Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

{{Infobox Non-profit | Non-profit_name = IEEE | Non-profit_logo = | Non-profit_type = Professional Organization | founded_date = January 1, 1963 | founder = | location = New York City | origins = Merger of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Institute of Radio Engineers | key_people = Moshe Kam, Current President | area_served = Worldwide | focus = Electrical, Electronics, Communications, Computer Engineering,Computer Science and Information Technology

History

in New York City]]

The IEEE is incorporated under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the state of New York, United States. It was formed in 1963 by the merger of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE, founded 1912) and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE, founded 1884).

The major interests of the AIEE were wire communications (telegraph and telephony) and light and power systems. The IRE concerned mostly radio engineering, and was formed from two smaller organizations, the Society of Wireless and Telegraph Engineers and the Wireless Institute. With the rise of electronics in the 1930s, electronics engineers usually became members of the IRE, but the applications of electron tube technology became so extensive that the technical boundaries differentiating the IRE and the AIEE became difficult to distinguish. After World War II, the two organizations became increasingly competitive, and in 1961, the leadership of both the IRE and the AIEE resolved to consolidate the two organizations. The two organizations formally merged as the IEEE on January 1, 1963.

Notable Presidents of IEEE and its founding organizations include Elihu Thomson (AIEE, 1889–1890), Alexander Graham Bell (AIEE, 1891–1892), Charles Proteus Steinmetz (AIEE, 1901–1902), Lee De Forest (IRE, 1930), Frederick E. Terman (IRE, 1941), William R. Hewlett (IRE, 1954), Ernst Weber (IRE, 1959; IEEE, 1963), and Ivan Getting (IEEE, 1978).

IEEE's Constitution defines the purposes of the organization as "scientific and educational, directed toward the advancement of the theory and practice of Electrical, Electronics, Communications and Computer Engineering, as well as Computer Science, the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences." In pursuing these goals, the IEEE serves as a major publisher of scientific journals and a conference organizer. It is also a leading developer of industrial standards (having developed over 900 active industry standards) in a broad range of disciplines, including electric power and energy, biomedical technology and healthcare, information technology, information assurance, telecommunications, consumer electronics, transportation, aerospace, and nanotechnology. IEEE develops and participates in educational activities such as accreditation of electrical engineering programs in institutes of higher learning. The IEEE logo is a diamond-shaped design which illustrates the right hand grip rule embedded in Benjamin Franklin's kite, which was created in the 1963 merger. IEEE also sponsors or cosponsors more than 1000 international technical conferences each year.

IEEE has a dual complementary regional and technical structure - with organizational units based on geography (e.g., for example the IEEE Philadelphia Section, IEEE South Africa Section ) and technical focus (e.g., the IEEE Computer Society). It manages a separate organizational unit (IEEE-USA) which recommends policies and implements programs specifically intended to benefit the members, the profession and the public in the United States.

The IEEE consists of 38 societies, organized around specialized technical fields, with more than 300 local organizations that hold regular meetings.

The IEEE Standards Association is in charge of the standardization activities of the IEEE.

Publications

IEEE produces 30% of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, publishing well over 100 peer-reviewed journals.

The content in these journals as well as the content from several hundred annual conferences are available in the IEEE's online digital library.

IEEE publications have received a Green rating the from SHERPA/RoMEO guide for affirming "authors and/or their companies shall have the right to post their IEEE-copyrighted material on their own servers without permission" (IEEE Publication Policy 8.1.9.D). This open access policy effectively allows authors, at their choice, to make their article openly available. Roughly 1/3 of the IEEE authors take this route .

IEEE distributes its standards documents for a fee.

Educational opportunities

The IEEE provides learning opportunities within the engineering sciences, research, and technology. The goal of the IEEE education programs is to ensure the growth of skill and knowledge in the electricity-related technical professions and to foster individual commitment to continuing education among IEEE members, the engineering and scientific communities, and the general public.

