Antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly increasing and deadly global health threat that is undermining progress toward achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, food and water security, and economic growth. Often, antimicrobial medications are prescribed based on symptoms, without a definitive diagnosis of the pathogen. This approach results in avoidable mortality and misallocation of limited healthcare resources due to ineffective and/or unnecessary treatment regimens. Moreover, inappropriate use of medication can lead to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens that are increasingly difficult to treat with existing drugs. We urgently need accurate, accessible, and rapid diagnostics that can be used in diverse healthcare settings to guide antimicrobial use and prevent the further emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens.
IEEE Technical Activities is proud to host the next IEEE Tech Talk at the June IEEE Meeting Series in Toronto, Canada, where Dr. Nikki Weckman will speak on synthetic biology sensing systems for tackling global challenges.
Dr. Nikki Weckman (ISTEP, ChemE) is the Paul Cadario Chair in Global Engineering at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on developing the next generation of point-of-care technologies for diagnosing diseases and monitoring outbreaks of drug-resistant infections. She is particularly interested in developing low-cost and sustainable diagnostics that can help to improve health equity. Dr. Weckman joined U of T after completing postdoctoral research at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering, Harvard University and the Cavendish Physics Department, University of Cambridge. Before her postdoctoral work, Dr. Weckman obtained her PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, her MEng in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, and her BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Antenna, RF, wireless and other electromagnetics-related technologies are exploding! A part of the IEEE, the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) is dedicated to advancing the theory and practice of antennas, propagation, and electromagnetics technology for the benefit of humanity and fulfilling the technical and professional goals of its worldwide membership and the AP community and profession at large.
This year is a special celebratory year for the AP-S, as we are celebrating the 75th Anniversary – Diamond Jubilee – of the Society. We were founded in 1949, as the third oldest IEEE society (or professional group as the societies were called then), the IRE Professional Group on Antennas and Propagation. In 1973, we became the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, so we kept the same technical name (AP) during our entire history of 75 years.
Maxwell’s Equations: How it All Began
It all started with Maxwell’s equations 150 years ago, sparking phenomenal AP inventions and realizations up to the present, and a half of that history was with the AP-S as one of the leaders in the field. We started with 509 members in 1949, and the figure below provides some numbers, parameters, and graphical inputs demonstrating our main activities and accomplishments as they stand today.
Celebrating 75 Years
The AP-S 75 Years TAB Celebration on February 16, 2024 in Orlando, Florida, with twelve AP-S leaders onstage and IEEE leaders and Society/Council Presidents in attendance (figure bellow), culminated with a standing ovation congratulating us on the fantastic 75 years. A highlight of the event happened spontaneously when a President of another society started singing the “Happy Birthday to You” song and the entire ballroom joined.
The main anniversary events will take place at our flagship conference, the IEEE International Symposium on AP, in Florence, Italy (see figure), on July 17–18, 2024, with a 75 Years Plenary Session, Intersociety Collaboration Panel, Celebratory Gala, and more, and many IEEE and society/council leaders attending. We are preparing a Special Issue of the AP Magazine devoted to the anniversary.
APS Publications Lead in FOI
Our publications are a signature of the Society and our technical achievements and impacts. Our Transactions, Letters, Magazine, and Open Journal are performing extremely well, with excellent impact factors (see figure) and reputation. For example, AP Transactions features Impact Factor of 5.7 and is 3rd among all IEEE periodicals in terms of article usage.
APS Conferences Worldwide
The next five editions of our flagship conference, popularly referred to as APS, will take place in four different countries around the world. In addition, the AP-S financially (co)sponsors several other topically and/or regionally focused IEEE conferences (as shown in the figure) and is a technical cosponsor of about 30 more conferences all over the world.
Supporting Students
We provide hundreds of research grants, scholarships, fellowships, and travel grants to students every year, as well as sponsorship of a large number of impactful humanitarian projects and workshops worldwide. AP-S is one of the IEEE societies/councils with the highest level of support to students and humanitarian projects.
