
http://web.njit.edu/~ieeenj/
IEEE NJ SECTION NEWSLETTER HOME PAGE
http://web.njit.edu/~ieeenj/NEWSLETTER.html
REPORT ADDRESS CHANGES TO:
IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes
Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, (732) 981-0060. It is not necessary to inform the North
Jersey Section when you change your mailing address. “The IEEE Newsletter” and other section mailings use a list
provided by IEEE’s national headquarters.
SECTION OFFICERS
Chairman....................................... Dr.
Durga Misra
dmisra “AT” njit.edu (973) 596-5739
Vice-Chairman-1................................ Rodney
Cole
rgcole “AT” ieee.org
(973) 299-9022 Ext. 2257
Vice-Chairman-2.................................... Har
Dayal
har.dayal “AT” baesystems.com
(973) 633-4618
Treasurer........................ Dr. Edward (Ted)
Byrne
flatland “AT” compuserve.com
(973) 822-3219
Secretary................................. Dr.
Sanghoon Shin
s.shin “AT” ieee.org
(973) 492-1207 Ext. 22
Members-at-Large:
Bhanu Chivakula
(b.chivakula “AT” computer.org)
Naz Simonelli
(naz “AT” sprynet.com)
Dr. Richard
Snyder (r.snyder “AT” ieee.org)
The North Jersey Section
Executive Committee usually meets the first Wednesday (except holidays and
December) of each month at 7:00 PM.
Meetings are open to all members.
For information on meeting agenda contact Secretary Dr. Sanghoon Shin at
(973) 492-1207 Ext. 22, s.shin “AT” ieee.org.
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IEEE
North Jersey Section Activities
December 2003
Dec. 4 – “Consultants’
Network Planning Meeting & Workshop” - NJ Consultants' Network, 7:30
PM, MCE/KDI Triangle, 60 S. Jefferson Rd, Whippany, NJ. Robert Walker (973) 728-0344 or www.TechnologyOnTap.org.
Dec. 9 –
“Designing Decision Support Systems Using
ACCESS™ (3rd Lecture in Series)” - NJ SMC Society, 7:00 PM,
Clifton Memorial Library , 292 Piaget Ave, Clifton, NJ. Dr. Mike Liechenstein (973) 471-0721
(m.liechenstein “AT” ieee.org).
Dec. 10 –
“Wireless
LAN Security: Standards, Business Plans and Deployment Issues” - 1:00-5:00
PM, Meeting Rooms 108/109 Magill Commons, Monmouth University. Dr. Amruthur Narasimhan (732) 957-0850
(anarasimhan “AT” ieee.org).
Dec. 10
– “Engineers Meet: Current Activities: NJ Legislative Action, Seminar Reviews” -
NJ PACE, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, Clifton Memorial Library, 292 Piaget Ave, Clifton,
NJ. Paul Ward (973) 790-1625 (PWard1130
“AT” aol.com) or Richard F. Tax (201)
664-6954 (rtax “AT” bellatlantic.net).
Dec. 23 – “Anxiety and Sugar Metabolism - What's the Connection?” - NY/NJ/LI EMBS, 7:15 PM
Seating, 7:30 PM Lecture, Con Edison Executive Dining Room, 4 Irving Place, NY,
NY (reservations required). Joel H.
Levitt, (212) 479-7805 (24 hr voice mail), jlevitt “AT” pratt.edu.
Upcoming Meetings
Jan. 5-8 – “2004
IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference - Consumer Networking:
Closing the Digital Divide” - Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. See http://www.ccnc2004.org/
for more details.
Jan.
7 – “NJ
Section Executive Committee Meeting” - 7:00 PM, ITT, 100 Kingsland Rd, Clifton,
NJ. Dr. Sanghoon Shin at (973) 492-1207
Ext. 22 or s.shin “AT” ieee.org.
Jan. 19 – “Inside Internet E-Mail” - NJ
Computer Chapter, 7:00 PM, Public Meeting Room, Morris County Library, 30 E.
Hanover Ave, Whippany, NJ. Seth Jakel
(973) 731-1902 (sgjakel “AT” comcast.net) or Vivek Shaiva (908) 229-6125
(vshaiva “AT” computer.org).
Jan. 20 – “Sound Cancellation Treatment of
Monofrequency Tinnitus” - NY/NJ/LI EMBS, 6:30 PM Reception, 7:30 PM Program, New York
Academy of Medicine, Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, New York, NY. Joel H. Levitt, (212) 479-7805 (24 hr voice
mail), jlevitt “AT” pratt.edu.
Jan. 29 – “Web-Based
and Email Marketing” - NJ Consultants' Network, 7:30 PM,
Aeroflex/KDI-Integrated Products, 60 S. Jefferson Rd, Whippany, NJ. Robert Walker (973) 728-0344 or www.TechnologyOnTap.org.
Feb. 16-Apr. 12 – “Introduction to JAVA Programming” - North
Jersey Section, Monday Evenings, 8 sessions, 6:30-9:00 PM, Wessley Inns &
Suites, 265 Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ. Bhanu Chivakula (b.chivakula “AT” computer.org).
Feb. 18-Apr. 14 – “Project Management” - North Jersey Section,
Wednesday Evenings, 8 sessions, 6:30-9:00 PM, Wessley Inns & Suites, 265
Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ. Bhanu
Chivakula (b.chivakula “AT” computer.org).
