-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 08]
your engineering heritage: Electricity – Even More Basic than We Knew
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[May 08]
Washington Technology Digest
A recap of news and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology emerging from the federal
government during April-May 2008.
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[May 08]
Opinion: The Jolly Roger of Digital Television
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the Broadcast Flag regulation — beyond the MPAA’s influence, the disregard for fair use, and
muzzled innovations — was the way the FCC overreached its authority. Despite its repeal, the regulation has had long-lasting
consequences.
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[May 08]
Transport Policy Options for an Aging Population
The nation's elderly are wealthier, healthier and more numerous than ever before. However, the positive population and financial trends
among the elderly population are contrasted by negative trends in the their transportation options.
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[Apr 08]
Washington Technology Digest
A recap of news and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology emerging from the federal government in the first quarter of 2008.
|
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[Apr 08]
Congressional Briefing on Emerging Nuclear Technology
On 17 January, IEEE-USA, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Westinghouse Electric Company jointly participated in a Congressional Research and Development Caucus briefing on emerging nuclear technology. IEEE-USA coordinated the briefing to assist House members with a shared interest in promoting technical innovation in the United States.
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[Apr 08]
Backscatter: Early Adopters
Early adopters are valuable to those who introduce innovative high-tech products. These early customers may be either individuals or corporations. It is estimated that perhaps 10 to15 percent of the individual purchasers of a product fall into the early-adopter category.
|
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[Mar 08]
What’s Keeping Women Out of IT?
The dearth of women in IT and programming, and declining numbers of women enrolling in undergraduate computer science majors in the United States has many causal factors, and has been studied extensively since the 1980s. Yet the underlying causes are so intertwined that it is difficult to separate them. Some sociologists suggest that many of these causes may reflect the pervasive effect of the gender system. Confounding the issue are technological and cultural changes.
|
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[Mar 08]
Washington Technology Digest
The following is a recap of news and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology emerging from the federal government in January-early February 2008.
|
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[Mar 08]
The Future of Biofuels
Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel’s initial efforts to fuel their fledgling automobiles involved ethanol and peanut oil, respectively. However, they soon discovered that refined petroleum was a far more efficient source for gasoline and diesel fuel. Are biofuels ready to make a comeback?
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[Mar 08]
Technology Export Controls — Protection or Bureaucracy?
The topic may seem dull, but technology export controls are vital to U.S. security and competitiveness. Technology that could help other nations compete with the United States if released — or that could be useful to terrorists — is subject to export controls. The rub comes in weighing the needs of U.S. innovators for greater sales versus the harm to the national interest if the technology is divulged.
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[Mar 08]
Outlook for 2008
In the short term, forecasting is hard to do, matching a development with a timeline. That said, IEEE-USA's government relations editor George McClure provides an overview of changes and trends in eight categories that are likely to affect all of us, in one way or another, in 2008: technology, energy, climate change, work force, employment benefits, immigration, infrastructure and the economy.
|
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[Mar 08]
The STEP Act: Securing the Next Generation of American Engineers
According to some, engineering is the most essential profession in the world. Engineers mold the very foundations of almost every device, mechanism, system and substance on which the world's population relies. So, if the United States is suffering from an "engineering gap," where will the nation's future engineers come from?
|
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[Feb 08]
Energy Bill an Important Step Toward Energy Independence
In late December 2007, President Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act (H.R.6). The bill requires auto manufacturers to improve fuel economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, and boosts ethanol production five-fold by 2022. The legislation also includes a $95 million competitive grants program designed to spur electric vehicle technology development, as well as language calling on NIST to work with the IEEE and others to develop standards for emerging "Smart Grid" technologies. But does it do enough to achieve the nation's ambitious energy independence goals?
|
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[Dec 07 - Jan 08]
Balancing Wants and Needs in Transportation Policy-Making
Historically, American transportation systems have been plagued with problems of congestion, pollution and safety.
