R5 EXCOM Roster can be viewed here: https://rosters.ieee.org/home.html

On behalf of IEEE Region 5, the Wichita Section invites everyone to the 2025 IEEE Green Technologies conference. The 2025 edition of the conference will be held in Wichita from March 26 – 28, 2025. Recent technological advancements have expanded the horizon beyond energy and include industry 4.0, green computing, transportation, agriculture, et cetera. In line with these advancements, IEEE GreenTech 2025 intends to bring experts from diverse areas to share their experience.

Registration is open. The 2nd Annual GreenTech Industry Day will be held on March 27, the second day of the conference. The day will focus on Industry presentations, workshops, continuing education, and an evening summit. If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please contact the Technical Program Committee Chair, Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan,  visvakumar.aravinthan@wichita.edu by Dec. 31, 2024. More information can be found at https://ieeegreentech.org/. Please contact the General Chair, Dr. John Watkins, at john.watkins@wichita.edu for any additional information or inquiries

IEEE Region 5 (R5) is excited to invite all members, students, and professionals to participate in our upcoming meetings and student competitions. Whether you are a seasoned IEEE member or a newcomer, these events provide a great opportunity to connect with peers, share ideas, and showcase your skills in the fields of engineering, technology, and innovation. The 2025 IEEE R5 Annual Business Meeting and Student Competitions will be held in Wichita, Kansas between 28th-30th of March 2025. On Friday, March 28, there will be a reception from 6 PM onwards.

The student competitions are one of the highlights of IEEE R5! This year, we host a series of technical and design challenges where students can demonstrate their creativity, problem-solving skills, and technical expertise. Competitions include circuit design, ethics, robotics, presentation, cyber challenge, and 3-minute thesis (3MT). Slots available in competitions are:

Undergraduate student competitions    1. Circuit Design – three (3)    2. Ethics – three (3)    3. Robotics – one (1)    4. Presentation – no limit; one-page abstract due extended to January 6th, 2025    5. Cyber Challenge (capture the flag) – 13

Graduate student competition    1. 3MT – two (2)

For more details: https://r5conferences.org/student-activities/ Learn more at: https://r5conferences.org/. Benefits to Attend the IEEE R5 Meetings and Student Competitions include, but not limited: Networking: Meet and interact with fellow IEEE members, students, and professionals. Skill Development: Participate in competitions that help you hone your technical and leadership abilities. Career Opportunities: Showcase your skills to potential employers and mentors. Fun and Inspiration: Get inspired by groundbreaking ideas and innovations from your peers.

Registration is open now! We look forward to seeing you at the 2025 IEEE R5 Annual Business Meeting and Student Competitions in Wichita, Kansas between 28th-30th of March 2025!

Contacts for students competition:s John Watkins, IEEE R5 General Chair, john.watkins@wichita.edu Abu Asaduzzaman, IEEE R5 Co-chair, abu.asaduzzaman@wichita.edu Arun-Kaarthick Manoharan, IEEE R5 Student Competition Chair, arun.manoharan@wichita.edu

 Another Successful High Plains Grip and Greet

On December 5, 2024, the High Plains section held its 8th yearly Grip and Greet. Every year (except during COVID), students, faculty, IEEE members, and local industry people gather for a good time with drinks and food provided. The event’s central focus is recognizing the graduating seniors, but everyone is welcome. It is the second year this event will be held twice, at the end of the Fall and Spring Semesters. Previously, it was an annual event, but the students asked if the section would sponsor it at the end of both semesters. Kris Waage, Chair of the Section, said that the event is very popular with the students, and they look forward to it. “If we don’t get the word out soon during the semester, the students remind us,” Kris commented. One of the faculty members said the event has become known throughout the University.” No other campus organization does something like this for the students,” he commented.

While this event boosts IEEE’s visibility and puts a human face on the organization, it emphasizes that graduating with an engineering degree is a significant life accomplishment. Besides a good time, everyone went home with an IEEE High Plains sticker.

