IEEE Pittsburgh Section. Bulletin. May 2007 Volume 56, No. 5

Transcription

1 IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56, No. 5 Included in this issue: From the Chair Nanomaterials-May 8 TeraHertz Wave Technology-May8 Nuclear Plant Control Room-May 9 Non-Grid Power-May 24 High Resistance Grounding-May 31 Best Large Section Award IEEE Elections Holm Conference in Pittsburgh Science Fair Prizes Report on April EMCS Meeting PES 2008 conference Editor of this issue: Jace Cochrane, P.E. jacejc@pghmail.com (412) Contributors: Phil Cox, Tom Dionise, Joe Kalasky, Dimitris Korakakis, Andy Novotny, Mike Oliver, Kal Sen, Ralph Sprang, and Dave Vaglia. All announcements for publication in a particular month s bulletin are due to the Editor by the 20 th of the previous month. The accuracy of the published material is not guaranteed. If there is any error, please bring it to the Editor s attention. The Section s web site has past issues of the bulletin and lots of other useful information. Page 1 of 11

2 From the Chair Dear Pittsburgh Section members, The Region 2 IEEE meeting was held in Pittsburgh at the end of March. The Outstanding Large Section award for 2005 was presented to the Pittsburgh Section at this meeting. Our 2006 Chair Dave Vaglia, 2005 Chair Kal Sen, and I accepted this award on behalf of the Pittsburgh Section. Dr. Sen has the plaque currently, but we will have it at many of our meetings for the next several months to give everyone a chance to see it. The receipt of this award prompted some informal discussion about what to do with awards the section receives. In the past, they often were displayed at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania building in downtown Pittsburgh. However, the Pittsburgh Section discontinued our membership with ESWP a few years ago, due to rising costs and limited usage of their resources. Do you have any thoughts or ideas on where and how we should display our awards? At the Region 2 meeting, they announced that the Sections Congress will be held in Canada in 2008, and the Region is encouraging all the sections to send multiple representatives. This is a great training opportunity for incoming officers, so please consider attending if you are interested in becoming more active in our section. The IEEE presidential candidates were also present at the Region 2 meeting, and each one gave a talk on their plans and goals for IEEE. I also had the opportunity to chat with each of them and ask them questions. Ralph Wyndrum is continuing his effort to be added to the ballot for IEEE president. The Pittsburgh Section does not endorse particular candidates as a matter of policy, but I urge you to support Dr. Wyndrum in this effort. By signing his petition, you are simply enabling him to be added to the ballot, giving us all a greater choice when we vote. Given his exemplary service (continued on page 3) Section Chair & Awards Co-Chair Ralph Sprang rsprang@ieee.org Vice Chair John Twigg jtwigg@ascent-systems.com (412) Secretary Joe Cioletti joseph@cioletti.com (724) Treasurer Harold Hagerty, P.E. hhagerty@ieee.org (412) x226 Webmaster Andrew Novotny andrewnovotny@ieee.org (412) Immediate Past Chair David J. Vaglia, P.E. davevaglia@ieee.org (412) UpperMon Subsection Chair: Dr. Dimitris Korakakis Dimitris.Korakakis@mail.wvu.edu (304) x2512 Chapters Communications Society Chair: Phil Cox p.e.cox@ieee.org (724) Computer Society Chair: John Twigg (see above) Engineering In Medicine & Biology Society Co-Chair: Bob Brooks rbrooks@medrad.com(412) x3506 Co-Chair: Dr. Zhi-Hong Mao maozh@engr.pitt.edu (412) Electromagnetic Compatibility Society Chair: Michael J. Oliver emi@majr.com (814) Power Engineering & Industry Applications Societies Chair: Andrew Novotny (see above) Magnetics Society Chair: Dr. Ganping Ju Ganping.Ju@Seagate.com (412) Robotics Society Chair: Dr. Guy Nicoletti Nicolett+@pitt.edu (724) Signal Processing Society Chair: Dr. Heung-No Lee hnlee@engr.pitt.edu (412) Society on Social Implications of Technology Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E. j.kalasky@ieee.org (724) Affinity Groups GOLD Chair: Andrew Rydholm andrew_rydholm@yahoo.com (412) x281 Life Member Chair: Bob Grimes, P.E. r.d.grimes@ieee.org (412) Committees Consultants Network Professional/Career Activities (PACE) Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E. (see above) Student Activities Membership Development Publicity Chair: Thomas Dionise, P.E. ThomasJDionise@eaton.com (724) PES General Meeting Technical Program Chair Dr. Kalyan Sen (Kal) senkk@ieee.org (724) PES General Meeting General Chair Dave Vaglia (see above) IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 2 of 11