Should transportation systems give people what they want or what they need?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 07]
Opinion: E-Voting — A High-Tech Headache
A long, dismal history of election fraud, in both rural areas and big cities, tells of the election
process' legacy of susceptibility to corrupt elements. So, will e-voting make things better — or
worse?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Oct 07]
William T. Golden, A Tribute
Perhaps not well known by many IEEE members, Golden was described as “a main architect of American science policy in the 20th Century” in his New York Times obituary, an acknowledgment of his influence in defining the federal government’s expanded role in science and technology after World War II.
|
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[Sep 07]
WISE: Engineering the Future
Ranked by The Princeton Review as one of the top internships in the country, the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) gives IEEE student members a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
|
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[Sep 07]
Taking a Wide-Angle View of the U.S. Electric Power Grid
In an effort to drive critical thinking on the U.S. electric power grid and its well-publicized reliability issues, Luis Kun, Senior Research Professor of Homeland Security at National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and Professor Robert Mathews, Distinguished Senior Research Scholar in National Security Affairs and U.S. Industrial Preparedness at the University of Hawaii, are writing a series of white papers on problems caused by uninteroperability in the nation's critical infrastructures. First up: the electric power grid.
|
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[Sep 07]
How Safe Are Our Ports?
U.S. ports handle more than 2 billion tons of domestic and import/export cargo per year, $1.3 billion worth of goods move in and out of U.S. ports every day. Interference with their function would be disruptive to the U.S. economy. However, terrorist activity could destroy port facilities or use them as a channel to move materials into the United States for other destinations.
|
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[Sep 07]
The Informed Opinion: Is the Patent System Broken?
A glut of business methods patents is clogging the patent review system's arteries. Is the system broken or badly in need of an overhaul?
|
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[Aug 07]
Washington Technology Digest
Items highlighting new and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology emerging from the federal government in recent months.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 07]
Congress Passes Landmark Legislation, America COMPETES Act
On 2 August, Congress passed landmark legislation designed to enhance U.S. competitiveness and innovation by increasing funding for basic research and improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. President Bush signed the bill into law on 9 August.
|
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[Aug 07]
Protecting IP Rights in a Global Economy
Intellectual property — original creations whether in hardware design, software engineering, or art (literary works, musical compositions, trademarks, or performance art) — is a key to national competitiveness. However, respect for intellectual property rights, and their duration, varies around the world.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 07]
Congress Looks At Technology’s Role In Addressing Illegal File-Sharing On University Campuses
In early June, the House Science and Technology Committee held a hearing to explore the roles that technology could play in reducing the illegal file-sharing of intellectual property on university and college campuses.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 07]
Filling the Gaps Left by the Energy Policy Act of 2005
Earlier this year, a diverse bipartisan group of senators introduced the National Energy and Environment Security Act of 2007 (S. 6), which seeks to reduce national dependence on foreign oil and expand non-petroleum transportation options. Shouldn't the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) have included such measures?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 07]
IEEE-USA Launches an Innovation Institute
To help IEEE members learn to innovate, IEEE-USA is launching a new Innovation Institute geared at training current and future business, academic and government employees responsible for the innovation of new products and services.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 07]
Wireless — Everywhere Soon?
Few could foresee, when radio-telephony was in its infancy, the extent to which the mobile telephone (the name applied when the electronics
was so bulky that a vehicle was required to carry it) would evolve into the personal cell phone and then the revolution in other applications for
the service.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 07]
Are We Doing Enough for R&D Funding?
There is general agreement that the secret to maintaining U.S. competitiveness is innovation. Commodity manufacturing will move offshore
but, the reasoning goes, if the United States is first to market with new technology, it will maintain a leading position among its competitors.
