the current source - ieee web hosting...summer 2007 2 executive committee shadrack orero, chair w:...
TRANSCRIPT
The Current SourceNewsletter of the Schenectady Section of the IEEE
I would like to congratulate allmembers of the Schenectady Section ofIEEE for continuing to support oursection through their membership ofthe IEEE and its various societies.
Let me also take this opportunity tointroduce our 2007 section officerswho work tirelessly to keep the sectionactivities going, despite their busyschedules. Please join me inrecognizing Peter Sutherland as thesection secretary and Vice Chair, KristinShort who returns to the executivecommittee this year as treasurer andVice Chair, Zongqi Sun as Pace chairand Vice Chair. Other section officersare;• Jose Daconti, Power Engineering
Society Chair and Liaison to Prof.Eng. Society
• Antonio Caiafa, Power EngineeringSociety Vice Chair – Programs
• Saber Azizi, Power EngineeringSociety Vice Chair – Secretary
• Chandra Reis, Power EngineeringSociety Vice Chair Membership,Section Historian and NewsletterEditor/Coordinator
• Howard Halstead, Chair ComputerSociety and Section Web Master
• Ed Owen, Chair IndustryApplications Society
• Dr. Neil Eklund, ChairComputational Intelligence Society(CIS)
• Kevin Matocha, Chair ElectronDevice Society (EDS
• Judy Kilday, Chair Engineering inMedicine and Biology Society(EMBS)
• Sameh Salem, Past Section Chair• Lou Tomaino, Chair Section
Membership • Ralph DeSorbo, Awards Chair• Rebecca Nold, Nominating
Committee Chair• Shane Cotter, Student Activities
Chair• Cherrice Traver, Chair, Steinmetz
Committee ChairI would also like to commend Kutty
Nair and Judy Kilday for helping to addtwo new chapters to our section lastyear, the Life Member Chapter and theEngineering in Medicine and BiologySociety (EMBS) chapter.
We are looking for a volunteer forthe position of Life member chapterchair. The Chapter Chair coordinates2 - 3 events per year of interest to lifemembers. Events could be anythingfrom technical seminars to historicallectures to social events. Attendexecutive committee meetings as muchas possible – Executive committeemeetings are at lunch on a weekday,once a month and include lunch. Ifyou are interested in volunteering forthis position or any other position,please contact Rebecca Nold –[email protected]. Remember thesection is always looking for volunteers.
Finally I would like to let allmembers know that we welcome yoursuggestions for speakers or topics ofdiscussion at our monthly membershipmeetings. Also remember to check thesection website for the latestinformation on upcoming or pastevents. �
Email us with your thoughts!Shadrack Orero, Section [email protected]
CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE
Summer 2007
1 Summer 2007
by Ralph DeSorbo, P.E.Identification of your IEEE membership level, be it Member
level, Senior level, or Fellow level, actually identifies yourlevel of talent and achievements. It is an indication of yourlevel of accomplishment to other IEEE members and toprofessionals outside of IEEE whether you are just beginningor ending your engineering career. To obtain the recognitionyou deserve you should seriously consider elevating yourmembership grade. This action is bound to increase keyvolunteering opportunities within IEEE and may actually aidyou in achieving other objectives in the employment worldand in other worlds.
Senior Member GradeThe grade of Senior Member is the highest for which
application may be made and shall require experiencereflecting professional maturity. For admission or transfer tothe grade of Senior Member, a candidate shall be anengineer, scientist, educator, technical executive, ororiginator in IEEE-designated fields for a total of 10 years.
The member shall have shown significant performance over aperiod of at least five of those years, including one or moreof the following: • Substantial engineering responsibility or achievement • Publication of engineering papers, books, or inventions • Technical direction or management of important
engineering work with evidence of accomplishmentrecognized contributions to the welfare of the engineeringprofession
• Development or furtherance of important engineeringcourses in a program on the "reference list of educationalprograms" (REP list)
Procedure to upgrade to senior levelAll of the procedures, details and forms you needed for
the upgrade will be found on the following web site:http://www.ieee.org/organizations/rab/md/smguide.html.