As shown, the state of the AP Society is truly outstanding. This is thanks to incredible work and contributions by AP-S leaders, volunteers, and members throughout our history of 75 years.
Future of Antennas and Propagation and APS
It is a fascinating time to be an antennas and propagation researcher, practitioner, educator, or student. It is even more fascinating, during a very special celebratory year, to be an IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society member.
Electromagnetic fields and waves are here to stay and to be used in all aspects of work and life of the humanity of the future, wireless world will just become more and more wireless, and the needs for antennas and antenna systems as the eyes, ears, voice, and brain and propagation as the means for action at a distance of communication, security, defense, medical, transportation, computing, and industrial devices and systems of next generations of technology will multiply like never before.
Indeed, the next 75 years of AP and AP-S are promising to be equally rich, fascinating, and intense!
The Power & Energy Society (PES) has been a cornerstone of IEEE since the origin of the IEEE on January 1, 1963. The roots of PES go back to 1884 when the AIEE (American Institute of Electrical Engineers) was formed.
Norvin Green, President of Western Union, served as the first AIEE President with six Vice Presidents including Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison.
PES’ Evolution Tracks Technology
Since its inception, PES’ fields of interest have evolved to incorporate technologies as they developed, such as AC Versus DC, steam turbines, centralized generation, integration of distributed generation into the grid and many other developments. The introduction of power electronics is amongst the most important. PES has incorporated the areas of FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission System), Smart Grid, adjustable-speed drives, rectification and High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC).
PES Leads in IEEE Standards
PES is active in the development and maintenance of a significant number of IEEE Standards, and is responsible for almost half of the total IEEE Standards, including IEEE 2778-2020 – IEEE Guide for Solar Power Plant Grounding for Personnel Protection, which offers guidance on grounding system design for photovoltaic solar power plants which help combat climate change. While IEEE Standards IEEE 1547.9, IEEE 2030.2 and IEEE P2686 help enhance battery storage.
A Power House of Content for Power & Energy Technologists
In addition, PES sponsors two magazines, six Transactions, an open-access Journal, and a Letters Journal along with many conferences around the globe, including the bi-annual PES T&D Conference being held in Anaheim, California in May.
With 21 Technical Committees, there is a specific technology area for any Power Energy enthusiast, with scopes ranging from a specific piece of equipment, such as surge arresters, transformers, switchgear to systems, such as transmission and Distribution, Substations, and system planning. Each technical committee generates technical reports, white papers, and if appropriate, standards associated with the committee scope.
Thinking Globally While Acting Locally
With over 800 Chapters, PES members who share technical interests and geographical proximity have the opportunity to meet and learn from fellow IEEE members as well as network and enable personal and professional growth. PES was the first IEEE Society to hold a Chapters Congress of all of its Chapters in Denver, CO, USA in 1997. After the second Chapters Congress in 2001, the concept of regional or multi-regional meetings became a more productive way to bring members together..
IEEE’S FIRST RESOURCE CENTER
PES has often led the way with innovation and that’s true when PES launched the first Resource Center in 2013. The Resource Center was launched to complement the IEEE Xplore digital library with a focus on providing content that meets the needs of individuals and/or industry practitioners. The PES Resource Center provides Society members with hundreds of technical, professional and membership tutorials available for free to PES members, including CEUs and PDHs are available for those wanting them.
PES is an IEEE Society of the future as it continues to address the issues confronting its members.
Many of IEEE’s Societies, Councils, and Technical Communities are engaged in efforts to build the next generation of engineering professionals by supporting STEM outreach activities in their unique technology areas. By doing so, this reach provides students with an introduction to these specific technologies and fosters an interest for future engagement.
Over the past year, IEEE Educational Activities and IEEE Technical Activities have partnered on several projects to bring exciting STEM outreach activities to students worldwide.
