The Institute - June 2019 - 3

editor's note

RANDI KLETT

Celebrating
Members Who Made
Spaceflight Possible
conference service providers
frustrate volunteers and staff
and could degrade the value of
the events for attendees.
The committee is to propose
practical suggestions that
consider risk, timing, and
available resources.
The ad hoc committee
on conference finance
management is developing
and implementing policies
and systems to provide IEEE
with a financial management
ecosystem for its conference
business. It will provide bestin-class support for conference organizers and their
organizational units while
minimizing the vulnerabilities
related to a distributed, global
conference business.
And for a more open organization, the ad hoc committee
on transparency in meetings,
document classification, and
elections is drafting bylaws
and policies on executive
sessions and election-related
governing documents to provide maximum but reasonable
transparency while still protecting corporate information.
I will continue to champion
transparency at all levels,
striving for increased communication and an open and
accountable IEEE. Share
your thoughts with me at
president@ieee.org. n
-JOSÉ M.F. MOURA,
IEEE president and CEO

AFTER THE 20 JULY 1969 MOON LANDING, U.S. astronauts Neil
Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin became household names.
The three were the Apollo 11 crew. But that mission would not have been
possible without the hundreds of engineers who worked behind the scenes
developing all sorts of technologies. Throughout this year, IEEE is marking
the 50th anniversary of the event and spaceflight in general, as well as those
involved, through the Footsteps: IEEE's Commemoration
of Human Space Travel effort.
Two IEEE senior members are highlighted in our
main feature on pages TI-6 and 7. Rufus Chavez and
Carol Crom are just two of the dozens of IEEE members
who posted their space-program experience on the
Engineering and Technology History Wiki (https://ethw.
org/Human_Space_Travel_Primary_Sources).
We welcome others to share their stories on the wiki so we
can feature them on our new website, at https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute.
IEEE has made tackling diversity, inclusion, and professional ethics a
priority this year and formed an ad hoc committee to address the issues.
Read the committee's charter on page TI-4. Also on that page is information about a related project: the first edition of "Ethically Aligned Design:
A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being With Autonomous and Intelligent Systems." The recently released report, also detailed on page TI-4,
sets forth scientific analysis and resources, high-level principles, and
actionable recommendations for the ethical implementation of autonomous and intelligent systems.
Take note of two upcoming dates listed on page TI-5. On 15 August
eligible voting members may access their IEEE annual election ballot
electronically. It's also when the paper ballot packages are due to be
mailed. And IEEE Day is 1 October, when a record number of celebrations are expected to be held to celebrate the 10th anniversary. It's not
too early to start planning yours.
Among our most recent popular online articles is "Forget Smart Watches-
Here Come Smart Clothes" [p. TI-8]. E-textile expert Jesse Jur talks about
the state of smart garments, including some of the challenges still to be
overcome and the need for more textile engineers and designers.
"Why Companies Need Engineers With an Artistic Bent" [p. TI-11] is
another highly read article. Training people how to use the analytical and
creative parts of their brain is behind the STEAM movement, which encourages education that combines art with science, technology, engineering,
and math. In the article, IEEE Fellow S.K. Ramesh says STEAM education
increases diversity of thought and inclusiveness in the workplace. n
-KATHY PRETZ, editor in chief of The Institute
FOR UPDATES ABOUT IEEE AND ITS MEMBERS, VISIT US AT
HTTPS://SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG/THE-INSTITUTE
THE INSTITUTE

JUN 2019

TI-3

https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-history/rufus-chavez-shares-his-experiences-working-on-projectmercury https://www.ethw.org/First-Hand:Space_Program_reminiscences https://www.ethw.org/Human_Space_Travel_Primary_Sources https://www.ethw.org/Human_Space_Travel_Primary_Sources https://www.ethw.org/Human_Space_Travel_Primary_Sources https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/ https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/ https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/ HTTPS://SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG/the-institute

The Institute - June 2019

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