But are we doing enough?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 07]
RFID Industry Hungry for Engineers
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging technology that is providing excellent career prospects for electrical engineering
students, as well as experienced engineers looking for new opportunities.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 07]
Saving Energy with Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Electrical, mechanical and automotive engineers are working feverishly to bring these cars to the market. Since many of these engineers are
IEEE members, it makes sense for us to strongly support the development of plug-in hybrids.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 07]
Providing for Older Adults Using Smart Environment Technologies
Surveys indicate that older adults want to remain in their homes as they age despite disabilities that may compromise safety. Maintaining
older individuals in their homes is also financially preferable — 40 percent of elder adults cannot even afford to live in an assisted care facility.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Apr 07]
Keeping an Eye on Network Neutrality
The FCC and Congress have signaled a willingness to step into the breach on the network neutrality issue. Legislation was tabled in 2006, but new bills are already making the rounds on Capitol Hill.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 07]
IEEE-USA's New Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee
The IEEE-USA Board of Directors formally approved in their last meeting of 2006 the CIPC as an official IEEE-USA committee, effective 1 January 2007.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 07]
The Perspiration of Patenthood
Marconi and Tesla’s bitter race to own the patent for radio seems almost quaint compared with the blatant exploitation on today’s IP landscape.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 07]
IEEE-USA Works to Sustain Federal R&D Investments
On 15 February, President Bush signed into law a stop-gap spending measure that will keep the government running for the remainder of the fiscal year.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan-Feb 07]
Opinion: Energy Infrastructure Decentralization
Given the unparalleled potency of the nuclear power, control over the entire infrastructure is very closely guarded, and few opportunities exist for ordinary citizens to be involved. So, why does this matter?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan-Feb 07]
Outlook for 2007
IEEE-USA's Technology Policy Editor George McClure dons his prognosticator's hat to provide a look at the year ahead. He shares insights on eight topics that may affect your career in 2007: technology, energy, climate change, workforce, employment benefits, immigration, infrastructure and the economic outlook.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan-Feb 07]
IEEE-USA's 2007 Innovation Agenda
In 2006, IEEE-USA Government Relations volunteers and staff focused on getting Congress to implement the provisions of the National Academy of Engineering report Rising Above the Gathering Storm that matched our legislative agenda. Have our prospects improved with the new Congress?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan-Feb 07]
IEEE-USA Tech Policy Activities: An Overview
No matter what station your life is in, U.S. science and technology policy can affect you and your career. IEEE-USA undertakes substantial activities in advocating technology policies of interest to the U.S. membership. IEEE-USA Vice President for Technology Policy Cliff Lau provides an overview of IEEE-USA's tech policy committees.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 06]
Fixing Medicare: An Intergenerational Dilemma
Medicare is the 800-pound gorilla in the room that people ignore, when looking at the smaller problem of future funding for Social Security. The aging of our population, as birth rates
decline and life expectancy increases, is the most significant demographic force that will shape our economy and society in the coming decades. How well we deal with the funding
issue will affect the extent to which we push costs forward to future generations. Saving more now can reduce their future burden.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 06]
Student's Voice: Engineering a Communication Bridge (Part 4)
In his fourth and final installment of the series, Patrick Meyer divulges his lessons-learned and offers some insight as to what can be done to manufacture a communication bridge
between engineers and policy makers.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 06]
Alternative Energy — Hype or Real?
Today's alternative energy sources enjoy a state of tremendous appeal to power producers and consumers alike. The beginnings of commercially available alternate energy, however,
were very modest by today’s standards.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 06]
U.S. Competitiveness and the Profession
As globalization advances, it has become commonplace (possibly even fashionable) to voice concern
over the steady erosion of U.S. prominence in science and engineering. The concern is particularly
centered in the physical, computer, and engineering sciences.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 06]
IEEE Member Panel Surveyed on RFID
IEEE members take note: Your mega-organization recently increased its activities in radio frequency
identification (RFID) with a multi-pronged approach. Reflecting the fragmented nature of the RFID
technologies industry, as well as research and development, IEEE interest in RFID is found in pockets
among technical societies, such as Communications, Computer and Microwave Theory & Techniques.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 06]
Future Energy Technologies and Employment Challenges
A secure, affordable, sustainable energy supply, with limited environmental impact, is critical to
ensuring enduring prosperity in the United States. The nation faces major challenges in meeting
projected energy demand in an increasingly energy-hungry world and in developing the necessary
next-generation workforce to support energy delivery.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Oct 06]
Congress Finalizes Record DOD R&D Budget
With just days to go before the October 1 start of fiscal year (FY) 2007, Congress finalized an FY 2007 Department of Defense (DOD) budget that contains a record-breaking $76.8 billion
for research and development (R&D) spending.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Oct 06]
"Seeing in the Dark" — Safe Night Driving
Sobering conclusions about the dangers of night driving are leading researchers to develop solutions that involve infrared cameras to augment the drivers ability to see, and displays —
both heads-up and head-down flat panels — to let the driver see what the sensor sees.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 06]
Keeping Tomorrow's Engineers in School Today
Last fall, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) launched a program to identify best practices for improving the retention and success of freshman and sophomore EE students. More than 40 schools applied for program grants, five of which were awarded $20,000 grants each to fund their programs. More than 400 students were affected, with all of the schools are reporting positive results.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 06]
Stakeholders Endorse Uniform National System of Electronics Recycling
Stakeholders including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and environmental organizations, whose views are presented in a recently released Commerce Department report, “agreed that a uniform national system of electronics recycling is preferable to a patchwork of differing state systems.”