* Note that only Senior Members can be considered forelevation to Fellow.
How A Member Upgrades Membership
2Summer 2007
Executive CommitteeShadrack Orero, ChairW: [email protected]
Kristin Short, Vice Chair - TreasurerW: 395-5117 Fax W: 346-2777 [email protected]
Peter Sutherland, Vice Chair - SecretaryW: [email protected]
Zongqi Sun (Sonnie), Vice Chair - MembershipW: [email protected]
Appointed PositionsSameh Salem, Past Section ChairW: [email protected]
Rebecca Nold, Nominating Committee ChairW: 385-3883 Fax W: [email protected]
Lou Tomaino, Membership Chair, [email protected]
Ralph DeSorbo, P.E., Awards ChairPhone & Voice Mail: 518-355-7963Fax: (320)[email protected]
Kristin Short, Past Section ChairW: 395-5117 Fax W: [email protected]
Shane Cotter, Student Activities ChairW: [email protected]
Zongqi Sun (Sonnie), PACE ChairW: [email protected]
Chandra Reis, Section HistorianH: [email protected]
Jose Daconti, Section Liaison to Prof. Eng. SocietyW: [email protected]
Howard Halstead, WebmasterW: [email protected]
Newsletter EditorChandra Reis W: [email protected]
Steinmetz CommitteeCherrice Traver, ChairW: [email protected]
2006 Section OfficersPower Engineering Chapter (PES-31)Jose Daconti, ChairW: [email protected]
Saber Azizi, Vice Chair - SecretaryW: [email protected]
Antonio Caiafa, Vice Chair - ProgramsW: 387-6774 [email protected]
Chandra Reis, Vice Chair - MembershipH: [email protected]
Computer ChapterHoward Halstead, ChairW: [email protected]
Industrial Application SocietyEd Owen, ChairW: [email protected]
Computational Intelligence SocietyDr. Neil Eklund, [email protected]
Electron Device Society (EDS)Kevin Matocha, ChairW: 387-4777 Fax: [email protected]
Engineering in Medicine and BiologySociety (EMBS)Judy Kilday, ChairCell: [email protected]
Microwave Theory andTechniques ChapterOPEN - Must be an MTT Society memberRPI Student ChapterJustin Rohrer, [email protected]
Prof. Gary Saulnier, [email protected]
Union College Student ChapterProf. Ekram Hassib, Faculty Advisor [email protected]
Prof. Michael Rudko, Past AdvisorW: [email protected]
Andrew Lockwood, Chapter [email protected]
On the web at: http://www.ieee.org/schenectady
IEEE FoundationAs the philanthropic arm of the IEEE,
the IEEE Foundation raises and distributes charitable funds to advance
technology and education for the benefit of society.
Our mission is to support activities that further the scientific and
educational purposes of the IEEE. To learn more, visit us on the web at
www.ieeefoundation.org.The IEEE has a large concentration of GE employees and retirees in the
Schenectady Section. We would verymuch like to make them aware of GE's
willingness to match their gifts.
Call for ContributionsThe Current Source is always open for
contributions for future newsletters. There iscertainly much more going on in this area thengets profiled in the newsletter. Do you have anarticle about a historical moment, a futureevent, or a notable discovery that might be ofinterest to the local IEEE community? Howabout a picture of some momentous occasion?Please contribute! Staff editors can even takeyour bulleted list and turn it into printable articleif writing does not appeal to you. We dohowever have to reserve the right to refuse anymaterial of a commercial nature.
The Current Source is published twice a yearby the Schenectady Section of the IEEE. If youare interested in volunteering for The CurrentSource or wish to submit material forconsideration, please contact the editor.
Historical Tidbit
Sesquicentennial of Birth of Nikola Tesla
According to legend, Tesla was born precisely
at midnight during an electrical storm in the
village of Smiljan, in the present-day Croatia
Documents show that he was born on June 28,
1856 on the Julian calendar, which corresponds
to July 10 in the present system.