3 Speaker: Dr. Hock M. Ng Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2007 Time: 4:00 PM Place: GaN and ZnO Nanomaterials Engineering Sciences Building Room G39 West Virginia University, Evansdale Campus Morgantown, WV Sponsor: UpperMon Subsection All IEEE members and their guests are welcome. Questions: Contact Dr. Dimitris Korakakis at (304) x2512 Abstract: Nanotechnology applied to the realm of compound semiconductors can result in novel physics as well as interesting and useful device applications. The wide bandgap semiconductors, for example, GaN and ZnO, have been intensively studied because of their unique material properties for optoelectronics and sensors. Micro- and nanostructures of these semiconductors can be formed either by the bottom-up or top-down approach. Using a combination of molecular beam epitaxy and chemical etch techniques, one can engineer the polarity and also the shape of the semiconductors. The speaker will present several examples of two- and three-dimensional structures and device applications. About the speaker: Dr. Hock M. Ng has been a member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories, Alcatel-Lucent (formerly Lucent Technologies) since He received the BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Boston University in 1994, 1997, and 2000 respectively. His research interests are in the field of wide bandgap semiconductor materials and devices, with a focus on GaN and ZnO. His work was recently recognized by the Electrochemical Society with the 2006 Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award and by the North American MBE conference with the inaugural 2006 Young Investigator Award. He is a senior member of IEEE. From the Chair (continued from page 2) as president of IEEE-USA last year and his strong and ongoing support of the Pittsburgh Section, I think Dr. Wyndrum deserves a chance to run for this office, and he would appreciate your support of this effort. If you have not already signed the petition to add his name to the ballot, please contact Dave Vaglia to sign the petition or go to I have received very little response concerning the History Dinner. If there is interest among the membership, we can plan the dinner. At the same time, if there is little or no interest, we can focus our efforts on other activities of more interest to the members. Please let me know if you are interested in the History Dinner. We have begun planning the annual picnic, tentatively planned for the afternoon of 9/15/07 at Schenley Park. The responses to date have all been opposed to getting the permit for adult beverages, so unless I hear opposing views soon, we will not be getting the alcohol permit. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. is the best way to contact me, rsprang@ieee.org. Ralph Sprang IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 3 of 11

4 TeraHertz Wave Technology Speaker: Xi-Cheng Zhang, Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2007 Time: 6:00 PM Dinner and social hour 7:15 PM Presentation Place: Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Northpointe Campus 167 Northpointe Blvd, Freeport, PA For directions go to or call Cost: $8 for catered dinner including salad and dessert. Meal choices are chicken, flank steak, or pasta. RSVP: Required to by April 25. Indicate if you will attend the meal as well as the presentation and your meal preference. Sponsor: Pittsburgh Chapter of the IEEE Communications Society and the Western Pennsylvania Optical Society of America (OSA) Abstract: Historically THz technologies were mainly used by the astronomy community for searching far-infrared radiation (cosmic background) and by the laser fusion community for the diagnostics of plasmas. Since the first demonstration of THz wave time-domain spectroscopy in the late 80 s, there has been a series of significant advances (particularly in recent years) as intense THz sources and more sensitive detectors provide new opportunities for understanding the basic science in the THz frequency range. Now the region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 0.3 to 10 THz (1mm to 30 micrometer wavelength) is a frontier area for research in physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and medicine. Terahertz radiation offers innovative sensing and imaging technologies that can provide information unavailable through conventional methods such as microwave and x-ray techniques. With the advancement of broadband THz wave photonics, THz technology will impact a broad range of interdisciplinary fields, in particular, the opportunity for transformational advances in non-destructive testing, defense, and security. About the speaker: Dr. Xi-Cheng Zhang is the Eric Jonsson Professor of Science, Professor of Physics, and Professor of Electrical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Dr. Zhang has received 18 patents, published 10 books and book chapters, and authored or coauthored over 200 refereed journal papers. He is a Fellow of IEEE, the Optical Society of America, and the American Physics Society. IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 4 of 11