Denver, Pikes Peak LMAG Visit NIST Labs in Boulder

Chair, IEEE Denver Life Member Affinity Group

On January 14, 2025, members of the Denver and Pikes Peak LMAG visited the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.

Those of us old enough to be Life Members might recall a hit song released in 1969 by the band, Chicago.  The song asked,  “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”  I now know that the answer to that question. It’s “yes”.

Although Robert Lamm was being philosophical when he sang those words, the physicists and engineers in the Time and Frequency Division at NIST view that question quite literally.  According to a NIST news release, the newest generation optical atomic clocks they are working with “are expected to lose only one second every 30 billion years”.

Although that’s considerably more accurate than what I need to know if it’s time for lunch time or to take my meds, there are many everyday events that would not be possible without accurate, universal clocks.  These include navigation and GPS, making phone calls or sending data over the internet, financial transactions that depend on precise time stamps to ensure fairness and accuracy, power grids distribution networks that require precise synchronization to manage the flow of electricity and maintain stability, and many more.

The following summary of the tour was thoughtfully provided by David Bondurant, IEEE Pikes Peak LMAG Chairman.

NIST Katharine Blodgett Gebbie Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado is one of the buildings

The Laboratory was named for Dr. Katharine Blodgett Gebbie who led the NIST Lab for more than 45 years.   During her tenure NIST won four Nobel Prizes in Physics.

The meeting was attended by 14 Life Members from Denver and Pikes Peak LMAG.  Our guides were Liz Donley and Yao Ma.  The group broke into two groups since the laboratory areas had limited capacity.

We visited the Photonic Synthesis lab of Frank Quinlan and the Chip-scale Atomic Devices Lab of William McGehee.  NIST is developing next generation Photonic time measurement devices to increase Universal Time accuracy beyond today’s Cesium Atom Clock.  These devices use Laser light to generate several orders of magnitude improvement over the Cesium Atom Clock used since the 1960s.  They are build miniature optical devices with high quality mirrors and micro-mirrors which operate in a vacuum for high precision.  They are scaling these to very small size.  These clocks are distributed to users for their instrumentation.

Later we visited the NIST Atomic Fountains lab of Vladi Gerginov.  This is the current source of US Universal Time.  The device manipulates Cesium atoms to measure their atomic decay.  The computer read-outs capture continuous updates to all parameters measured. The measurements include gravity and magnetic fields so sensitive that they were affected by the number of people in the building.

Finally, we visited the Time Realization and Distribution Lab of Jeff Sherman.  Jeff explained that NIST distributes Universal Time information via the internet (time.gov), WWV at 2.5, 5, 10,15, 20, and 25 MHz, and low frequency WWVB at 60Khz.  They also distribute time via satellite links.  US Time measurements are shared with the Global Time system in Paris which receives inputs from over 100 countries standard groups.  The current Cesium atomic clock is accurate to 1 ns and future optical clocks are expected to be much more accurate.  

His lab compares the outputs of 20 different atomic clocks and is highly redundant and has battery, diesel, and natural gas backup power sources.  We watched the LED lights synchronized to the 5 MHz WWV signal flashing.

IEEE Dallas Board Series – Local IEEE members at R5 hosted board meet and greet

As Matt Frances reported in the December newsletter, Region 5 hosted the November meeting of the IEEE Board Series in Dallas.  The IEEE Board meets three times a year and us joined by the major IEEE boards and committees – MGA (member and geographical activities), EA (educational activities), TA (technical activities), HT (humanitarian technologies), PSB (Publications) and IEEE-USA.

Region 5 showed our Texas hospitality by hosting a meet and greet reception immediately following the Saturday board meeting.  During the meet and greet, 40+ local IEEE members meet with IEEE board and committee leaders.  A good time was held by all.