Environmental Service Projects in Specific Fields of Interest
There are more than 270 IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) chapters around the world. IEEE’s honor society partners with Technical Societies frequently to bring outstanding students to their future professional home, and to introduce Societies to future members. Technical Societies partner with IEEE-HKN to support their Student Leadership Conference and Pathways to Industry Conference, where volunteers provide learning sessions and guidance to young people. The annual IEEE-HKN Tech-X Conference, taking place 17-19 April 2024, highlights the work of IEEE’s Technical Societies for IEEE-HKN members and others. The conference will feature a keynote by Fred Schindler, VP of IEEE Technical Activities, followed by a special networking session where students and young professionals are encouraged to “find their technical home.” In addition to conferences, Society partnerships with IEEE-HKN include advertising and Society Spotlights featured in the BRIDGE Magazine, which reaches close to 30,000 readers, custom podcasts, targeted newsletters, and listings on HKN’s website.
TryEngineering: Inspiring the Engineers of Tomorrow
A number of societies have partnered with IEEE TryEngineering in the past year to develop new content and provide funds for activities in local communities. Through a partnership with the IEEE Signal Processing Society, an introductory video was developed to introduce students to Signal Processing technology. Curated resources and the introductory video can be found on the TryE- SPS Partnership page. A similar page was created for the Ocean Engineering Society, with plans for a new lesson in development. The IEEE Communication Society partnered with TryEngineering to make a collection of hands-on activities available to volunteers and educators engaged in STEM outreach activities. These activities can be found on the TryEngineering – Communication Society partnership page, along with a video that introduces communication concepts to school-aged children.
In addition to providing scholarships for the TryEngineering Summer Institute, Societies provided funds for TryEngineering STEM grants in 2024, allowing volunteers to provide engaging activities to 12 projects in the Societies’ fields of interest. In 2023, the Communication Society, in partnership with TryEngineering provided funding for a student branch in India to provideIoT Workshop: Learn, Create, Innovate, a workshop that introduced school-age children to communications technology.To learn more about partnering with IEEE Educational Activities’ Student and Academic Education Programs, which include EPICS in IEEE, IEEE-HKN, and IEEE TryEngineering, contact Debra Gulick (d.gulick@ieee.org).
Many Gen Z and Millennial IEEE members see IEEE as, “an elder, wise mentor,” or often compare IEEE to one of their professors. However, a recent IEEE survey of Gen Z and Millennial members found they view face-to-face experiences as being pivotal in their professional moments, where these experiences significantly shaped the direction and depth of their technical interests and careers while creating a sense of loyalty to IEEE.
The IEEE Photonics ‘Journals Club’ program connects students and early career professionals with the researchers and authors of prominently published research papers. The IEEE survey found students crave the ability to network and build relationships with higher grade members while gaining exposure to different tech fields.
The Journals Club delivers by providing student participants to read chosen scientific papers picked by an IEEE Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, and then attend a session with the published Authors. The Authors present their published research, where participants can ask direct questions about the work, methods behind the research and/or the peer review process. Annually, about 600 students participate a year in these sessions for mentorship and a better understanding of the publication processes and peer review.
IEEE Solid-State Circuits Conference
Meanwhile, the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society’s (SSCS) flagship conference, International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), with its nearly 3000 attendees featured a host of programs aimed at students and young professionals.
The IEEE survey found young professionals seek ways to get involved and expand their global network where they can connect with peers. ISSCC held a mentoring event co-sponsored by the SSCS Young Professionals and Women in Circuits committees, which drew more than 50 mentors and mentees from industry and academia. Similar programs are expected to be offered at SSCS’s other sponsored conferences this year, including at
These are just two examples of how IEEE Societies and Councils are bringing generations together by providing opportunities to participate in face-to-face encounters that are formative while creating a sense of community that is difficult to recreate or maintain electronically.
by Manfred Schindler, Vice President, Technical Activities Board
I had an inspiring experience early this year. It was unexpected, which made its impact feel even greater. It left me contemplating what more we can do as IEEE and in Technical Activities. It made our mission, to advance technology for the benefit of humanity, seem more meaningful than ever.