5 Modern Control Room Simulator for Nuclear Power Plants Tour Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2007 Time: 5:30 PM Light dinner 6:15 7:30 PM Tour Place: Westinghouse Energy Center, Monroeville, PA Directions on page 7. Cost: No charge to IEEE members and their guests Sponsors: ASME and IEEE Pittsburgh PES/IAS All IEEE members and their guests are welcome RSVP: Required to Dave Vaglia at Please supply your citizenship and company affiliation. There is limited space on this tour, so RSVP early to assure getting on the list. Westinghouse will be providing a tour of the AP1000 Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Simulator that is under development and an overview of their I&C technology. The AP1000 is an advanced 1000 megawatt (electric) nuclear power plant that uses the forces of nature and simplicity of design to enhance plant safety and operations and reduce construction costs. The control room design uses compact workstations with soft controls and displays to monitor and control the plant. Four AP1000 plants have been sold to China and are expected to come on line in US utilities have likewise recognized the value of this design and have tentatively chosen the AP1000 for 12 domestic plants. IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 5 of 11

6 Onsite Power: Implications of Home-based Production and Use of Non-Grid Power Speaker: Robert C. Watt, President, RC WATT Date: Thursday, May 24, 2007 (4 th Thursday) Time: 6:00 PM Cash bar and order dinner from a select menu 6:30 PM Dinner 7:30 PM Presentation Place: Holiday Inn on Rt 48 (Mosside Blvd) in Monroeville ¼ km south of Business Rt 22, on east side of Route 48, behind Max and Erma s Cost: $15 IEEE Members $10 Students $20 for non-members Sponsors: Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society on the Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) and the Professional Activities Committee (PACE). All IEEE members and their guests are welcome. RSVP: By May 22 to Joe Kalasky at (724) or j.kalasky@ieee.org. Please give your name, phone number, and any dietary restrictions. Abstract: The high level of reliability we enjoy from the grid has impacted the lifestyle of all of us within the USA. We expect to have electricity for our lights, entertainment, cooking, air conditioning and more with the simple flip of a switch. Beyond the traditional uses of electricity in the home, today many of us work from home or it may be that our home is where we receive care and other services once only offered at a hospital. The advances in electro-technologies, which enable the extended uses of our home, increase our reliance on electricity. This presentation will take an objective look at where power outages occur and for how long they inconvenience those who live there. It will explore the options for onsite power systems, the concerns associated with, and the benefits to society today and into the future, when the typical home may have multiple power sources and an energy management system controlling their use. You are invited to contribute to this energizing discussion. About the speaker: Bob Watt is an owner of RC WATT, a corporation with the mission to provide Reliable Convenient Power. His company offers onsite power using natural gas, propane, wind, and solar. Their first solar installation was the GreenForge building managed by the Westmoreland Conservation District in Greensburg. It uses photovoltaic panels manufactured by Solar Power Industries. Prior to committing his efforts full-time to RC WATT, Bob was employed as a Product Manger for Allegheny Power, his employer for over eleven years. While working for the utility, he learned about Distributed Energy Resources through various company teams, as well as through participation in workshops and seminars hosted by organizations such as the Electric Power Research Institute, US Department of Energy s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and ESource. In addition to his supportive wife, family, and friends, Bob credits the US Air Force and Penn State with his successes. Bob is a member of IEEE and various regional chambers of commerce. IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 6 of 11