Members and
Non-Members Welcome
PLEASE
POST
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NJ
Consultants' Network:
Consultants’
Network Planning Meeting & Workshop
On
Thursday, December 4, 2003, the IEEE Consultants’ Network of Northern NJ
(CNNNJ) will conduct its annual Planning Meeting and Workshop.
About the Talk
The
combined November/December meeting of the IEEE Consultants’ Network is designed
as a strategic planning event for Network members and for consultants who are
considering membership in the Consultants’ Network.
The
main purpose of the meeting will be to discuss ideas and expectations for the
various Network functions in the upcoming year. Results of the annual election of officers will be announced at
the time.
This
Working Session is traditionally an open, informal forum to determine what the
IEEE-CNNNJ is doing right or wrong. The floor will be open to suggestions for
improvements, recommendations of new Network directions and activities and
proposals of new feature topics for the general meetings.
The
major functions performed by the IEEE Consultants’ Network that will be
discussed are:
·
Monthly General Meetings - Suggested feature topics
will be discussed.
·
Member Networking - Member presentations and
alternate general meeting formats that improve networking.
·
Group Marketing & Image Building - CNNNJ
Website, tri-fold and postcard mailing, CNNNJ’s free consultant referral
service, and alternate publicity methods.
In
the course of the session, Network members Laurence W. Nagel and George Hacken will be honored with 5-year
senior CNNNJ member plaques.
About the Consultants’ Network
Founded in 1992, the IEEE Consultants Network of Northern
NJ encourages and promotes the use of independent technical consultants by
business and industry.
Time: 7:30 PM,
Thursday, December
4, 2003.
Place: MCE/KDI Triangle, 60 S. Jefferson Rd,
Whippany, NJ. (Entrance at rear of
building)
Information: For directions and up-to-date
meeting status, call Robert Walker (973) 728-0344 or visit our website at www.TechnologyOnTap.org. To download a map to KDI, go to: http://www.mcekdi-integrated.com/directions.htm.
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North
Jersey SMC Society:
Designing
Decision Support Systems Using ACCESS™
On Tuesday,
December 9th, the SMC Society will host the last of three
presentations by Michael Liechenstein on Microsoft’s ACCESS™.
About the Talk
The
attendee preferably has basic knowledge of ACCESS™, since this final lecture
will focus on the more sophisticated aspects of the software (specific topics
for this presentation are available upon request).
About the Speaker
Dr. Liechenstein is currently a member of the faculty at St.
John’s University in the Department of Computer Information and Decision
Sciences. He has also been affiliated
with Columbia University’s Department of Mathematical Statistics and CUNY’s
Department of Computer Information Systems.
Following his graduation from M.I.T. and Yale, Dr. Liechenstein was a
member of the Bell Laboratories Technical Staff and was also a research
director at the RAND Corp. As president
of Integrated Technology Services Corp., he has been a consultant to numerous
business and governmental organizations.
Since 1988, he has chaired the North Jersey’s Systems, Man &
Cybernetics Society chapter and continues to serve on the Section’s Executive
Committee (as Senior Past Chairman). To
date, Dr. Liechenstein has published over 150 technical articles and research
monographs.
All Welcome!
You need not be a
member of IEEE to attend, and there is no charge for admission. Light refreshments will be served starting at 6:45 PM.
Time: 7:00-8:30 PM, Tuesday, December 9, 2003.
Place: Clifton Memorial Library , 292 Piaget Ave,
Clifton, NJ, (973) 772-5500.
Contact/RSVP: Dr. Mike Liechenstein, (973) 471-0721,
(m.liechenstein “AT” ieee.org). Please
also check electronic newsletter for any possible changes in room, etc.
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NJ
Section PACE:
Engineers Meet
Current Activities:
NJ Legislative Action, Seminar Reviews
On Wednesday, December 10, 2003 the North Jersey
Section Professional Activities Committee will meet to discuss Legislative
Action involving the Off-shoring of NJ State jobs, Roll Back H-1B Numbers,
Networking & Contracting Engineering.
The NJ State Assembly is still considering A2425. Please continue calling your representatives in support of this
legislation. Our discussion will
involve PACE legislative activities for the remainder of 2003.
You do not have to be unemployed to attend. All jobs are being threatened. Now is a time to work to build a better
profession. You are encouraged to
attend and bring your spouse and associates.
About the Meeting
This meeting provides an opportunity to meet and
discuss action items relating to the unemployment situation. High on the IEEE-USA list of subjects is
unemployment and the displacement of American citizens by sending jobs offshore
and importing foreign workers under the H-1B and L1 legislation
This year one IEEE-USA goal was to roll the H-1B number
back to 65,000 from 195,000. The
numbers were currently rolled back to 65,000.
And, please do not confuse this as an “immigration” issue. This is all about money and wage busting.
Survival in a Competitive Environment seminar was postponed to November 15th. Five Section Members will attend and the
Jersey Coast Section’s PACE seminar “Survival in a Competitive Environment” and
report at the December PACE meeting. A
critique will be provided by those attending.
This should help with some interesting information. Funding was covered by the North Jersey
Section.
Networking
and Contract Engineering Issues will
be discussed.
Our PACE meeting is open to discuss professional
needs. PACE provides the opportunity to
meet, address, discuss and perhaps improve the professional aspects of the
engineering profession. We should take
advantage of the opportunity to have a place and time to meet. Invite your associates to join us. Bring engineers and students from the other
engineering disciplines
According to IEEE-USA
leaders “Employment Assistance and Career Development are important” and they
request your help. More on these
projects can be found at www.ieeeusa.org.
All Welcome!