IEEE offers educational opportunities such as IEEE eLearning Library, the Education Partners Program, Standards in Education and Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

IEEE eLearning Library is a collection of online educational courses designed for self-paced learning. Education Partners, exclusive for IEEE members, offers on-line degree programs, certifications and courses at a 10% discount. The Standards in Education website explains what standards are and the importance of developing and using them. The site includes tutorial modules and case illustrations to introduce the history of standards, the basic terminology, their applications and impact on products, as well as news related to standards, book reviews and links to other sites that contain information on standards. Currently, twenty-nine states require Professional Development Hours (PDH) to maintain P.E. licensure, encouraging engineers to seek Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for their participation in continuing education programs. CEUs readily translate into Professional Development Hours (PDHs) (1 CEU is equivalent to 10 PDHs). Countries outside the United States, such as South Africa, also require continuing professional development (CPD) credits. In South Africa, the IEEE South Africa Section is a voluntary association of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), a signatory of Washington Accord. To maintain registration with ECSA, professional engineers (Pr Eng) must pursue CPD, and now the IEEE, via its local reflection in South Africa, can enable CPD provision. In 2010, it is anticipated that IEEE Expert Now courses will feature in the CPD listing for the IEEE membership in South Africa to derive benefit.

IEEE also sponsors a website designed to help young people understand better what engineering means, and how an engineering career can be made part of their future. Students (ages 8–18), parents, and teachers can explore the site to prepare for an engineering career, ask experts engineering-related questions, play interactive games, explore curriculum links, and review lesson plans. This website also allows students to search for accredited engineering degree programs in Canada and the United States; visitors are able to search by state/province/territory, country, degree field, tuition ranges, room and board ranges, size of student body, and location (rural, suburban, or urban).

Standards and development process

IEEE is one of the leading standards-making organizations in the world. IEEE performs its standards making and maintaining functions through the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA). IEEE standards affect a wide range of industries including: power and energy, biomedical and healthcare, Information Technology (IT), telecommunications, transportation, nanotechnology, information assurance, and many more. In 2005, IEEE had close to 900 active standards, with 500 standards under development. One of the more notable IEEE standards is the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN group of standards which includes the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard and the IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networking standard.

Membership and member grades

Most IEEE members are electrical engineers and electronics engineers, but the organization's wide scope of interests has attracted engineers in other disciplines (e.g., computer science, mechanical and civil engineering) as well as biologists, physicists, and mathematicians. An individual can join the IEEE as an student member, professional member, or associate member. In order to qualify for membership, the individual must comply with certain academic or professional criteria and abide to the code of ethics and bylaws of the organization. Student memberships are available to those who are enrolled in a accredited institution of higher education as undergrad or graduate students for a reduced fee. A professional membership however requires that the individual prove graduation from an institution of higher education. In the case of some countries, such as the U.S.A. and Canada, a bachelor's in electrical engineering, electronics or computer science are considered adequate for membership. An associate membership is given to an individual whose area of expertise falls outside the scope of the IEEE and/or those who do not have at the time of enrollment all the requirements for full memberships. Other individuals who do not want to be directly linked to electrical engineering since they are members in sister organizations may also choose to be affiliates members of the IEEE. Students and Associates have all the privileges of members, except the right to vote and hold certain offices. Upon meeting certain requirements, a member can apply for a Senior Membership, which is the highest recognition a professional member can host for his(her) contributions and advancement to the field of electrical and electronics engineering. Although an application for Senior Member is personal and optional, the applicant must have at least two letters of recommendation from other senior members and rigorously fulfill the requirements of education, achievement, remarkable contribution and experience in the field. The Senior Members are a selected group who are entitled to hold specific IEEE officer positions and is the requirement for those who are nominated and elevated to the grade IEEE Fellow, a distinctive honor.

Awards

Through its awards program, the IEEE advances the interests of its members by recognizing their contributions in advancing the fields of interest to IEEE to the benefit of society. By this means, the image and prestige of the organization, its members, and the profession are all enhanced. The IEEE Awards Program honors members and other professionals for their service to the society.

For nearly a century, the IEEE Awards Program has paid tribute to technical professionals whose exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, society and the engineering profession.

