IEEE Region 8 News
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Vol 18 No 2 September 2015 Scan me with your smartphone to reach www.ieeer8.org Published quarterly and distributed to more than 70,000 IEEE members across Region 8 the R8N website. IN THIS ISSUE IEEE contacts........................2 R8C Meeting gallery .......4 Above (from left): Abbey Road’s Peter Cobbin and Isabel Garvey, IEEE president Howard Michel, Section and and Alan Dower Blumlein’s grandson Alan and son Simon. Right: Lucky invitees from IEEE, the Chapter news ......................5 recording industry and the press clamour to enter the world-famous Abbey Road Studios. Blumlein Milestone proves to be a hit EMI’S Abbey Road Studios in north in Studio Two, where The Beatles noon of technical lectures and a London, UK is famous for hosting recorded most of their work, in lively panel discussion and Q&A. a great many recording stars over a day-long celebration of stereo The Milestone commemorates the years: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, sound recording and reproduction Blumlein’s invention of stereo re- Cartoons ....................6, 9, 11 U2, Radiohead… and now also, inventions of the great engineer. cording in 1931, after which he pat- EMI Studios on thanks to a new IEEE Milestone, The day began with speeches ented microphones, record-cutting Abbey Road in London was Alan Dower Blumlein and his in- and tributes leading up to the dedi- equipment, circuits and processes renamed after vention of stereo recording. cation of an IEEE Milestone plaque, needed to record and reproduce the success of On 1 April, 100 recording engi- unveiled by IEEE president Howard realistic stereo sound for cinema. The Beatles’ neers, musical personalities, EMI ex- Michel and Abbey Road Studios He ably demonstrated these a few album Abbey Road, recorded ecutives and members of the press managing director Isabel Garvey, years later at Abbey Road Studios there in 1969. joined IEEE and the Blumlein family followed (after lunch) by an after- itself – at the time, brand new and Student news ...............7–12 called simply EMI Studios – by re- cording the London Philharmonic Cyprus is theatre for launch of Orchestra in stereo, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. Those inventions are still rel- Region 8 Committee initiatives evant today. Two channels could ...continued on page 3 Proposed changes to IEEE Constitution need debating THE Ballot for IEEE’s Annual Elec- presidents, directors and other IEEE tion commencing in August 2015, leaders. The marked-up version Region 8 Committee Meeting participants enjoy an evening visit to the ancient city of Courion. in which IEEE members have the of the IEEE Constitution, with IEEE opportunity to vote for the IEEE Board of Directors approved ration- Καλημέρα! Getting closer to industry, revi- topics from membership development and president-elect and various other ale and descriptions of the impact talising Sections and encouraging Student awards to conference co-ordination and leaders (depending upon the IEEE can be found at: www.ieee.org/ members and Young Professionals were the strategic planning. The evening’s formal Societies, etc to which they belong) about/corporate/election/pro- principal themes at the spring Region 8 Com- welcome reception, dinner and awards was due to include the option to posed_constitution_revisions.pdf mittee Meeting, held in Limossol, Cyprus ceremony followed a technical lecture by vote on a major set of changes to Many matters currently under at the end of March. Committee members, Tracy Spaight of Wargaming.net on the ‘free- the IEEE Constitution. The option the control of the Constitution had sub-committee representatives and Section mium’ commercial model for multiplayer was a simple vote ‘For’ or ‘Against’ been proposed to be transferred to heads came together under one roof, hosted online gaming. all of the proposed changes. bylaws, where they could in future by Cyprus Section, to debate issues, share Saturday saw the opening of the main This plan has since been with- be altered by a simple majority reports, plan ahead and network with their session, beginning with the Region 8 Direc- drawn by the Board of Directors, vote of the IEEE Board of Directors, IEEE counterparts across the Region. tor’s address, during which Costas Stasopou- with some of the provisions of this requiring no support from the IEEE Early arrivals on Friday 27 March were los explained more about the three initiatives amendment proving controversial, membership as a whole. invited to participate in discussions on the on which Region 8 Committee will focus and strong objections being raised A web site developed to col- three themes listed above throughout the over the next couple of years. ‘Action for In- by experienced IEEE