You do not have to be a member of the IEEE to
attend. Members and students from other
professional societies and engineering disciplines are always welcome.
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Wednesday,
December 10, 2003
Place: Clifton Memorial Library,
292 Piaget Ave, Clifton, NJ, (973) 772-5500.
Information:
Paul Ward, (973) 790-1625. PWard1130 “AT” aol.com, Richard F. Tax,
(201) 664-6954, rtax “AT”
bellatlantic.net.
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NY/NJ/LI EMBS:
What's the Connection?
On Tuesday,
December 23, 2003, the North Jersey, New York, and Long Island Chapters of the
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) of the IEEE will present
“Anxiety and Sugar Metabolism - What's the Connection?” The speaker will be Professor Joel H.
Levitt.
About the Talk
This
will be a tutorial rather than a research-report session. The intent is to explain and clarify in non-technical terms some
important concepts from the viewpoint of the Bioengineer. Professor Levitt will explain the relationship between the common type of
hypoglycemia (reactive hypoglycemia- low blood sugar at certain times during
the day) and anxiety (ranging from "free-floating" to panic).
Some
of the things that will be discussed:
1. Why
a person with periodic bouts of low blood sugar must AVOID sugar.
2. Symptoms
of hypoglycemia.
3. The
Feedback Control System Concept.
4. The
Fight or Flight response and the role of adrenaline as related to anxiety.
5. Hypoglycemia
vs. Diabetes.
6. Dietary
manipulation and supplementation benefits, including high-level vitamin C.
7. Why
people who react badly to chromium supplementation may be the ones who need it
the most.
This
lecture is especially recommended for MD's and RN's as this material is
normally not covered in the standard medical school curriculum.
About
the Speaker
Professor
Levitt holds four degrees from Columbia University and has been a member of the
faculty of Pratt Institute for over 25 years.
He is serving his 11th year as Chairman of this EMBS
chapter. He is the Director of the
Anxiety & Hypoglycemia Relief Institute in NYC and teaches a health related
course for the Brooklyn College IRPE (senior citizen) group. He has lectured at Rockefeller University on
sugar metabolism issues: "Domestic Violence and Sugar Metabolism- What's
the Connection" (May 25, 1995), "Fighting Anxiety, Depression, and
Fatigue, Without Drugs" (Jan. 20, 1994) and "Panic Attacks and Sugar
Metabolism- What's the Connection?" (Oct. 17, 1990).
Time: 7:15 PM Seating, 7:30 PM Lecture, Tuesday,
December 23, 2003.
Place: Con Edison Executive Dining Room, 4 Irving
Place, NY, NY. Travel Hints: One block east of Union Square (14th
Street). By subway: L-N-R-4-5-6.
Information/Reservations: Joel H. Levitt, (212) 479-7805 (24 hr voice
mail), jlevitt “AT” pratt.edu. Contact
Professor Levitt for a free handout. Reservations
are required.
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NY/NJ/LI
EMBS:
Sound Cancellation Treatment of Monofrequency Tinnitus
On Tuesday, January 20, 2003, the New York
Academy of Medicine's Sections on Biomedical Engineering and Otolaryngology
together with the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (New
York/LI/North Jersey chapter) of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers will host a program on "Sound Cancellation
Treatment of Monofrequency Tinnitus." The speakers will be Drs. Daniel Choy, Sujana Chandrasekhar,
Cheuk Tang, and Jack Vernon.
About the Talk
Tinnitus (hearing of endogenous sounds) is a
poorly understood disorder that affects an estimated 50 million Americans. It
is not well understood and has been associated with conditions ranging from
cardiovascular valvular lesions to auditory and central nervous system tumors
to post-infectious and traumatic events. It can be quite debilitating. VanGogh
is thought to have suffered tinnitus and cut off his ear as a consequence.
Treatments to date have included lidocane injection, acupuncture, behavior
modification, sound habituation, dietary control of insulin, and exogenous “broad-band” white noise
masking All have met with limited success. The program will present a brief
overview of tinnitus and current treatment regimens. The principles underlying
a new method of treatment for monofrequency tinnitus employing sound
cancellation techniques will be discussed, and results from initial clinical
tests using sound cancellation will be presented.
About the Speakers
Dr. Daniel Choy received his MD degree from
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY in 1949.
He completed his residency in Internal
Medicine and Oncology in 1954 at Columbia. He
is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College
of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Director of the Laser Spine Center in New
York, NY. He is an attending physician at the Lenox Hill Hospital and formerly
Director of the Laser Laboratory at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Medical Center, and a
founding member of the American Board of Laser Surgery. He has a diverse background
in biomedical research and application of innovative technologies in Medicine
and Bioengineering. He is a Fellow of the NY Academy of Medicine and is
secretary of the Bioengineering Section.
Dr. Sujana Chandrasekhar received her MD
degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY in 1986. She completed
her residency in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at New York
University Medical Center. She is currently an Associate Professor of
Otolaryngology and Director of Otology-Neurotology at Mount Sinai School of
Medicine. She is widely published and is a recognized expert on otologic
oncology and the otologic effects of HIV.
Dr. Cheuk Ying Tang received his PhD in
Radiological Sciences from the University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA
in 1999. He is an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry, and Director
of Neurovascular Imaging Research at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is
actively involved in research and clinical application of functional and high
resolution magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
Dr. Jack Vernon received his PhD in Psychology
from the University of Virginia in 1952. He is a former Professor of Psychology
at Princeton University, and Professor Emeritus of Otolaryngology and Director
of the Hearing Research Center at the Oregon Health Sciences University in
Portland, OR. He is on the Board of Directors, and is a founding member of the
American Tinnitus Association. He is also a member of the American Academy of
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. He is a recipient of the Robert W. Hocks
Award for Outstanding Research in the Field of Tinnitus. He has written several
books and numerous articles on tinnitus, and is the inventor of several
wearable tinnitus and hyperacusis masking systems.