Executive Committee member -Committee usually meets monthly at
lunch. Together they come up with thegeneral membership activities you seeadvertised in the section. Programscan lunch programs, and/or eveningseminars or tours in any technical,career development or social area.There is also the opportunity forinvolvement in Region 1 activities(Region 1 covers the Northeast).Executive Committee members tend tostay on the committee for four yearsand serve as chair during the fourthyear. Each year we ask if you want tocontinue, so there is a chance to leaveif needed. The following offices havespecific responsibilities as shown.
Chair – Call and run SectionExecutive committee meetings.Work toward programming thatcreates value for members andreturns their dues/rebates to them.Attend Regional meetings ordesignate a representative. NotifyRegional leadership/secretary ofvoting proxy if a representative issent. Ensure that year-end reportsare submitted. Help coordinatemeeting reports so that each chapteris credited with appropriate meetingactivity. Be secondary check writerafter the treasurer. Write IEEE Fellownomination referrals as required.Treasurer – Be present at lunch andExecutive Committee meetings asmuch as possible. If there is a check-writing requirement, coordinate whowill write/deliver check if you can’tattend. Keep track of Sectiontreasury and bank accounts (locatedas required by IEEE). Coordinateand pay for PO box and mailingaccount as required. File year-endfinancial reports with IEEE asrequired. Secretary – Be present at ExecutiveCommittee meetings. Issue minutesof same if in attendance.Write thankyou letters to speakers. Help file IEEEon-line meeting reports.
Power Engineering SocietyCommittee Chair and Member -
Work with other PES committeemembers to coordinate lunch meetings
and/or evening seminars. Otherprogram ideas are welcome. PEScommittee members typically spendfour years on the committeeculminating in chairmanship.Opportunity for sponsored travel toofficer and section developmentevents.
Industry Applications SocietyCommittee Chair -
Work to coordinate lunch meetingsand/or evening seminars that wouldbe of interest to IAS members. TheExecutive Committee supportscommittee chairs. Opportunity forsponsored travel to officer and sectiondevelopment events.
Life Member Chapter Chair -The Life Member Chapter Chair
coordinates 2 – 3 events per year ofinterest to life members. Events couldbe anything from technical seminars tohistorical lectures to social events.
The designation "Life Member" isapplicable only to a member who hasattained the age of 65 years and whohas been a member of IEEE or one ofits predecessor societies for such aperiod that the sum of his/her age andhis/her years of membership equals orexceeds 100 years.
Attend executive committeemeetings as much as possible – atleast several times a year to becomefamiliar with the Section and its events.Executive committee meetings are atlunch on a weekday about 10 times ayear and include lunch.
Steinmetz Committee Chair -Heads a committee designated to
plan and execute an annualdinner/lecture event in Schenectady,in conjunction with Union College ifpossible. The speaker should be high-quality, being an engaging speakerand well accomplished in their field.The lecture is intended to be a publiclecture with general interest intechnology, education or both. ASteinmetz Trust pays for the lecturehonorarium and travel expenses. Anadditional committee that is external tothe Section administers the SteinmetzTrust.
Awards Chair -There are many awards available
from IEEE, on a regional basis andfrom technical societies. Theyrecognize volunteering, and technicalaccomplishment. The Awards chairbecomes familiar with what isavailable and tries to publicize and/orsolicit nominations to bring some ofthis resource/recognition back to theSection. The Awards chair also tries toencourage people to upgrade tosenior membership. The Awards chaircan use the web site, member emailsand the newsletter for publicity.
Section Historian -Preserve and broadcast our proud
Schenectady Section history. Planmethods for documenting currentevents.
Student Activities Chair - Stay incontact with RPI and Union studentchapters. Support Future Citiescompetition, support other competitionand mentoring opportunities asdeemed appropriate. Guide careerdevelopment programming that mightbe useful to student members. This canbe direct participation or organizingother volunteers - email lists available!
PACE (Professional Activities)Chair -
Great programs and grants areavailable from IEEE for the purpose ofprofessional development and trainingactivities, this chair developsprogramming plans and obtainsgrants from IEEE to complete them.