I was invited to join a meeting with the Jamaica Section in January. It was hosted by Region 3* Director Eric Gregorian and Region 1 Director Bala Prasana, and coordinated by Meetings Conference and Events (MCE), now known as Conferences, Events and Experiences (CEE). I expected a meeting similar to others I’ve had with IEEE Geo units: I would do my best to explain Technical Activities and would answer questions that demonstrated that I hadn’t quite succeeded.
I had already met and come to know Jamaica Section Chair Christopher Udeagha and knew he was trying to increase the impact of the Section and add new chapters. I was also aware that Marie Hunter (CEE Managing Director) was intent on supporting this meeting and making sure it had an impact, and had assigned her ace event producer David Stankiewicz to the event. I knew that IEEE Executive Director Sophie Muirhead was planning to join us and that the meeting was in her hometown of Kingston. So, perhaps I should have expected more than a routine section meeting.
The meeting was held in an auditorium at the University of Technology (UTech). Before we arrived, I anticipated a sparsely attended meeting with Section leaders and maybe a few students. Instead, the auditorium was filled to its capacity of 200, with a few more people standing in the back. The room was full of students from UTech, Caribbean Maritime University, and the University of the West Indies, plus some alumni. There were also high school students in the audience. We had a group of primary school students with their teacher.
Given the audience, I realized that I would need to change the emphasis of what I presented, so started by recounting my journey into engineering, my journey through IEEE, and finished with an overview of Technical Activities. The questions I was asked, after my presentation and during breaks in the meeting, came primarily from students. They were interested in engineering and technology, their careers, getting involved in IEEE and starting student chapters. I learned that they have a prize-winning robotics team, but not yet an RAS chapter. (RAS Executive Director Terence Martinez was there to help fix that!) Our other IEEE speakers were greeted with the same enthusiasm and inquisitiveness.
Some notable individuals joined us and made presentations. UTech President Kevin Brown shared his vision for the university. Jamaica’s Minister of Education and Youth, the Honorable Fayval Williams spoke of the country’s education needs. Jamaica’s Principal Director of Energy, Todd Johnson presented the perspectives of the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport.
Other speakers provided useful insights, including Donovan Wilson of the US-based (and event sponsor) Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations, representatives of local communications companies Digicel and Flow, and of the tech consultant (and event sponsor) Symptai.
What I learned over the two days of the event was that there is a robust pipeline of science, engineering, and technology talent in Jamaica and that many leave Jamaica to pursue their careers. There are growing opportunities for technology careers in the country and hopes that more will stay, and many will return. I had a particularly interesting side conversation with Todd Johnson. He is interested in modernizing the grid and energy production. Today their electric rates are so high that it isn’t cost-effective for many industries to operate in Jamaica. Technology can be the solution to improving and diversifying Jamaica’s economy and they are developing the talent to do that. There is enthusiasm for IEEE and an opportunity for us to help them advance technology for the benefit of their society. Even better, in how many other places can we do something similar?
I would be remiss in neglecting to include the other IEEE participants and sponsors including Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), EAB and their EPICS program, RAS, ComSoc, Regions 1 and 3, and MCE. And one final note, a highlight of the Jamaica Section Workshop is available on YouTube.
* The islands in the Caribbean are all part of Region 9, except for Jamaica which is part of Region 3.