Pre-Meeting
Reception
A reception prior to the meeting will be held
at the New York Academy of Medicine starting at 6:30 PM.
Time: Program 7:30 PM,
Tuesday, January 20, 2003. (6:30 PM
reception).
Place: New York Academy of Medicine,
Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, New York, NY.
(Limited free parking in NYAM enclosed lot at 2 East 103rd Street. By subway, #6 to 96th, walk to 5th Ave.,
walk to 103rd is easier than via 103rd St. station.)
Information: Office of Medical Education, New York
Academy of Medicine (212) 822-7272, email: dmorcone “AT” nyam.org; IEEE EMBS: Prof. Joel Levitt (212) 479-7805,
email: jlevitt “AT” pratt.edu.
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NJ Consultants' Network:
Web-Based and Email Marketing
On
Thursday, January 29, 2004, the IEEE Consultants’ Network of Northern NJ
(CNNNJ) will host a talk on “Web-Based and Email Marketing.” The speaker will be Ed McCauley.
About the Talk
It
is increasingly common today for those who have very specific needs to turn to
the Web in search for solutions. This is particularly true for technical
consumers with esoteric requirements.
Conversely,
those offering such services make their presence visible via web pages or email
marketing.
The presentation will explore
benefits and pitfalls of this strategy.
The interactive session will cover how Ed McCauley's company is learning
to leverage a combination of email marketing, technical web pages, and non-technical
web pages to market their services.
Topics will include such marketing issues as:
·
Industry
trends
·
Defining
goals and target audience
·
Defining
the target audience
·
Contact
database generation
·
Content,
search engine issues
About the
Speaker
Ed McCauley is the President
and Founder of Bottom Line Technologies Inc. (BLT), a 15-year old electronic
design services provider based in New Jersey.
Ed started his career as part
of a startup team, which grew from the basement to over 300 people and an acquisition. Next, he joined another start-up, Xilinx, as
FAE covering the northeastern U.S.
After two years and their IPO, he left to start BLT.
Today he is primarily
responsible for Marketing, Sales, and Finance, although his engineering and
project management skills are often called upon to fulfill specific client
needs.
About the
Consultants’ Network
Founded in 1992, the IEEE
Consultants Network of Northern NJ encourages and promotes the use of
independent technical consultants by business and industry.
Time: 7:30 PM, Thursday, January 29, 2004.
Place: Aeroflex/KDI-Integrated Products, 60 S. Jefferson Rd, Whippany,
NJ. (Entrance at rear of building)
Information: For directions and up-to-date meeting status, call
Robert Walker (973) 728-0344 or visit our website at www.TechnologyOnTap.org. To download a map to KDI, go to: http://www.mcekdi-integrated.com/directions.htm.
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Get Ready, the Spring 2004 Presentation
Contest Is Coming!
Can you believe it, it is
about time to get ready for the spring paper presentation contest. You must be thinking, how come it's so
soon? Well, it is coming up fast and
all interested students should start thinking of topics they would be
interested in now.
As usual, the North Jersey
Section IEEE Student Activities Committee will be sponsoring the contest open
to all schools in North Jersey. This
time, NJIT has volunteered to host the contest and the local contest is being
planned for late February or early March 2004.
The details and registration will begin in December via the web and all
details, as well as last year's contest winners can be found at the SAC
website: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/north_jersey/sac/ieee.html.
We will be holding the
contest open to undergraduates as well as graduate students, with cash prizes
in both categories. The contest has had
great success in the past and many of the participants and winners have learned
a lot by giving their project presentations.
More importantly, this year's
Region 1 contest is being held almost in our backyard. The 2004 Spring Region 1 Paper Contest will
be hosted by SUNY- Stony Brook, Long Island, NY in April. Their deadline for registration will be
around mid-March. Undergraduate winners
from the local contest are allowed to participate in the Region 1 contest.
Additional
questions about the local contest and its related details can be found at the
website above or by emailing the organizer:
a.j.patel "AT" ieee.org.
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IEEE Meetings: An Engineer’s Primary Career Networking Resource
(a message from the IEEE
North Jersey Membership Chairman – Gary Hojell)
The nature of the engineering
profession has changed drastically over the past twenty years. The old social contract asserted that if one
was loyal, hardworking and productive, you could rest assured that your career
was secure for life. Promotions of
employees from the bottom of the corporate hierarchy on through to top
executive ranks were common place. A
job at Bell Labs meant cradle to grave employment working on the world’s most
sophisticated technology. Well in case
you hadn’t noticed, the old employment paradyne has disappeared. In its place we find a management
environment that tends to view seasoned engineers as overqualified and
overpaid, long tenured employees as liabilities, and engineering as an money
sink which works against corporate profits.
Executive positions are generally filled by hiring on outsiders with MBA
profiles and little knowledge of the businesses technology. These are of course all very short sighted
views, but tend to prevail in today’s job environment.
So the challenge to us
working engineers is to stay employed throughout our careers without any major
‘gaps’ on our resumes. What I
euphemistically call a gap can be devastating both to one’s bank account and
career. So our goal must be by
necessity, survival in a rapidly changing world. And here is where the IEEE facilitates our survival:
By networking with the
industry leadership at our meetings, events, and symposiums!