Medals

IEEE Medal of Honor

IEEE Edison Medal

IEEE Founders Medal

IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal

IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal

IEEE Simon Ramo Medal

IEEE Medal for Engineering Excellence

IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies

IEEE Medal in Power Engineering

IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal

IEEE Heinrich Hertz Medal

IEEE John von Neumann Medal

IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal

IEEE Dennis J. Picard Medal for Radar Technologies and Applications

IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal

IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology

IEEE Centennial Medal

Technical field awards

IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award

IEEE Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technologies Award

IEEE Control Systems Award

IEEE Electromagnetics Award

IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award

IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award

IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award

IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award

IEEE Internet Award

IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Data Storage Device Technology Award

IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award

IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award

IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement

IEEE Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Award

IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award

IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award

IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award

IEEE Daniel E. Noble Award

IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award in Solid-State Circuits

IEEE Frederik Philips Award

IEEE Photonics Award

IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award

IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award

IEEE Robotics and Automation Award

IEEE Frank Rosenblatt Award

IEEE David Sarnoff Award

IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award

IEEE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award

IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award

IEEE Undergraduate Teaching Award

IEEE Nikola Tesla Award

IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award

Recognitions

IEEE Haraden Pratt Award

IEEE Richard M. Emberson Award

IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition

IEEE Ernst Weber Engineering Leadership Recognition

IEEE Honorary Membership

Prize papers

IEEE Donald G. Fink Prize Paper Award

IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award

Scholarships

IEEE Life Members Graduate Study Fellowship in Electrical Engineering was established by the IEEE in 2000. The fellowship is awarded annually to a first year, full time graduate student obtaining their masters for work in the area of electrical engineering, at an engineering school/program of recognized standing worldwide. IEEE Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Graduate Scholarship was established by the IRE in 1939 to commemorate Charles Legeyt Fortescue's contributions to electrical engineering. The scholarship is awarded for one year of full-time graduate work obtaining their masters in electrical engineering an ANE engineering school of recognized standing in the United States.

Societies

IEEE is supported by 38 societies, each one focused on a certain knowledge area. They provide specialized publications, conferences, business networking and sometimes other services.

IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society

IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society

IEEE Broadcast Technology Society

IEEE Circuits and Systems Society

IEEE Communications Society

IEEE Components, Packaging & Manufacturing Technology Society

IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

IEEE Computer Society

IEEE Consumer Electronics Society

IEEE Control Systems Society

IEEE Dielectrics & Electrical Insulation Society

IEEE Education Society

IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society

IEEE Electron Devices Society

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society

IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society

IEEE Industrial Electronics Society

IEEE Industry Applications Society

IEEE Information Theory Society

IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Society

IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society

IEEE Magnetics Society

IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society

IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society

IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society

IEEE Photonics Society

IEEE Power Electronics Society

IEEE Power & Energy Society

IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society

IEEE Professional Communication Society

IEEE Reliability Society

IEEE Robotics and Automation Society

IEEE Signal Processing Society

IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology

IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society

IEEE Systems, Man & Cybernetics Society

IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics & Frequency Control Society

IEEE Vehicular Technology Society

Technical councils

IEEE technical councils are collaborations of several IEEE societies on a broader knowledge area. There are currently seven technical councils:

IEEE Biometrics Council

IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation

IEEE Nanotechnology Council

IEEE Sensors Council

IEEE Council on Superconductivity

IEEE Systems Council

IEEE Technology Management Council

Technical committees

To allow a quick response to new innovations, IEEE can also organize technical committees on top of their societies and technical councils. There are currently two such technical committees:

The IEEE places this scientific research behind a “pay wall,”.

See also

IEEE Computer Society Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) Program

Institution of Engineering and Technology

ITU

References

External links

IEEE Global Website

IEEE Global History Network, a wiki-based site containing a wealth of information about the history of IEEE, its members, their professions, and their technologies.

IEEE Xplore — over 2.6 million technical documents available online via the IEEE Xplore Digital Library

IEEE.tv — an award-winning Internet-based television network.

IEEE eLearning Library, an online library of more than 200 multimedia, self-study short courses and tutorials in IEEE's technical fields of interest.

Category:Professional associations Category:Organizations established in 1963 Category:American engineering organizations Category:International nongovernmental organizations Category:Standards organizations Category:Bibliographic database providers Category:Engineering societies