Following the board meet and greet, the region hosted a dinner for local industry leaders.  Also in attendance were IEEE Region 5 leadership, representation from the Dallas and Fort Worth Section leadership, and the IEEE Sr. Corporate Development Manager.  The intention of the dinner was to look together to identify what IEEE more can do to support local industry and how further industry engagement with the local IEEE sections could look like.

 Joe Redfield, South Area Chair 

AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Life members Affinity Group, Lone Star Section

IEEE REGION 5 Lone Star Section LMAG achieves outstanding results in 2024.

At the beginning of 2024 at our officers Monthly planning meeting, Warren Conner, Chair; Curtis Cryer, Vice Chair; John Lyons, Secretary; Scott Atkinson, Treasurer; Clif Denny, webmaster; and Garrett Polhamus, past chair and advisor; met to layout our schedule of activities for the year.

One of our first items to address was the number of meetings we wanted to achieve in 2024.  We originally planned to host or co-host 4 meetings that an Affinity Group could reasonably achieve per month or 48. Little did we know that due to our efforts we would end up completing 75 meetings that included the following breakdown:

*List of meetings individual and co-hosted  recorded in vTools, listed as follows showing number of meetings and total attendance. : LMAG: 31 – 238 JT AES + LMAG: 1 – 20 JT COMPUTER + LMAG: 7 – 101 JT ROBOTICS + LMAG: 2 – 42 JT EMB + LMAG: 10 – 215 JT COM/SP + LMAG 20 – 320: JT TEMS/IE + LMAG: 1 – 5 JT PES + LMAG: 10 – 42

In summary: 75 meetings recorded in vtools with 983 individuals in attendance.

*Initiated and coordinated a Silver Sponsorship for the first ever IEEE Life Members Conference in Austin.  This sponsorship fee was $5,000 and the State of Texas Life Members donated over $6,000.

*Provided ongoing volunteer work helping the San Antonio Science and Technology Museum (SAMSAT) set up displays, restore old equipment into working condition and setting up the Armstrong Radio Technology Exhibit provided by the IEEE History Committee.

*Hosting our annual volunteer appreciation Dinner at the Barn Door with 26 attending, including life members and their guests.

*Four (4) Life Members serving on the Section ExCom: Garrett Polhamus (government Relations Chair), Scott Atkinson (Past Treasurer), Ernest Franke (Secretary) and Walt Downing (Section Chair).

Have you renewed your IEEE membership for 2024?

It is easy to forget and easy to put off.  If you haven’t renewed your IEEE membership, or don’t know if you have, go to your IEEE account NOW.  Go to www.ieee.org, Sign in, select your name, and then select Membership and Subscription Information OR call 800 678-4333.  As a note, although Life Members have no dues, you do need to confirm your membership annually.

OR just renew now to avoid loss of any of your IEEE benefits at www.ieee.org/renew .

If you have already renewed, thank you for being part of the IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association. We have a lot planned for you in 2024

IEEE Member Benefits

Have you looked at all the benefits you receive as an IEEE member?

IEEE has specific benefits tailored to your specific carrier phase.  Are you taking advantage of all that IEEE has to offer for you?  If you’re like me, you probably know of a few benefits and are taking advantage of them but are possibly missing out on others.

The latest IEEE member Benefits Bulletin is available.  Go to:

IEEE Member Benefits for the latest on

• authoring through IEEE Collabratech,
• member discounts on insurance, UPS shipping, computer purchases, and Wiley-IEEE Press,
• Continuing educational opportunities through online learning and eBbooks.  IEEE members have access to over 380 eBooks at no charge.  See the current offering at https://www.ieee.org/publications/books/ebookclassics.html

Did you know about IEEE – IEEE Collabratech

IEEE has created an online tool to assist IEEE Members AND non-members in career development.

The IEEE Collabratec™ online community offers a suite of productivity tools and is available to technology professionals around the world with exclusive features for IEEE members. Plus sign up is free to everyone.