How else are you going to
know whether your particular expertise is in a field that has become mature,
and is therefore poised to shed people?
Do you think your boss is going to tell you that? (He’s not allowed to,
until its time to let you go.) Where
are there new opportunities, new growth?
You can find out by listening to discussions and talking to those who
are leading the way at IEEE meetings.
And you can gain industry recognition in your field of expertise by
presenting your ideas at IEEE events.
By virtue of keeping in touch with a wide range of IEEE membership, you
maintain the survival knowledge of what to expect from the industry and where
your viable career options lie. It only
takes one smooth career transition based on your IEEE contacts for membership
dues to pay for themselves in spades!
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18th
Annual MTT-S/AP-S One Day Symposium & Minishow
Chapter Chair Kirit
Dixit (left) with Exhibitors
Sessions Chair George Kannell
(Left) speaking with exhibitor Chang Kim of Lucent Technologies
NJ Section Vice Chair Har
Dayal (center) with show attendees
NJ Section Nominations
Committee Chair Dr. Fred Chichester (left) with a show volunteer
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Engineers for Mentors for FIRST
Robotics Competition
In 2003, more than 20,000
high school students on 800 teams, nationwide, competed in 23 regional
competitions and a follow-on national competition in the FIRST (For Inspiration
and Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competitions. This program started about 15 years ago by
Dean Kamen, the inventor. It has been
growing nearly 50% each year. The
program has resulted in life-changing, career-molding experiences for
participants. It is also lots of fun!
In New Jersey, there were 32
NJ teams competing in 2003 and the NJ FIRST Planning Committee has set a goal
of "50 in 05." Each team,
nationwide, participates in a kick-off session in early January, at which the
goals and rules of this year's competition are announced. Also, at the kick-off, each team is issued a
kit of the major parts from which they are to innovate the design and
construction of their robot for the competition in March. Each team has a high school teacher as its
coach and a volunteer engineer from industry or academia as its
mentor.
Engineers
interested in becoming a mentor -- or volunteering to provide leadership at the
competition -- should contact Irwin Dorros at idorros “AT” aol.com. Or if you're not sure, you can attend the NJ
kickoff at Middlesex County College on January 10, 2004 from 9:00 AM to 12:00
PM. If you want more information on
what's involved, contact Paul Kloberg, a high school teacher and one of the
enthusiastic coaches. Paul can be
reached at prkloberg “AT” comcast.net.
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Conference
Rooms Needed!
The North Jersey Section (Education Committee)
is looking for conference room facilities to hold their training seminars. The seminars are being held on one weeknight
from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. In lieu of providing
the conference facility for free, the organization can get free registration up
to three members in the course/seminar.
Please contact Bhanu Chivakula, Co-chair, Education Committee at b.chivakula “AT” computer.org for
suggestions or discussions, if interested.
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Help for the
Unemployed or At-Risk Member
Resources
are available to benefit U.S. IEEE members who are unemployed or anticipating
an involuntary career transition. For
details, go to
http://www.ieeeusa.org/careers/help/index.html
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On the Road to
a Great Presentation
Regardless of how polished your
presentation may be, it will surely fall flat unless you connect with your
audience. How do you get there?
http://www.todaysengineer.org/oct03/presentations-p1.asp
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Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire?
As a recent graduate and new hire, what can
you do now to know you'll have a million bucks in the bank when you retire?
http://www.todaysengineer.org/oct03/millionaire.asp
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U.S.
EE Unemployment Moves Upward As Thousands of Non-U.S. Workers Continue to Flood
the Job Market
Washington (14 October 2003) - Although the
unemployment rate for all workers fell slightly in the third quarter, the rate
moved in the opposite direction for U.S. electrical and electronics engineers
(EEs), according to data compiled by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS).
The jobless rate for EEs rose from 6.4
percent in the second quarter to 6.7 percent in the third, while the rate for
all workers fell from 5.6 percent to 5.5 percent. At the same time, the number of employed EEs fell by 37,000 (from
386,000 to 349,000).
The 6.7 percent figure is more than six
times as high as it was in 1997 (1.0), and more than five times as great as
2000 (1.2). The EE unemployment rate
reached an all-time high of 7.0 in the first quarter of 2003.
Despite continuing high levels of EE
unemployment, the government has issued more than 900,000 H-1B visas in new,
renewal and exempt categories since FY 2000, many of them in high-tech fields.
"We're pleased that Congress allowed
the annual H-1B cap to drop to 65,000 earlier this month, but U.S. EEs are
still competing for scarce jobs in an artificially saturated labor
market," IEEE-USA President-Elect John Steadman said. "In addition, demand is shrinking as
high-tech jobs are outsourced overseas.
Despite the bleak employment outlook, some H-1B proponents are still
calling on Congress to increase the number of visa exemptions."
Among other high-tech professionals, the
unemployment rate jumped for computer hardware engineers (5.7 percent to 6.9),
computer software engineers (4.1 to 4.6), and network and computer systems
administrators (5.6 to 7.6). The rate
fell for computer scientists and systems analysts (5.6 to 4.8), computer
programmers (7.5 to 7.1), and network systems and data communications analysts
(5.5 to 5.0).
The third-quarter jobless rate for
mechanical engineers rose slightly from 3.1 percent to 3.3 percent, while the
rates for civil engineers (3.9 percent) and industrial engineers (5.9 percent)
remained the same.
IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., created in 1973 to
advance the public good, while promoting the careers and public-policy
interests of the more than 235,000 electrical, electronics, computer and
software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional
society. For more information, go to
http://www.ieeeusa.org
IEEE-USA
Urges Congress to Strengthen Protections for U.S. High-Tech Workers in
Temporary Visa Programs
Washington
(16 September 2003) — Congress should allow the H-1B visa cap to drop to its
original level of 65,000, retain the $1,000 visa application fee and ensure
that the money is used to provide technical skills training for displaced
high-tech U.S. workers, according to IEEE-USA President-Elect John Steadman,
who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
While
more than 900,000 H-1B visas, including new, renewal and exempt categories,
were approved since the beginning of FY 2000, the unemployment rate among
electrical and electronics engineers shot up to an unprecedented 7 percent in
the first quarter of this year. Thousands more guest workers entered the
country on L-1 visas, and an undetermined number of engineers and information
technology professionals have lost their jobs to offshoring during the same
period, Steadman noted.
"Ultimately
at risk is America's ability to innovate and to use technology to provide
competitive advantage and ensure our national economic and military
security," Steadman said.
IEEE-USA's
additional recommendations include:
·
Requiring all U.S. companies to attest that
they have tried and been unable to hire U.S. workers, and that they have not
displaced U.S. employees to hire an H-1B worker. Currently, only H-1B dependent companies — those with 15 percent
or more of their workforce on H-1B visas — have to meet this requirement, and
they account for just 2 percent of companies submitting H-1B visa applications
·
Passing the USA Jobs Protection Act of 2003
(S. 1452 / H.R. 2849), bipartisan legislation that would plug loopholes and
prevent abuses of both the H-1B and L-1 visa programs
·
Paying all H-1B workers a prevailing wage
that is not less than the median salary paid to similarly qualified U.S.
workers in their intended area(s) of employment
·
Empowering the Department of Labor to
enhance compliance and reduce fraud and abuse by authorizing random audits of
labor condition applications and related H-1B visa applications
Read
IEEE-USA's testimony at:
www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/2003/091603.html.
See
also IEEE-USA's web page on the implications of H-1B visas, temporary labor and
outsourcing of engineering careers at:
www.ieeeusa.org/forum/issues/H1bvisa/index.html
IEEE Personal
Email Alias Service with Free Virus Scanning
Did you know that as an IEEE Member you can sign-up
for an IEEE email alias? This service
is free to all IEEE members and offers the following benefits:
·
Clarity
- An IEEE alias is easy to acquire, remember and update online
·
Constancy
- Your alias stays “AT” ieee.org even
when your email address changes
·
Convergence
- You'll identify yourself to other IEEE members
·
Connectivity
- Email messages are automatically forwarded to your real Internet address
·
Comfort
- Attachments to emails sent to your alias will automatically be scanned for
viruses
To sign-up for this service, visit
http://eleccomm.ieee.org/personal-aliases.shtml
Data Mining
and Privacy Issues
Gathering information by looking for hidden
relationships in data is generating considerable debate both on Capitol Hill
and among the public. With so much
information gathered and stored by companies and the government, how can we
retain our privacy?
http://www.todaysengineer.org/oct03/data-mining.asp
IEEE-USA
Recruits for 2005 Government Fellowships
IEEE-USA is seeking applicants for
Congressional and Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowships in 2005.
Congressional Fellows spend a year working for a Member of Congress or
congressional staff, often taking on both technical and non-technical
issues. Engineering & Diplomacy
Fellows select an assignment to a specific office or bureau with the U.S.
Department of State, serving as a technical adviser on such topics as
non-proliferation, international information policy, nanotechnology, and
related foreign policy issues. Fellows
receive a stipend of $50,000, plus relocation assistance, and are required to
participate in a two-week orientation session organized under the auspices of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science. Applicants must be U.S. IEEE members in good standing, U.S.
citizens, and have the requisite degrees or experience. Diplomacy Fellows are
also required to have or obtain a security clearance. Application deadlines for
the 2005 Fellowships are 23 February 2004.
For more information, see:
http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/GOVFEL/index.html
Backscatter: Accidents Waiting to Happen
Why do systems fail when they
shouldn't? Is it because designers are
not aware of preceding failures, or because they are willing to accept the
risks based on prior successes?
http://www.todaysengineer.org/oct03/backscatter.asp
Voting
Technologies - The Issues Go Beyond Punch Card Ballots and Lever Machines
The Help America Vote Act has prompted many
state governments to consider moving to electronic voting technologies. Some experts believe that, eventually, this
trend will involve the Internet. Are we
improving the voting system or opening a can of worms?
http://www.todaysengineer.org/oct03/voting.asp
Mentors
Needed for Student Teams Competing for the Vinny™ Award
IEEE in cooperation with
the NASA Center for Distance Learning and Christopher Newport University announce
the VINNY™ award. Named in honor of
Leonard da Vinci, a man famous for the creative use of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics to solve human problems, designed to help heighten
and increase awareness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM). VINNY is a global video
competition. Teams made up of one
teacher and three students will identify and research a global problem and
discover ways that STEM can help solve it.
Teams will combine skills in research, writing and creativity. It's what you do for a living. Be a mentor and share the wealth of your
experience with young learners. You can
mentor your team on-line. The final
product to be submitted for judging is a one-minute video explaining the global
problem and a possible STEM solution.
Grade levels: elementary grades
3-5, middle grades 6-8, and high grades 9-12.
Two languages: English and Spanish.