Newsletter Editor/Coordinator -This person collects articles written
by other officers and members. Thearticles and columns are collected intoan email and formatted by a printerthat is familiar with our publicationand how to mail it. It helps to attendthe Executive Committee meetingsand luncheons as often as possible soyou are aware of what is newsworthyand can contribute to the writingwhen needed. Here is a link to ourlast newsletter. �
http:// www.ewh.ieee.org/r1/schenectady/newsletter.html
3 Summer 2007
LOCAL SECTION AND CHAPTER OFFICESby Rebecca Nold
by Ralph DeSorbo, P.E.
Awards serve to provide recognitionof professional achievement whether itis in technical, educational or inservice to IEEE and to provide highvisibility to other engineers, employersand the public.
AWARD CATEGORIES:• PROFESSIONAL• SECTION• GOLD MEMBER• LIFETIME SERVICE
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY:The latest revision of the ProfessionalAwards Category consists of awardsin eight subcategories. They are asfollows:1. Technological Innovation
(Academic)2. Technological Innovation (Industry
or Government)3. Managerial Excellence in
Engineering Organization4. Outstanding Teaching in IEEE
area of interest (University orCollege)
5. Outstanding Teaching in area ofinterest (Pre-University or College)
6. Enhancing relationship betweenIEEE and Industry
7. Enhancing the IEEE's orEngineering Profession's Imagewith the Public.
8. Outstanding Support for theMission of the IEEE, RAB,REGION 1 and SECTION.
SECTION CATEGORY:This reward is for recognition of aREGION 1 IEEE section rather than forthe individual IEEE member. Moreexplicitly, it is a PACE Award givingrecognition to the section havingachieved the highest level ofadvancing professionalism during thepast year. This award is unchanged.
GOLD MEMBER CATEGORY:This award is given to the individual(s)involved with GOLD activities who arerecognized for singular achievement
in the development and completion ofa project(s) or activity(ies) whichis(are) directed to the fulfillment of oneor more of the Region's goals and/orobjectives. This award is unchanged.
LIFETIME SERVICE CATEGORY:This award includes $1,000 in cash!This award recognizes the personalefforts of those who have providedleadership, creativity, guidance, hardwork and inspiration in a wide rangeof IEEE activities over a long period oftime.
AWARD NOMINATION PROCEDURE OUTLINE:To nominate a candidate, the Region1 Sponsor shall:1. Complete and sign the New
Region 1 Awards NominationForm.
2. Attach a two hundred word orless summary of the contributionswhich warrants this nomination.
3. Attach the candidate's resume.4. Send the Nomination form,
summary, and resume to yourSection Chair, who will sign andforward the package to the Chairof Region 1 Awards andRecognition Committee.
The nomination deadline date for theabove awards is June 15th. Thedecision as to who will receive theawards will be made at the AnnualRegion 1 Meeting which is normallyheld in the summer or fall of eachyear.
ADMINISTRATION AND PRESENTATION:1. The Region 1 Awards Committee
will review all of the nominationsreceived by the deadline.
2. The Committee will make adetermination as to whichcandidates should receive anaward. Then a formalrecommendation will besubmitted to the Region 1Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee will then
approve the Region 1 memberswho will receive the awards.
4. The Award Plaques and CashHonorarium will be given tosection representatives at theFebruary meeting of the followingyear.
5. The formal presentation of theawards will be made by theRegion 1 Director, or by hisdesignee, at an appropriate timeand location.
The application procedure as well aspertinent details and nomination formsall appear on the website. Log onwww.ewh.ieee.org/reg/1/Awards.html and you will find the forms andinformation ready for your use. Ifyou have any questions, please donot hesitate to contact the awardschair. �
4Summer 2007
REGION 1 AWARDS PROGRAM UPDATE & SUMMARY
The overarching purpose of the FirstLego League (FLL) is to promoteinterest in engineering among our nextgeneration of students, includinggrade school students. The CapitalDistricts’ first ever FIRST Lego LeagueTournament to be held later this yearneeds judges, volunteers, andmentors. If you enjoy working withkids, and want to get them excitedabout engineering, then you candefinitely have an impact by helpingwith this project. Or you can start ateam, ideally through your child’sschool. Each team is comprised ofyoungsters, age 9–14, with an adultcoach. A challenge is announced inSeptember and then tournaments areheld throughout the world. Moredetails can be found atwww.FirstLegoLeague.org, includingother teams and their scores.