Professor Balvin Thorpe, Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, UTech; Fred Schindler, VP TAB; Christopher Udeagha, Jamaican Section Chair; Sharlene Brown, Jamaican Section; Sean Thorpe, PhD, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, UTech); Sophie Muirhead, IEEE Executive Director and COO; Fayval Williams, Jamaican Educational and Youth Minister, Kevin Brown, UTech President; Bala Prasna, Region 1 Director; Eric Gregorian, Region 3 Director; Devon Gayle, Chair, Jamaica Section Computer Society Chapter; Nancy Ostin, Program Director, HKN; Professor Halden Morris, Professor, University of the West Indies, IEEE Life Senior Member; Ashley Moran, EPICS Program Manager; Marie Hunter, Managing Director, CEE; Donovan Wilson, President, Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations
The inaugural International Conference on Data Science and Engineering in Healthcare, Medicine & Biology, Portomaso, St. Julians, Malta, was the first of its kind.
Sponsored by IEEE EMBS, Google, and Columbia University Science Institute, nearly 200 participants were among the representatives of academia, industry, clinical practice, government, students, and international organizations in attendance at the Conference from 8 December to 9 December 2023.
The conference was particularly momentous in facilitating conversations between industry professionals and clinicians by creating a space to share innovations in AI and machine learning in healthcare, including advancing and scaling big and heterogeneous data to improve the quality of care and reduce patient costs in the healthcare sector.
Having highlighted the rapid advances in data science and engineering and groundbreaking research in biology and medicine, the conference set the stage for transformative changes across the healthcare spectrum. From the development of advanced genomic sequencing techniques to the implementation of AI-driven diagnostic algorithms, the synergy between these disciplines explored the potential of these integrations to revolutionize patient care, improve health outcomes, and streamline healthcare processes, making them more efficient, effective, and accessible to all.
The presentations marked significant steps forward in empowering the future of healthcare by bridging AI, engineering, and biological sciences. This was the inaugural conference in this area, and it was just the beginning. The work will continue in 2024 and beyond.
I first served on the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) in 2003. By the end of that year serving as the Vice President of Technical Activities (TA) was the last thing I imagined ever doing. Since then, I’ve come to value, and enjoy contributing to, what TA does. While I still find it rewarding to volunteer for my home society, I find even greater rewards beyond. You may too.
I became President of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT) after serving in various capacities on its Administrative Committee for a decade. It had been my goal to be President, and I was proud to lead the Society. Serving on TAB was part of the responsibility of being President. But being on TAB was not my goal. Is it anyone’s goal? I was on TAB to look after the interests of MTT. The TAB meetings, the complexity of the organization, the bureaucracy and politics were off-putting. After my year on TAB, I was happy to refocus on just MTT.
That was 20 years ago. Then, I had no interest in serving on TAB again, let alone leading it. Yet here I am, looking forward to being VP of Technical Activities. What happened? It took time for me to understand and appreciate the rest of TA and IEEE and to want to volunteer beyond my home society.
After serving as MTT President, my primary focus was on our conferences. I created a new conference series; I chaired our flagship conference; and I led a series of committees with oversight of MTT conference business.
Upon seeing a call for nominations, 2013 MTT President Madhu Gupta asked me to consider the IEEE Conferences Committee (ICC). At the time it meant two meetings each year in New Jersey, which I reasoned would be convenient for visiting my elderly parents. So, I submitted my nomination.
I served a term as an ICC member. I failed to be reappointed, so Division IV Director Jozef Modelski convinced me to be a candidate for ICC Chair. He nominated me from the floor at the TAB meeting. (Floor nominations have since been replaced by a petition process.) I didn’t fully understand the responsibilities of ICC Chair and expected to lose the vote. But evidently, I convinced enough members of TAB and won.
I served two terms as ICC Chair for a total of 4 years. I quickly understood the scope of the role, and came to understand the challenges we had in the committee, in the conferences business, and with relations within the IEEE. We built a team and over those years made considerable progress. We revamped the ICC and the way it operated, supported growing activities, and improved connections across IEEE. I made a lot of friends. I felt I made important contributions. I often felt more appreciated there than I did in my regular paying job.
As ICC chair I was exposed to most of the Societies and Councils in TA, plus the other major IEEE boards. I came to appreciate the diversity of traditions, perspectives, and ways of doing things. Many IEEE Societies and Councils operate very differently than MTT, but just as effectively. We have plenty to share and learn from each other.