The winning one-minute videos will be exhibited on the NASA's Kids
Science News Network™ (NASA's KSNN™) web site (http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov). Register on-line at http://vinny.pcs.cnu.edu. Contact Doug Gorham, Ed.D,
IEEE Manager of Pre-college Education, at d.g.gorham “AT” ieee.org, if you have
questions. Help shape the future. Sign up to be a mentor.
Web Site
Explains Benefits of Membership
If you're trying to recruit new members,
but struggle to explain all the
benefits of the IEEE, the new "Join IEEE" Web site can help
you. The site explains IEEE services and benefits, spells out the
organization's scope and value, and
describes the organization's 38 societies.
Learn more at
http://www.theinstitute.ieee.org/inst_art.jsp?isno=11031&arnumber=11031_11w.newsjoinsite§ion=5
The IEEE
Virtual Museum Continues to Gain Visitors and Praise
Designed
to teach the general public—and particularly the pre-university crowd—about IEEE
technologies and their social and historical importance, the IEEE Virtual
Museum (VM), which opened in 2002, continues to draw thousands of users monthly
and to attract critical praise. The
newest exhibit, Women & Technology, opened in June 2003 to rave
reviews. The two most recent awards for
the VM were to be named one of the “Best Sites for Kids” by the prestigious
American Library Association and to make PC
Magazine’s "Top
101" list. PC Magazine named the IEEE VM one of the "Top 101 Most
Incredibly Useful Sites" of 2003.
The museum was among the eight sites chosen in the "Computing –
Everyone " category. The review
called it a "fascinating, engaging, image- and infographic-laden
site" where "you'll discover the stories behind your favorite electrical
engineering marvels."
For
more information on the list, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,4148,7488,00.asp. You can visit the IEEE Virtual Museum
yourself at http://www.ieee.org/museum. Be sure to look for the next exhibit on
technology and World War II, opening in December 2003.
Wise
Seeks Interns and Faculty-Advisor for Summer 2004 Program
The Washington Internships for Students of
Engineering (WISE) is accepting applications from U.S. IEEE student members who
have completed two years of undergraduate engineering or computer science to
spend 10 weeks next summer in Washington (1 June - 4 August 2004) learning how
the U.S. government makes technology-related policy. WISE is also seeking an outstanding faculty member, or engineer
with strong policy and previous academic experience, to serve as Faculty-Member-in-Residence
for the 2004 program.
For
more information, see:
http://www.wise-intern.org
2005
IEEE Fellow Nominations
Deadline: 15 March 2004
Recognizing the achievements of its
members is an important part of the mission of the IEEE. The IEEE grade of Fellow is conferred upon a
person of “outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in IEEE
designated fields, and who has made important individual contributions to one
or more of these fields.” The total
number of Fellows selected each year does not exceed 0.1% of the total IEEE
membership.
Any person, including nonmembers,
is eligible to serve as a nominator with the following exceptions: members of the IEEE Board of Directors,
members of the IEEE Fellow Committee, IEEE Technical Society/Council Fellow
Evaluating Committee Chairs, members of IEEE Technical Society/Council
Evaluating Committees reviewing the nomination, or IEEE staff. The deadline for nominations is 15 March
2004.
The candidate must be an IEEE
Senior Member at the time the nomination is submitted, and he/she must have
completed 5 years of service in any grade of IEEE membership.
All
the necessary material to assist you in the nomination process is available on
the IEEE Web site: http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/fellows/fellows.htm. If you prefer a hard copy, please send an
e-mail to fellow-kit “AT” ieee.org. Include your name, street address, city,
state/province, postal code, country, and telephone/fax numbers.
Registered
Patent Attorney
Larry Liberchuk
277
Broadway
Suite
1200
New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212-513-7997
Fax: 212-513-0906
Website: www.liberchuk.com
E-mail: larry
“AT” liberchuk.com
BSEE,
MSEE (system architecture and applications software). Over 10 years of patent prosecution experience with NYC
intellectual property and high-tech law firms.
Former in-house senior patent counsel with a multinational corporation.
Patent applications, opinions, counseling, litigation support. Personal attention, high quality, reasonable
fees. References upon request. For more information please visit my
website.
Need Help?
Wireless
LAN Security: Standards, Business Plans and Deployment Issues
IEEE
North Jersey Section Course
Project Management
Wednesday Evenings, February 18, 2004
through April 14, 2004 (No class on March 3) 8 weekly classes (February 18, 25,
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14 2004) at Wellesley Inn &
Suites, 265 Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ
07014
(Checks should not be mailed to this
address)
The North Jersey Section IEEE
is offering an evening course entitled "Project Management". Dice.com lists 1500+ Project related jobs in
the New York tri-state area daily! This course will help you to break down a
master project into manageable tasks, pinpoint possible solutions, and provide
information to keep the project under control.
Using Microsoft Project 2002 software, you will learn to accomplish various
project plans. In addition, it will
greatly enhance your business, communications and interpersonal skills.
The IEEE certificate of
completion will be given to you when you finished this course. You may wish to take two Certification
exams, one in Project Management administered by Project Management Institute
and the other in IT Project+ by CompTIA Inc.
Instructor: Donald Hsu, Ph.D., has been a corporate
manager for 11 years and is an experienced trainer. Since 1999, he has trained 150+ people in IT Project+, MS Project 2002, and Project Management courses in
five organizations.
TOPICS
1.
Explain
the need for a project manager
2.
Define
SOW, PERT, GANTT, CPM, and Scope of the project
3.