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 06]
President's Message: Of Polls and Pipelines
According to a recent Harris Interactive Poll, Americans count engineers among the top 10 most admired professionals. Not bad, considering all of the professions out there. But in his latest column, IEEE-USA President Ralph Wyndrum explains why it would be even better if more people remembered that the doctors, nurses, scientists and military officers who garnered the most admiration would be hard-pressed without the instruments engineers conceived and designed.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 06]
Students' Voice: Engineering a Communication Bridge (Part 3)
A flow of information between engineers and policy-makers exists, but in many cases the information flows from engineers in “engineer-speak” and is received by policy-makers who are accustomed only to “political-speak.” This absence of a common lexicon can result in differing interpretations. How can we engineer a solution?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 06]
NSF Set to Implement Reorganization of Engineering Directorate
The National Science Foundation is set to launch a major reorganization of its Directorate for Engineering, including the addition of cyber systems to the division of Electrical and Communications Systems, as well as creation of a new crosscutting Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 06]
Allegheny Energy — A Model of Recovery
Allegheny Energy's recovery following the turbulent days of the energy trading market is an outstanding example of an internally driven revitalization. While the volatility in energy trading has moderated, and most utilities have shown only moderate performance since the onset of deregulation, Allegheny Energy has set itself apart, outpacing competitors since 2003.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 06]
The Heat is on the Grid
When the heat is on, the transmission grid is tested. And it passed without serious incident during the unseasonably hot temperatures in mid July. But, reserve margins in some parts of the United States took a dip, emphasizing the need for new and modern forms of generation that can be sent over a robust transmission system.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 06]
Opinion: The Rocky Road for Hybrid Vehicles
Dr. James E. Gover believes that if hybrid vehicles are to be adopted widely to gain the benefits of fuel efficiency, more needs to be done in R&D and in educating the new generation of automotive engineers.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 06]
Working on the $100 Laptop
Mary Lou Jepsen's humanitarian mission to develop and mass produce a $100 laptop to be used by the world's children is nearing fruition. The ambitious project's CTO describes how a 10-minute interview with MIT Media Labs' Nicholas Negroponte for a faculty position turned into a three-hour discussion about the need for a low-cost computer and the sort of organization that could make it happen. Jepsen shares a progress report on the organization and the computer that promises to transform education around the globe.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 06]
Students' Voice: Engineering a Communication Bridge
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 06]
Volunteer Spotlight: On Jean Eason
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 06]
IEEE-USA Responds to Senate Immigration Bill
Congress is embroiled in a major debate over immigration reform, with a spate of bills currently under consideration. Central to this debate is Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) bill (S. 2454). Because Sen. Specter is Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over immigration issues, his bill is currently the most likely to be acted upon.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 06]
Do We Need Another OTA?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 06]
CVD 2006 Wrap-up
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[May 06]
An Interview with Joe Bordogna
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Apr 06]
IEEE Members Meet With Rep. Tom Delay
In March, the IEEE's Houston and Galveston Bay Sections held a joint meeting with Rep. Tom Delay, where he listened to their concerns
and shared some of his views on issues affecting U.S. IEEE members, including space exploration, the nuclear power industry, and
immigration.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Apr 06]
Washington Scene: Patent Reform, Fair Use and Inventors Rights
Congress is considering sweeping changes to patent law, as well as legislation that would reinstate the "broadcast flag" on all new
digital media. Where does IEEE-USA stand, and what is the organization doing to protect the intellectual property rights of inventors?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Apr 06]
How the Government Refocused on Innovation and Competitiveness (Part II)
"Innovation" and "competitiveness" aren't just empty buzzwords in Washington these days — they've garnered very real bipartisan
support from both chambers of Congress and the White House, and have yielded a number of promising legislative initiatives. In Part
II, this article examines the National Academies Report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 06]
Spotlight: On Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr., 2006 IEEE-USA President
Get to know a little bit more about 2006 IEEE-USA President Ralph Wyndrum.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 06]
Student's Voice: Bridging the Gap Between Engineers and Policy-Makers
During the summer of 2005, RIT graduate student Patrick Meyer interned with IEEE-USA's Energy Policy Committee, analyzing the progress
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. As Student's Voice editor for Today's Engineer, Meyer hopes to help bridge the divide between
engineers and policy-makers.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 06]
How the Government Refocused on Innovation and Competitiveness
"Innovation" and "competitiveness" aren't just empty buzzwords in Washington these days — they've garnered very real support from
Congress and the White House, and have yielded a number of promising legislative initiatives. This two-part article examines two
reports that crystallized this movement, beginning with the Council on Competitiveness report Innovate America.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Mar 06]
The Stealth Profession: How Do Engineers and R&D Benefit the Nation?