7 High Resistance Grounding (HRG) Systems Speaker: Anthony Locker, P.E. Date: Thursday, May 31, 2007 Time: 6:30 PM Social with Pizza and Pop 7:00 PM Presentation Place: Westinghouse Energy Center, Monroeville Directions below Sponsor: PES/IAS Chapter All IEEE members and their guests are welcome. RSVP: Required to Andy Novotny at (412) or Abstract: As Power Reliability and Arc Flash Hazards become more important in the next decade and beyond, High Resistance Grounding (HRG) systems have become the grounding system of choice for many professionals. Once only used in industrial applications, HRG systems now flourish in other markets, such as commercial and institutional. However, they are not perfect systems. This presentation will discuss why HRG systems were first developed and how modern relays are helping an almost 50-year-old practice solve today s challenges. About the Speaker: Tony Locker received a BSEE from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a MSEE from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is presently Director of Business Development with I-Gard, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is responsible for providing technical seminars and application assistance on resistance grounding and ground fault protection in the USA. Prior to joining I-Gard in 2005, he was Vice President of Engineering with Post Glover Resistors. Previously, he was Director of Engineering at Power Engineering Technology. His background includes leading design teams and managing installations of numerous multi-million dollar control and power systems for data centers, industrial plants, cogeneration facilities, and utilities. Before Power Engineering Technology, he was a R&D engineer for Square D Company. Mr. Locker is active in the Industry Applications and Power Engineering Societies of IEEE, where he serves on several Subcommittees and Working Groups, as well as NSPE. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and has two patents. More info on Resistance Grounding can be found at: < Directions to the Westinghouse Energy Center From Pittsburgh take Interstate 376 East (Parkway East outbound). Take Exit 14A to Monroeville/Rt 48 South. Cross Business Rt 22 at the traffic light and proceed on Rt 48 South (Mosside Blvd) approx 0.5 mile (two traffic lights). At the 2 nd traffic light (an Exxon Mobil station is on the right and a Sunoco station is on the left) turn left onto Northern Pike. Proceed approx 0.2 miles and turn right at the 1 st traffic light onto Westinghouse Dr. Travel 0.7 miles (past the guard stand) to the 3 flags where the building s main entrance is located. Parking in the evening will be plentiful. Use the main entrance and check with the security guards inside. You will be directed to the proper room for your meeting. From the PA Turnpike, take Exit 57 (Monroeville). After the toll plaza, get in the left lane to get on Business Rt 22 West. At the 1 st traffic light, turn left onto Rt 48 South (Mosside Blvd) and follow the above directions. IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 7 of 11

8 Pittsburgh is the Best Large IEEE Section in the World! Plaque representing the Outstanding Large Section Award presented to the Pittsburgh Section on March 31, 2007 for our 2005 activities. (From left to right) Ralph Sprang, Dave Vaglia, and Kal Sen, the 2007, 2006, and 2005 Pittsburgh Section Chairs, respectively. Vote in the 2007 IEEE Elections To insure that you receive your ballot for IEEE s annual elections later this year, make certain that your postal address and address are correct in IEEE s database by 12:00 noon EDT on June 29, You can check or update your member information by calling or by going to This year s election ballot has 18 categories and at least 42 candidates. Learn more about the nominated candidates and those seeking to have their names added to the ballot by petition by visiting You can ask the President-Elect candidates questions via by sending them to corp-election@ieee.org before May 15, Responses to select questions will be broadcast over the IEEE Election Website and on IEEE.tv during the voting period. Holm Conference in Pittsburgh The 53 rd IEEE Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts will be held in Pittsburgh September 17 19, 2007 at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel. The Holm Conference is hosted by the Technical Committee on Electrical Contacts, Connectors, and Cable (TC-1), which is part of the IEEE Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology (CPMT) Society. Members of the committee come from research & development, manufacturing, and utilization. To learn more about this conference, go to IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 8 of 11