Identify
the team members, resources and plan for the strategy
4.
Calculate
schedule, budget variances, and monitor project progress
5.
Manage
changes, estimates, and communications
6.
Set
a baseline, import tasks from MS Excel, export Project files to MS Word
7.
Create
and modify custom reports, templates and combination views
8.
Share
resources and create a master plan loaded to Project Server
9.
Approve
updates and conclude a project plan
10.
Analyze
Global E-Commerce and present student Projects
Class size will be limited to
a maximum of 25 with a minimum of 15.
Early registration is recommended.
Phone reservations will NOT be accepted. Reservations accepted after February 4, 2004 will require a late
fee of $25. No reservations will be
accepted after February 11, 2004.
|
WHEN:
|
8 Sessions, Wednesdays, February 18, 25, March 10,
17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 2004,
6:30-9:00 PM.
|
|
COST:
|
With textbook or notes: IEEE (& affiliate)
members $375; Non-IEEE members $475.
|
|
CONTACT:
|
Bhanu Chivakula -email b.chivakula “AT” computer.org
|
REGISTRATION: Project
Management
Please email details to b.chivakula “AT” computer.org and
upon confirmation, the address where to mail the checks with details as
described under, would be replied (Checks payable to “North Jersey Section IEEE” with registration form should be mailed to this address)
Bhanu
Chivakula, Chair Education Committee, IEEE North Jersey Section, 19 Prestwick
Way, Edison, NJ 08820
Name: / Mr. / Mrs. / Miss / Ms. /
_____________________________________________ _________________________________
˙ Non-member Çemail
addressČ
˙ IEEE Member
Member
#:_________________________
Member of _____________________________ technical society
Employer:___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Employer
Address:____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Home
Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Business (day) telephone
#:___________________________________
Home telephone #:________________________________
Please enclose required fee
payable to: North Jersey Section IEEE
Registration status will be
mailed after February 11, 2004. Phone
inquiries concerning registration will NOT be honored. In general, the effective date of the
application corresponds to the date when BOTH a fully completed
application/registration and payment are received.
˙ Tuition receipt will be
mailed only if this box is checked
Signature:___________________________________________
Back to
top
IEEE North Jersey Section Course
Introduction
to Java Programming
Monday Evenings, February 16, 2004
through April 12, 2004 (No class on March 1- eight weekly classes (February 16,
23, March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12 2004) at Wellesley Inn & Suites, 265
Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ 07014
(Checks should not be mailed to this address)
The North Jersey Section IEEE is offering an
evening course entitled "Introduction to Java Programming." Java Programming
has gained enormous popularity in corporate Information System applications as
well as in advanced Webpage Design since 1997.
About 2.5 million Java Programmers are currently working on all types of
commercial projects in the world, ranging from cell phone applets, to UNIX
server, to business intelligence and mainframe data-warehouse access.
Java is an easier transition for C++
Programmers. This course, however, will
be for anyone who never took a
programming course. The instructor will
provide the necessary software (compiler and editor) for you to get started
immediately!
Instructor: Donald
Hsu, Ph.D., has been a corporate manager for 11 years and is an experienced
trainer. Since 1997, he trained 350+
people in Java Programming and Advanced Java Programming courses in eight
organizations.
TOPICS
1.
Explain
the dynamic growth in Java Programming
2.
Contrast
the importance of AWT, CGI, JavaScript and HTML
3.
Classify
the different types of Java applets vs Java applications
4.
Identify
the control structures, arrays and classes
5.
Construct
character strings and graphics tools
6.
Define
multithreading, files and streams
7.
Draw
multimedia, animation and Swing images
8.
Build
audio files, JavaBeans and networking applications
9.
Distinguish
Java utilities, error handling, serialization and reflection
10.
Analyze
real-world projects using SDK 1.4 development tools
Class size will be limited to
a maximum of 25 with a minimum of 15.
Early registration is recommended.
Phone reservations will NOT be accepted. Reservations accepted after February 2, 2004 will require a late
fee of $25. No reservations will be
accepted after February 9, 2004.
|
WHEN:
|
8 Sessions, Mondays, February 16, 23, March 8, 15,
22, 29, April 5, 12, 2004, 6:30-9:00
PM.
|
|
COST:
|
With textbook or notes: IEEE (& affiliate)
members $375; Non-IEEE members $475.
|
|
CONTACT:
|
Bhanu Chivakula -email b.chivakula “AT” computer.org
|
REGISTRATION: Introduction to
Java Programming
Please email details to
address b.chivakula “AT” computer.org
and upon confirmation, the address where to mail the checks with details as
described under, would be replied (Checks payable to “North Jersey Section IEEE” with registration form should be mailed to this address)
Bhanu
Chivakula, Chair Education Committee, IEEE North Jersey Section, 19 Prestwick
Way, Edison, NJ 08820
Name: / Mr. / Mrs. / Miss / Ms. / _____________________________________________ _________________________________
˙ Non-member Çemail
addressČ
˙ IEEE Member Member #:_________________________ Member of _____________________________ technical society
Employer:___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Employer
Address:____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Home
Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Business (day) telephone
#:___________________________________
Home telephone #:________________________________
Please enclose required fee
payable to: North Jersey Section IEEE
Registration status will be
mailed after February 9, 2004. Phone
inquiries concerning registration will NOT be honored. In general, the effective date of the
application corresponds to the date when BOTH a fully completed
application/registration and payment are received.
˙ Tuition receipt will be
mailed only if this box is checked
Signature:___________________________________________
Back to
top