A disconnect seems to exists between the arcane and esoteric realm of basic research — conducted in secretive labs by cloistered
engineers and scientists — and the familiar and ubiquitous technologies we take for granted today. But the fact is, many of the
technologies we utilize daily were born in those very same labs.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Feb 06]
Administration, Congress Get Behind Innovation
Responding to a troubling National Academies report and a broad industry initiative, President Bush and Congress have recently proposed competitiveness initiatives that are designed to help the United States maintain its leading edge in science and technology.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Feb 06]
Member Feedback Wanted: IEEE-USA Needs Help Protecting Inventor Rights
IEEE-USA needs your help advancing a model law to establish reasonable limits for employment agreements, and help clarify when intellectual property belongs to an employee and when it can be claimed by an employer.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Feb 06]
NASA's Big Plans
Despite lean R&D budgets and hurricane-ravaged facilities, NASA plans to move ahead with its ambitious goals to develop a new Crew Exploration Vehicle that will return manned crews to the moon and later to Mars.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Feb 06]
Notable S&T Quotes from 2005
Some of the more notable science and technology quotations that appeared in the American Institute of Physics (AIP) FYI Newsletter in 2005
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan 06]
High-Tech Concerns in the GAO Offshoring Report
In November 2005, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a study detailing an investigation of the issues surrounding offshoring of services, including those specifically associated with high-tech jobs.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jan 06]
What Lies Ahead: Forecast for 2006
Now that we're four years past the end of the last recession, what lies ahead in 2006? TE examines changes and trends in eight categories that are likely to affect all of us in one way or another in the new year: technology, energy, climate change, work force, employment benefits, immigration, infrastructure and the economic outlook.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 05]
The Governance Board and You
The Board governs on behalf of the organization's owners or members; it is accountable for an organization's performance and integrity. How does it affect you?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 05]
Workshop Assesses U.S. Regional, State and Local Initiatives for Nanotechnology R&D and Commercialization
Partnerships, cooperation and sharing lessons learned were key watchwords during a two-day government-industry workshop bringing together dozens of representatives from regional, state and local initiatives across the United States that aim to help promote and support the development of nanotechnology.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 05]
DTV Transition Deadline Delays Leave Public Safety Networks Hungry for Bandwidth
The deadline for the transition to digital television has been pushed back to April 2009, giving lawmakers and the FCC more time to decide what to do with the analog spectrum that will be returned shortly after the transition is complete.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 05]
Volunteer Spotlight: On Gregg Vaughn
IEEE-USA's vice president of member activities is the ECE department chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also loves barbeque and thinks he may be overusing the expression "cool." Read on about one of IEEE-USA's key volunteers.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Dec 05]
Q&A With Washington State Representative Toby Nixon
Washington State legislator Rep. Toby Nixon is an IEEE member and a project manager at Microsoft. He recently sat down with IEEE-USA's Russ Harrison to discuss how engineering and politics intersect.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 05]
U.S. Copyright Office Revisits Anticircumvention Rules
As mandated by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the U.S. Copyright Office has opened rulemaking proceedings to determine when it is okay to circumvent technological measures designed to protect copyrighted works.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Oct 05]
U.S. Lags in Next-Generation Internet Development
When it comes to IPv6, Europe and Asia are leaving the United States in the dust.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
Energy Act Includes Provisions Championed by IEEE-USA
Two significant, IEEE-USA-supported provisions make it into the final law.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
Engineering Education Evolves
Olin College is on the cutting edge of engineering education.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
Pulse: Employment Data Paints a Disturbing Picture
Troubling trend: falling unemployment coincides with falling employment among EEs.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
IEEE-USA and the Globalization Challenge
Whether it’s characterized as globalization, offshoring, trade in services, competitiveness or Thomas Friedman’s "world flattening," U.S. engineers are facing unsettling new challenges and asking what needs to be done not only to preserve their own career vitality, but also to maintain a strong U.S. engineering workforce and keep engineering an attractive career path for future generations.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
Special: Katrina Poses Extreme Challenges for Power Engineers
IEEE-USA Today's Engineer asked two electric power engineers experienced in storm damage and service restoration for their thoughts on the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, and what power engineers are doing, and will need to do, to restore electric service in affected areas, returning Gulf Coast residents to some semblance of normalcy.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sep 05]
Spokane Boasts Model Gigabit Network
Spokane is wired and wireless like very few other cities. They should take note.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 05]
United States Facing Cyber Security Crisis, Experts Tell Capitol Hill Briefing, As IEEE-USA Prepares New Position Statement