9 IEEE Presents Awards at 2007 Science & Engineering Fair The IEEE Pittsburgh Section presented two Sponsor Awards at the 68 th Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair held March 30 at Heinz Field. The IEEE Sponsor Award recipients were 1) Jonathan Dumm of Linton Middle School for "Robotic Navigation: Sensing Danger" in the Senior Division and 2) Katelyn Sittler of Ambridge Area Junior High School for "How Interference Affects a Connection" in the Intermediate Division. A record high 900 students from 100 schools in 11 Western PA counties competed. The goal of the Science and Engineering Fair is to advance science education by exhibiting examples of scientific research by some of the best and brightest students in our region. IEEE Members Marcel Bergerman Carnegie Mellon, Jian Shen - Bombardier, Nick O'Donoughue- Carnegie Mellon, Rich Haverlack Technical Marketing, Ed Joyce Computer Associates and Tom Dionise - Eaton participated as IEEE Sponsor Award judges. The large number of young women with award winning projects offers a bright future for the electrical engineering profession, noted Marcel Bergerman. (Left) Jonathan Dumm receives the IEEE Sponsor award from Jian Shen and Nicholas O'Donoughue for his project Robot Navigation: Sensing Danger. (Right) Katelyn Sittler receives the IEEE Sponsor Award from Richard Haverlack and Edward Joyce for her project How Interference Affects a Connection. In addition to the Sponsor Awards, the IEEE Pittsburgh Section also presented Honorable Mentions to the following six students: Senior Division - Charles Moyes of Kiski Area High School for "Flight Simulation" and David Schlesinger of Mt. Lebanon High School for "Bio Pass"; Intermediate Division - Stephanie Hatem of Hatem Home School for "EMF Reduction" and Erin Ibarra of St. John the Baptist School for "LED Bright"; and Junior Division - Ria Mulherkar of Ingomar Middle School for "Visualizing Voice Spectrums" and Zach Linderman of St. John the Baptist School for "Hot or Cold - Which one makes a magnet stronger?" It is not too early to volunteer to be an IEEE judge for the 2008 Science & Engineering Fair. Just tom.dionise@ieee.org, and you will be included in future mailings. IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 9 of 11

10 Meeting Report of the IEEE Pittsburgh EMCS Chapter A meeting of the Pittsburgh Electromagnetic Compatibility Society (EMCS) Chapter was held April 17, 2007 at the Westinghouse Energy Center in Monroeville, PA. Michael Oliver, Chapter Chair, and Harry Godlewski, Vice Chair, hosted the meeting with 16 people in attendance, including 4 students from Geneva College. It s always important to have Electrical Engineering students involved for growth in our field. The meeting started with a social and 2 job openings at Garmin were announced. It was a privilege to have Lee Hill as our technical speaker. He is a founding partner of Silent, an independent consulting firm that specializes in EMC and RF design, troubleshooting, and training services to commercial and industrial manufacturers. His presentation was titled Measuring Noise Current and How to Reduce it Using Ferrites. This presentation was relevant to anyone involved in the control of electrical noise from 120 khz to 10 GHz IEEE EMCS Chapter, Pittsburgh Section, Technical Meeting April 17, 2007 Good Food IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin A Well Deserved Plaque Presented to Mr. Lee Hill May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 10 of 11

11 Executive Committee Section Communications Computer EMBS EMCS 2007 Calendar Meetings of IEEE Pittsburgh Section Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July August 18-7pm Panera Bread Oakland PES/IAS 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 PE Prep class Magnetics Robotics Signal Processing Social Impl of Technlgy Upper Mon Consultants Network Life Member GOLD PACE Student Activities 30 AdCom 17 Imaging Mag Surface 31 Magnetoencephalogra phy 15 Panera Bread Oakland 17 Engineers Week table 17 Robot car race 28 Data Compression 7, 21, 28 PE Prep class 22 Early Power Frequencies 8 Wearable Computing 15 Panera Bread Oakland 30 SciTech 21 Vision 20/10 7, 14, 16, 21, 28, 30 PE Prep class 29 Pitt MBA programs 19 Commun. Train Contrl 19 Panera Bread Oakland 17 Ferrites to Reduce Noise 4, 11, 18 PE Prep class 12 Ferrite Materials 26 Ethics & Prof Engr 26 Ethics & Prof Engr 17 Panera Bread Oakland 8 Terahertz Imaging 9 AP1000 Control Rm Tour 23 AdCom 31 High Res Grounding 24 Homebased Power 8 Nanomaterials 24 Homebased Power Date TBD Tour Electrooptics Center Pirates game IEEE Power Engineering Society Meets in Pittsburgh July 20-24, 2008 The international PES meeting is expected to bring over 1500 attendees and will include technical paper presentations, committee and working group meetings, local tours, awards, and more. We are now forming the core working group of volunteers to plan and coordinate the conference. We need Pittsburgh member support. The Technical Chair for the conference is Dr. Kalyan (Kal) Sen, senkk@ieee.org and (724) The General Chair is David J. Vaglia, P.E., davevaglia@ieee.org and (412) Please contact either of us and let us know that you are interested in helping out! IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2007 Volume 56 No. 5 Page 11 of 11