Team registration began on May 1st,so now is an ideal time to get yourteam started before the challenge is
revealed in September!
Contact info:Dr. Stephen F. BushGE Global Research
e-mail: [email protected]
CAPITAL DISTRICT LEGOROBOTICS ORGANIZATIONS
5 Summer 2007
Bill Wulf gave the 68th Steinmetzlecture in October at the beautifulMemorial Chapel.
ABSTRACTThomas Jefferson founded the
University of Virginia because, hesaid, a democracy requires an edu-cated citizenry. Our society isincreasingly dependent on technolo-gy, and correspondingly, our mostimportant public policy issues hingeon an understanding of how thattechnology is created . that is, onengineering. I think Jefferson wouldbe concerned since so few of our cit-izens can participate in informed dis-course on these issues because theylack an understanding of engineer-ing principles. Union College is oneof the few liberal arts colleges thatalso teach engineering, so this talkwill describe my thoughts on how torectify the situation. I hope to get yourfeedback because I think the situationis more serious than most peoplerealize!Recent statements from his work as president of the NAE can be found at:http://www.nationalacademies.org/president/wulf.html
ABOUT THE AUTHORBill Wulf received the first Computer
Science Ph.D. ever awarded at theUniversity of Virginia in 1968. Hethen joined Carnegie-MellonUniversity as Assistant Professor ofComputer Science, becomingProfessor in 1975. In 1981 he leftCarnegie-Mellon and founded TartanLaboratories and served asChairman and CEO until 1988. In1988-1990 he was AssistantDirector of the National ScienceFoundation. In 1990 he returned tothe University of Virginia as AT&TProfessor and University In 1997 hewas elected President of the NationalAcademy of Engineering, whichoperates under a congressional char-ter and presidential executive ordersthat call on it to provide advice to the government onissues of science and engineering.
More about the SteinmetzLecture series: http://engineering.union.edu/SteinmetzMemorialLectures/
68TH STEINMETZ LECTURE - ENGINEERING AS PART OF A LIBERAL EDUCATION?
Chandra Reis presents Dr. WilliamWulf the Steinmetz medal the eveningof April 16, 2007 at Memorial Chapel,Union College.
Date Location TitleJune 4-5, 2007 RPI Short course on Solid-State Lighting at RPIMay 23, 2007 Union College Stuff You Don't Learn in Engineering School: Skills for SUCCESS
in the REAL WORLD May 11, 2007 Union College The Electric Mule: G.E. and the Erie and Panama Canals May 1, 2007 Union College Calculation of Electrical Machines by Tim Miller April 16, 2007 Union College 68th Steinmetz Lecture - Engineering as part of a Liberal Education?March 16, 2007 Brandon's Flywheels for use in Frequency Regulation on the Power Grid March 1, 2007 SUNY Albany Tour of the Albany Nanotech complex -
College of Nanoscale Science And EngineeringFebruary 23, 2007 Brandon's Home Solar Electric Systems February 15-16, 2007 Albany Marriott Engineer's Week January 19, 2007 Brandon's Albany High Temperature Superconducting Cable Demonstration Project January 13, 2007 HVCC Capital District Future City Competition
Lunch events are held on average once per month. Most of you are receiving notices electronically for every event. If you are not,please update your profile on the IEEE website. Any questions on how to do this can be sent to the newsletter editor. Events arealso advertised on the local Section website at http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r1/schenectady/events.html. Please check often!Reservations are required due to the cost of the lunch (as paid by the Section). All events are free for IEEE members who RSVP bythe deadline, $10.00 for non-members and all who fail to RSVP by the deadline stated for each event.
Past Section Events
2007-2008 Steinmetz Memorial Lecture
to be given by Tod Machover from the MITMedia Lab.