IEEE-USA and the IEEE Computer Society Task Force on Information Assurance sponsored a 26 July forum to discuss a February 2005 Report by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 05]
What Your Professors Might Not Have Told You About Intellectual Property
Most engineers deal with intellectual property (IP) issues on a daily basis. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're familiar with IP basics and how they might affect their careers. Take this simple quiz to test your knowledge of IP legal basics.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 05]
Hearing Summary: The Status and Future of the Hydrogen Economy
In his 2003 State of the Union speech, President Bush announced the creation of a new Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Two years later, what progress has been made toward implementation of the Hydrogen Economy?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 05]
In My Opinion: The Tech Dream Deferred
Nearly 20 years after the Hudson Institute's Workforce 2000 report called for the creation of one million new high-tech jobs for people in low-income neighborhoods, the nation is mired in a jobless recovery. For far too many Americans, the dream of economic prosperity that comes with growing numbers of high-skilled, high-wage jobs has been postponed or abandoned. The African-American community has been particularly hard hit.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Aug 05]
IEEE Interconnection Standard Facilitates Electric Reliability
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandates full implementation of the IEEE Interconnection Standard (IEEE 1547), increasing electricity supply diversity and ensuring the reliability and safety of the American electric power system.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
Extra: What Will Grokster Decision Mean For Technology Users and Inventors?
The Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in the MGM vs. Grokster file-sharing case on 27 June. The decision will affect the public's access to the Internet and the development of future technologies, as well as determine how Americans receive their entertainment, according to IEEE-USA experts.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
Pulling the American Energy Industry Out of the 20th Century
With the unrelenting flow of energy-related information coming from Capitol Hill, many engineers, policy-makers and ordinary citizens are wondering how the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will change the way things work. In this case, confusion may be warranted: FERC is given unprecedented authority; PUHCA is repealed despite warnings that consumers will face higher energy prices; and a Renewable Portfolio Standard is implemented in states in which it may be technically impossible to meet such requirements.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
Reader Poll: First-to-Invent vs. First-to-File and Other Patent Issues
Patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office are the primary protection inventors can employ to derive compensation from their inventions, and are therefore a primary driver of innovation. Lawmakers are considering changes to some of patent law's most basic tenets. Where do you stand on the proposed changes?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
A New Frontier: The Privatization of Space
While NASA has slowed its space flight program, private companies and investors, spurred by high-stakes competitions like the Ansari X Prize, are pushing ahead with their commercial space programs toward the promise of even greater payoffs.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
IEEE-USA and IEEE's Power Engineering Society Team Up to Teach Congressional Staff Power System Basics
The IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) and IEEE-USA’s Energy Policy Committee joined forces on 23 May to bring PES’ educational course, “Power System Basics for Non-Engineering Professionals,” to Capitol Hill for the benefit of congressional staff.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
Alternative Energy Sources
Some estimate that our petroleum stores will run out in approximately 20 years, while others predict a supply that will last at least one 100 years more. Prognostications and arguments aside, it is reasonable to assume that someday energy usage will have to shift from petroleum to alternative sources. What are those alternatives?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jul 05]
Voting Machine Standards Move Forward
Engineers around the country are working together to develop standards that should help make sure that focus continues to be on vote counts, rather than the way votes are entered and tabulated.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 05]
Are We Underfunding Basic Research in the Physical Sciences?
Funding for health sciences has doubled within five years, but the physical sciences and engineering have not been nearly as fortunate in increasing R&D funding. How will the Department of Energy's 18 national labs — which constitute 40 percent of the total national funding for physics, chemistry, materials science and other areas of the physical sciences — fare in the coming years?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 05]
Has Airport Security Improved Since 9/11?
Before 9/11, airport security consisted of a ticket agent asking you if you packed your bag yourself, if it had been in your continuous custody since you packed it, and whether you had been given anything to carry aboard by an unknown stranger. Today we wait longer and must endure additional scrutiny, but what has really changed? And are we safer?
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Jun 05]
DARPA Assailed for Cutting Back Support of Basic Computing Research at U.S. Universities
IEEE-USA and other major professional technical organizations, together with key members of Congress and prominent computer scientists and engineers, have criticized the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for cutting back its support of basic, open-ended, “blue-sky” computing research at U.S. universities.
|
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[May 05]
Electric Power Deregulation — A Bad Idea?
