IEEE PES San Antonio Meeting Announcement

IEEE Central Texas Section Power & Energy Society Institute of Electrical Austin Chapter and Electronic Engineers

January Meeting Announcement

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Time: 6:00 PM Social 6:30 to 7:00 PM Dinner 7:00 to 7:30 PM Business Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 PM Program 9:00 PM room closes for the benefit of long distance drivers and early risers Location: El Gallo Mexican Restaurant, 512-444-2205 2910 S Congress (directions below) Austin, Texas RSVP: Please RSVP - if you plan to attend please reply to this invitation. To reply or for further information, please contact Kevin Ewing via email at [email protected] Dinner: Dinner is free (limited menu selection) for full-time students $12 or $15 for IEEE members and accompanying spouses $15 or $18 for non-IEEE members Menu: The bar will be available to those who care to purchase a drink or beer. In fact, there is a service window, so we don't even have to leave the party room. When you order, you will have a choice from seven special selections and five traditional combinations on our menu. All meals include coffee or tea and special selections include soft drinks Speaker: Maher A Dayeh, Southwest Research Institute

Bio: Dr. Dayeh is a scientific analyst experienced in space and atmospheric data analysis and instrumentation. He holds a PhD in Physics (2007) and a Masters in Space sciences (2003) from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, and a Bachelor in Physics (2000) from Lebanon. Dr. Dayeh is currently finishing his postdoctoral appointment in the Space Science and Engineering Division at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

During his PhD, Dr. Dayeh worked on analyzing and interpreting energetic particle, solar wind plasma, and magnetic field data from Wind and the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft during solar energetic particle events and interplanetary shock events associated with coronal mass ejections. While working toward his Masters, Dr. Dayeh was involved in designing, building, and operating the triggered and natural lightning energetic radiation detectors at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) in Camp Blanding, Florida. He then worked on the data analysis that resulted in the discovery of energetic radiation from rocket-triggered lightning and confirmed x-ray observations from natural lightning.

Dr. Dayeh has authored and co-authored 10 refereed publications in space and atmospheric physics, and presented 30 contributed talks/posters at national and international conferences and workshops. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Presentation: The Dark Side of the Sun: Solar Storms and Their Influence on Earth Abstract: The Sun is continuously affecting the Earth by a host of interconnected physical processes that are very dynamic in nature. These processes are among the principal threats to the modern human January 26, 2010 Page 2 IEEE-PES Austin Chapter Meeting Announcement

technology that our society is progressively becoming dependent on. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and solar flares are gigantic outbursts of magnetized plasma that sweep through the interplanetary space bypassing Earth. These events often lead to geomagnetic storms that sometimes wreck havoc on technological systems such as orbiting satellites, Earth-based power grids, communication cables, pipelines, and railway signaling, among others. The term Space Weather was specifically introduced to describe and forecast these solar-terrestrial effects. In this talk, I will first review the Sun-Earth connection within the context of solar storms, and then examine the impact of these storms on ground-based technology. In particular, I will discuss the 1859 severe superstorm, its consequences, the possibility of a similar event recurrence, and our preparation to anticipate such an event. Parking: There is a large parking lot in front of and on the south side of the restaurant. The meeting will be held in the party room to the left of the cashier’s counter. Directions: (See the map linked from the Website, http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/centraltexas/) From I –35: Exit at Oltorf and drive west. At S. Congress, turn left (south). El Gallo is about 500 feet past the next traffic light (Cumberland), on the right (west) side of Congress, directly across from the entrance to St. Edward’s University. From Ben White Blvd. (US290/SH71): Exit at S. Congress Avenue and drive north. El Gallo is about 600 feet past the next traffic light (Woodward), on the left (west) side of Congress directly across from the entrance to St. Edward’s University.