I’ve since gone on to serve as a Division Director and on several committees in TAB and in the IEEE. It’s been among the most fulfilling aspects of my professional life. So, I urge you, as IEEE members to broaden your perspectives. Consider some of the many roles that we have in Technical Activities and beyond. You too may find it among the most rewarding things you’ve done.
How did collecting disparate technical specialties into a single, comprehensive journal on radar systems come about?
Radar as a technology area has existed for quite some time, as indicated by the IEEE Milestone commemoration in 2019 [1] of Christian Hülsmeyer’s famous first demonstration of radar principles in Cologne, Germany in 1904 using his “Telemobiloscope”.
The Complex Role of Radar Through History
Since then, radar played a pivotal role in World War II, became an intrinsic part of the global air transportation network, provides vital early warning capability for severe weather, is an increasingly common safety feature in automobiles (and facilitator of emerging self-driving systems), enables the discovery of buried archeological artifacts and forensic evidence, is a critical component of myriad national defense applications, along with a host of other new uses. In short, there is a tremendous amount of ongoing research on technological advances and associated applications of radar. Consequently, one would assume that a dedicated IEEE radar journal has existed for quite some time.
Radar Goes Beyond “One-Size Fits All”
However, as may be gathered from the rather diverse list above, radar technology is the antithesis of the “one size fits all” paradigm, with the numerous applications further differentiated by the underlying technical specializations involved. These include areas within electromagnetics (propagation, scattering, antenna design), radio frequency engineering spanning components (filters, high-power amplifiers, mixers) to system architectures/modes, signal processing (analog and digital, interference cancellation), and more recently software-defined platforms based on FPGAs/GPUs as well as a growing number of machine learning intersections.
IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems: Collecting Many Specialties into One Journal
Due to this tremendous breadth of specialization areas, the publishing of radar research has historically been distributed across several different IEEE venues, which in turn are associated with the IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society (AESS), IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society (APS), IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Society (IMS), IEEE Microwave Theory & Technology Society (MTTS), the IEEE Sensors Council, IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS), and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (VTS). It should therefore come as no surprise that these 8 distinct units comprise the consortium overseeing the new IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems journal, collecting these disparate technical specialties into a single venue having radar as the common focus, and thereby also greatly strengthening the connectivity across radar’s inherently interdisciplinary landscape.
How an Idea Becomes an IEEE Journal
The road to TRS becoming a reality began in the Spring of 2019, when Blunt in the capacity of Chair of the AESS Radar Systems Panel (RSP) asked Greco to lead an ad hoc committee to study the need for a dedicated IEEE radar journal. The results of this study, with considerable input from the RSP at large, was ultimately delivered as a proposal to the AESS Board of Governors in Fall 2019, where Greco and Blunt were at that time likewise serving.
The proposal having received strong support from the AESS leadership, Greco subsequently led a considerable effort to organize support across the 8 different IEEE units above, with radar-oriented elements inside each unit indicating great excitement for the strengthened collaborative potential that such a journal would facilitate. Of course, it was important to carefully scope TRS so as not to undermine these existing technical communities, and for that reason, TRS maintains an imperative that prospective manuscripts must demonstrate a direct relevance to radar.
When the launch of TRS was formally approved, we came full circle with Blunt being selected as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief. The ensuing formation of the Editorial Board was undertaken to sufficiently span both the technical areas within radar and the geographical regions in which radar research has strong engagement. Moreover, the launch of TRS enjoyed the existence of a ready-made market of prospective authors in the global radar community who were hungry for a radar-dedicated IEEE journal. Indeed, it is this community that is driving the rapid growth and success of TRS, which is giving every indication of having a very bright future.
Shannon D. Blunt, University of Kansas
Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems
Maria Sabrina Greco, University of Pisa
Chair, IEEE TRS Steering Committee
President, IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society