The United States is now more than 15 years into an experiment to deregulate and restructure its electric power industry. Has the change benefited industrial and commercial users, ordinary consumers and the nation's economy?
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[May 05]
IEEE Members Go to Washington to Learn About Engineering R&D
At the 3rd Annual Engineering R&D Symposium, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) underscored the urgent need for U.S. engineers to become politically active to protect their interests or risk losing their dominance to a quickly emerging, foreign high-tech industry.
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[May 05]
Reengineering for More Reliable Power Distribution
Restructuring is sweeping the electric power industry and changing the role engineers must play in achieving a reliable supply of electricity.
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[Apr 05]
Will the Loss of the Hubble Space Telescope Matter?
If nothing is done, the Hubble will likely fail catastrophically by 2008. Although it has led to some
of the most significant discoveries in recent history, NASA has no current plans to send either a
manned or a robotic rescue mission to extend Hubble's life. Does it really matter?
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[Apr 05]
capitol shavings: A Contingency Plan for Congress
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[Apr 05]
The Future of Social Security
While the payroll tax for Social Security is bringing in more money than is being paid out now, by
2018 that situation is expected to reverse as fewer workers contribute and more retirees draw
benefits. Everyone's talking about it... but what's getting done?
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[Apr 05]
United States vs. Europe — Who's More Productive?
In the early 1990s, there was growing optimism that the burgeoning European Union (EU) would become a
driver of productivity growth around the globe. Today, however, the outlook is less optimistic.
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[Apr 05]
Report Sets Agenda for Fostering Innovation
A recently released report, the National Innovation Initiative (NII), is helping policy-makers set an
agenda that will help the country maintain its leadership position in innovation.
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[Apr 05]
Grokster and You
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing, Grokster, Kazaa and copyright inducement have been in the news the
past year. What's it all about, and how does it affect you?
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[Apr 05]
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert on Key Science and Engineering Issues
Since becoming House Science Committee chair in January 2001, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert has emerged as
an outspoken champion of science and technology programs on Capitol Hill. TE recently sat down with
Boehlert, to discuss his thoughts on the S&T budget, the Hubble space telescope, outsourcing of U.S.
high-tech jobs, and other issues.
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[Apr 05]
Engineering a Better Future
The United Nation’s millennium development goals (MDGs) are an ambitious set of goals (see Table 1)
aimed at reducing poverty and improving the lives of people living in the world's least developed
countries. What role can engineers expect to play in accomplishing these goals?
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[Mar 05]
pulse: New L-1 and H-1B Provisions in the FY05 Budget
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[Mar 05]
reader poll: Phased Retirement
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[Mar 05]
Spotlight: On IEEE-USA President Gerry Alphonse
2005 IEEE-USA President Gerry Alphonse is an IEEE Fellow, an accomplished engineer and a highly respected leader in technical and professional communities. He recently sat down with Today's Engineer to share some of the more personal defining moments in his remarkable life.
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[Mar 05]
National Nanotechnology Initiative Unveils Strategic Plan
A new strategic plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative sizes up the first five years of the government's R&D effort as a success, and lays out an ambitious agenda for continuing development of nanotechnology over the next five to 10 years. The new strategic plan includes facilitating transfer of new technologies into products for economic growth, jobs and other public benefit.
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[Mar 05]
Is the United States Saving Enough for Retirement?
Long-term comparisons of the household savings rates of Europe, Japan and the United States reveal that, although all three have been trending downward, the Japanese are saving twice the amount — Europeans four times — as the United States. Given the questions swirling around the future of Social Security, and facing a declining number of traditional employer-maintained defined benefit pension plans, are we saving enough for retirement?
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[Mar 05]
Powering the 21st Century: We Can — and Must — Modernize the Grid
IEEE Senior Member Massoud Amin, who coined the term "self-healing grid" during his tenure at the Electric Power Research Insitute (EPRI), responds to a piece on electric power industry reliability that appeared in last month's Today's Engineer.
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[Mar 05]
capitol shavings: Social Security
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[Feb 05]
Embattled H-1B Training Funds Likely to Disappear
Late last year, Congress passed bills that rescinded the project that dedicated $100 million in H-1B employer funds to training programs. If the project gets scuttled, only a little more than $9 million will be left for training in areas identified as having shortages of highly skilled American workers.