volunteers lect comments and endorsements day, alongside breakout meetings on diverse ...continued on page 4 including a number of past IEEE ...continued on page 3 editorial Vol 18 No 2 September 2015 Region 8 News is published quarterly by the Region 8 Committee of the IEEE, and distributed free with IEEE Spectrum to more than 73,000 IEEE members. Read past issues online at www.ieeer8.org –> R8News Newsletter. Opinions expressed in IEEE Region 8 News are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent the policies of their employers or IEEE Your editors (from left): Roland Saam, Zhijia Huang and Bojan Nikolic. Board or Region 8 Committee. News & articles Delivery problems Shouldn’t this organisation [email protected] Please notify all problems regarding membership, publications delivery Student News email and change of address directly to IEEE member services. See website remain volunteer-led? [email protected] www.ieee.org and email [email protected]. IEEE Region 8 Extra copies EARLIER this year there was a plan ballot. However, it is an important website If you would like extra copies of Region 8 News for distribution at your to include on the 2015 Election Bal- subject which we feel our readers www.ieeer8.org IEEE events, please email a request to the editor before the deadlines lot a vote to alter the IEEE Constitu- should learn more about. We be- Editors below, specifying quantity and delivery address. Please type ‘R8 News tion. Amendments which now re- lieve that the implications of any Zhijia Huang Extra Copies’ in your email subject line. [email protected] quire our approval (i.e. that of the changes to the IEEE Constitution Submitting articles voting members of IEEE) would be should be published, explained Roland J Saam We welcome news, articles and letters from any member of the IEEE. [email protected] transferred to bylaws which can be and debated by all of us. Otherwise Please send these to the editor as plain text by email to [email protected], Bojan Nikolic remembering to type ‘Region 8 News’ in your email subject line. If send- altered by the Board of Directors. it becomes too easy for a few clever [email protected] ing photos or graphics, please make sure they are high-resolution files. That plan would have removed persons to take control of IEEE. The Editorial production Read our full guide to writing and submitting articles at www.ieeer8.org several protections that safeguard real worldwide volunteer-led soci- Alistair Dabbs –> R8News Newsletter –> Tips for contributors. our volunteer-led technical society: ety of learned people we have today [email protected] Deadlines for upcoming issues the 10% participation requirement could quickly become just another Printing & mailing for Constitution amendments, the publishing house or commercial Theresa Smith December 2015 issue ................................................deadline: 1 October 2015 prohibition that the Board of Direc- conference outfit. [email protected] March 2016 issue ........................................................ deadline: 1 January 2016 tors receives no salary, the require- For more details, see the story ment that Regional and Divisional beginning on page 1 of this issue. Directors shall serve on the Board, Please also take some trouble to and allowing staff to serve as voting search “constitution” on the IEEE REGION 8 OPERATING members of the Board. website. Discuss the issues, listen COMMITTEE OFFICERS Matters of governance could to the arguments and form your 2015 Operating Committee Appointed then be decided by a simple ma- opinion. Check out this blog where (OpCom) Members jority vote by a much smaller IEEE high-level IEEE volunteers express Director Awards & Recognition Professional Activities Board of Directors, even at very their opinions: http://bit.ly/Save- Costas Stasopoulos (Cyprus) Marko Delimar (Croatia) Ana Katalinić Mucalo (Croatia) short notice and without support IEEE-Constitution [email protected] [email protected] Region 8 News from the IEEE membership as a It is the policy of IEEE to facilitate Director-Elect Chapters Zhijia Huang (UK & Ireland) whole. You can see the IEEE Consti- open discussion, including oppos- Margaretha Eriksson (Sweden) Nazih Khaddaj Mallat (United [email protected] [email protected] Arab Emirates) tution indicating all proposed revi- ing views, of issues and initiatives to Roland Saam (UK & Ireland) Past-Director Conferences [email protected] sions here: www.ieee.org/about/ appear on the ballot (Constitutional Martin Bastiaans (Benelux) Adel Alimi (Tunisia) [email protected] Standards Coordinator corporate/election/proposed_ amendment and referendum). This [email protected] David Law (UK & Ireland) constitution_revisions.pdf applies to those proposals suggested Secretary Educational Activities [email protected] Christian