IEEE Collabratec™ can help you:

• Connect with global technology professionals by location and
• Access robust networking, collaboration, and authoring tools dedicated to technology professionals
• Establish a professional identity to showcase key accomplishments

Go to Collabratec NOW

You do NOT have to be an IEEE member to join IEEE Collabratech.

For more information, please contact: Ian MacMillan / Region 5 Membership Development Chair / i.d.macmillan@ieee.org

 Save the Date – IEEE IAS 2025 Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee (PCIC) – September 22-25, 2025

Region 5 is excited to be a co-sponsor and host for PCIC 2025 in Dallas, TX!  The Annual IEEE IAS-PCIC Conference is a gathering of electrical professionals with a common focus on electrical installations, operations, and safety.  Mark your calendars to attend, September 22-25, 2025.

We look forward to seeing you in Dallas!

https://ieeepcic.com/

IEEE Humanitarian Activities and Climate Change

This online forum will highlight recent developments in IEEE technologies and solutions that promote climate stability. It will provide interesting and relevant keynote talks on technology.  There will be over 16 talks over 8 days with “on demand” viewing possible after the forum.

The International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology, sponsored by IEEE AESS and the Lone Star Section (LSS) 

International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology is one of the longest-running international technical symposia. This conference has a broad scope and invites papers on advanced security technologies including physical, cyber, and electronic security research, development, systems engineering, testing, evaluation, case studies and new research lines to face current and future challenges.

Full papers are solicited in the topics listed below. All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. All papers will be carefully subjected to a blind review process. The conference proceedings will be published in the IEEE Xplore® digital library. All questions about submissions should be emailed to Christopher.Camargo@IEEE.org with the subject = IEEE ICCST 2025.

Wanted:  Licensed volunteers to help with IEEE-USA and Region 5 Pilot for a PE Refresher

Region 5 is going to pilot a PE Refresher Pilot for IEEE-USA .  We have the opportunity to design and implement an exciting new and promising pilot for a program that IEEE-USA (Career and Professional Development ) and the MGA YP Committee are jointly creating.

As part of the pilot, a few subjects will be introduced to members that sign up.  These subjects are, tentatively, DC/AC Circuit Analysis, Mathematics, Ethics, Economics and Power.  At this time, we have an open call for an instructor in these areas to help with preparing a 2 hour webex on one of the preferred topics by creating some summary material and problems on the topic.  The instructor will present the material on one evening and then be available to answer questions on the problems.  We are looking to recruit the team in September and start enrolling in October.  I will have an informational session in mid September with those that respond to this call.  Instructors should not be concurrently supporting NCEES on any exam writing efforts.  Instructors should be licensed within the US.

In addition we would be looking for a project manager that is passionate about licensing to help manage the project and expand it beyond the pilot.

This is a pilot, so the purpose is to fine tune the program and collect feedback.  The informational session will help clarify format a little bit more.  However you may call me at 314-941-7641 or email at bob.becnel@ieee.org.

The IEEE-USA MOVE program is looking for qualified volunteers who not only have a deep passion for humanitarian work but also the expertise, wisdom and time to commit in support of our program. As we are in an expansion phase in region 5, we are primarily seeking candidates for crew members and drivers. There are also committee positions available which do not require extensive travel.  Many of these can be done from home.  You do not have to live near a truck to help!

We’d love to learn about your passions, skills, interests, and volunteer time to explore how we can work together to find a good fit for you in our program. If interested, please visit  MOVE-SIGNUP  to complete our MOVE volunteer form.

If you are at all interested, please contact me.  If you are interested, take a look at the MOVE web site, click on “volunteer” and enter your information. Or, contact Gerry Ourada, gourada@ieee.org for assistance or questions.

https://move.ieeeusa.org

The Newsletter is sent to all current members in Region 5

Newsletter Editor: Ademola Peter Adejokun

newsletter@ieeer5.org