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[Feb 05]
Budget Cuts Threaten Airspace System Modernization
Cuts in the Federal Aviation Administration budget are threatening to delay the implementation of new air traffic control equipment at a time when the number of planes in the air is projected to increase substantially.
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[Feb 05]
Electric Power Transmission Reliability Not Keeping Pace with Conservation Efforts
The United States is doing well with energy conservation. Data for the most recent three years show that growth in electric energy demand has been only half the growth in Gross Domestic Product. But reliability improvements have lagged behind, resulting in increased incidence of blackouts.
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[Jan 05]
Capitol Shavings: Be an Informed Citizen
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[Jan 05]
X Prize Gives Space Tourism a Solid Boost
When Burt Rutan and the crew of the privately funded SpaceShipOne took home the $10 Million Ansari X Prize for successfully reaching space twice in a two-week period, they stoked interest in and support for the quest to open the final frontier to tourism and other commercial endeavors.
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[Jan 05]
GATS Mode 4 — The Stealth Proposal
The World Trade Organization's (WTO) 148 member countries established a General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in hopes that it will encourage liberalization of trade in service markets, including engineering services. The goal is to stimulate economic growth, but definitions remain fuzzy and many proposals — including the U.S. proposal — aren't available for public review. What implications could GATS have on the careers of U.S. engineers?
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[Jan 05]
Better Ethics Needed to Improve Energy Distribution
In October, several experts outlined and discussed the myriad factors involved in this new era of energy distribution at an IEEE-USA-cosponsored seminar at Notre Dame University on "Ethics and the Changing Energy Markets." Though early attempts to let open markets define the industry bordered on disastrous, many believe that things can settle down and run smoothly.
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[Dec 04]
Converting Illegal Aliens to Blue Card Guest Workers
Of the estimated 8 million to 10 million illegal aliens in the United States today, nearly 40 percent are here because they overstayed their non-resident visas. In 1986, Congress issued an amnesty window, giving nearly 3 million illegal aliens legal immigrant status. Advocates are calling for another such amnesty. Might a “blue card” program be more effective?
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[Dec 04]
Internet Gambling
The demand for Internet gambling continues to grow, perhaps as a result of people love for gambling. Determining whether this gambling form should be made legal or not, however, is somewhat ambiguous. While many are stepping up efforts to prohibit Internet gambling, proponents believe it could be a revenue source for states and the federal government…
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[Dec 04]
IEEE-USA Pulse: Transportation Funding
The debate over funding for public transit versus funding for highway projects is not new. Monies for both are scarce, and the demise of projects designed to promote mobility improvements, operational efficiencies, cost effectiveness and environmental benefits may come soon, when the 2005 Transportation-Treasury spending bill cuts projects it determines have no tangible benefit…
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[Dec 04]
Federal R&D Funding: Corporate Welfare?
Funding decisions made by the new Congress will spark debate in the electronics industry in coming months. Some believe federal R&D funding should drive the emergence of exciting new technologies, but others view such federal grants programs to be nothing short of welfare for corporations.
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[Dec 04]
Is the End to Employer-Paid Health Care Near?
Employers began offering health care insurance as an employee benefit during World War II, in response to imposed wage and price controls, which limited employers’ ability to attract desirable employees by offering them more salary. They could afford the costs for these benefits when the costs rose only as quickly — and in proportion to — the general inflation rate. The burden, however, is now shifting to employees.
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[Nov 04]
Voice over Internet Protocol and the Changing Face of Communications
Voice over Internet Protocol is expected to ramp up quickly, possibly claiming more than 10 percent of worldwide telephony revenues in just five years. And while the government doesn't expect to be involved significantly in the transition, it will almost certainly have to get involved with the tax, law enforcement and regulatory issues that accompany the change.
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[Nov 04]
Capitol Shavings: In My View — On High-Tech Visas
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[Nov 04]
Member Opinion: On Defense Budget Waste
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[Nov 04]
Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research: Benefits and Controversies
Ethical debate, research restrictions, a lack of research funding, migration abroad of experts and the absence of a clear strategic plan continue to constrain the full scientific potential of stem cell research and tissue engineering. These constraints have contributed to the loss of jobs for U.S. scientists, engineers and physicians, as well as to a loss of leadership in this health care field.
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[Oct 04]
IEEE-USA Pulse: Visa Delays
Delays in the visa process affect companies financially. IEEE-USA president John Steadman joined other organization leaders in urging the federal government to streamline the current visa application process by alleviating repetitive security checks, improving the renewal process, and establishing priority processing for some applications.
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[Oct 04]
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