Monday, October 15
Tod works at the intersection of engineering andmusic: http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/Tod/
biography.html
To prove the feasibility andreliability of underground HTScables, demonstration projectshave been planned and executedaround the world. In the UnitedStates there are currently threesuch demonstration projectsunderway. Although theseprojects have widely varyingperformance characteristics, suchas operating voltage & currentlevels, they all have a commonunderlying goal to address thefundamental questions of how HTScables will perform in a typicalutility setting.
The Albany HTS Cable Project(ACP) is a collaborative effort
between SuperPower (primecontractor/2G wire supplier),Sumitomo Electric Industries (HTScable manufacturing, installationand testing/BSCCO wire supplier),BOC, a member of the Linde Group(Cryogenic refrigeration System(CRS)/ system monitoring), andNational Grid (host utility/systemprotection). The program isfunded by a combination of the aforementioned industrial partners,the Department of Energy (DOE)through its SPI program and theNew York State Energy Researchand Development Authority(NYSERDA).
The cable system that has beeninstalled operates at 34.5 kV andhas a nominal current carryingcapacity of 800 Amperes. Itcomprises two sections; one being320m long and the other 30m long.The two cable sections werepulled into underground ductsusing conventional cable pullingtechniques and were then joinedtogether in an underground vault.The joining of two independentcable sections is important to showthat lengths of HTS cable can beconnected together to make a longcable installation possible. The key technology behind HTScables is the ceramic-based super-conducting wires, or tapes that,when cooled to a very low temper-ature (approximately - 200°C),
have nearly zero resistance. Thefirst phase of the ACP consists oftwo HTS cable sections made withSumitomo’s BSCCO (or 1st genera-tion) HTS wire; a 350m long returnpipe, and the BOC-designed CRS.A follow-on phase of the programwill replace the 30m BSCCO cablesection with an equivalent lengthofcable made from YBCO (or 2ndgeneration) wire fabricated bySuperPower.
Following the installation ofthe cable system, a series of pre-energization testing was com-pleted to verify its performanceand that all back-up systems wereworking properly. Phase 1 of theACP went into operation on thegrid on July 20, 2006. In December2006 SuperPower completed thefabrication and testing of 9.7 kmof its 2G HTS wire and shipped it toSumitomo Electric Industries inJapan for fabrication into the 30-meter cable for the project. Thisis the world’s largest delivery of2G HTS wire to date and willconstitute the first application of2G HTS wire in any device to date.2G HTS wire, which operates athigher temperatures and hasbetter performance in backgroundmagnetic field, is expected toachieve price levels comparable tocopper by the turn of the decade. �
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE: HTS CABLES
The Capital District has had a long
history of innovations in electrical
transmission and distribution, dating
back to the integral involvement of
GE personnel in the very first electrical
transmission line at Niagara Falls.
This project continues that tradition
with a look at how new materials and
new technologies can be brought to
bear on the present electrical grid.
This is the abstract from a lunch talk
given to the membership by Chuck
Weber of SuperPower.
More information can be found on the
local Section website, under Past Events,
at http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r1/
schenectady/jan19_2007.html
Route Map of the HTS cable under the I-90 & I-787 intersection in downtown Albany
FPO
ABSTRACT:The waning years of the
19th century saw a varietyof efforts to reinvigorate anErie Canal that had beenovershadowed by railroads.One such project involvedusing electric power toreplace the mules and horsesthat canal boats relied on.The Schenectady GeneralElectric Companyexperimented with a varietyof prototypes on localsections of the Erie Canal;none proved practical foruse on the Erie Canal, butmodified versions were putto use in the newly openedPanama Canal.
7 Summer 2007
ELECTRIC MULE AND THE ERIE CANAL
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:Andy Morris is a member of the History Department at Union College.He specializes in 20th century U.S.History, and is currently involved in aproject to preserve the remains of theErie Canal in Schenectady County.
Erie Canal ~ Lock 23 (today)
Schenectady SectionThe Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers, Inc.P.O. Box 1327Schenectady, NY 12301
DATE-SENSITIVE MATERIALReturn Service Requested
NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDSchenectady, NYPermit No. 177