The Institute - March 2022 - 53

EDITOR'S NOTE
to best meet the needs of all
technical professionals in
the years ahead. Many of the
advances we will make this year
will be driven by an emphasis on
our long-term success-all with a
clear focus on our Code of Ethics
and member conduct activities,
including our commitment to
inclusion and diversity.
My plan to make IEEE your
professional home includes
improving our engagement
with our members and
audience, seeking out the next
big opportunities for IEEE
and our members, enhancing
IEEE awards' prestige, guiding
IEEE in playing a leading
role in addressing the climate
crisis, and preparing IEEE for
a world full of demographic,
technological, economic, and
environmental changes.
As a nonprofit organization,
IEEE's key impetuses are
the promotion of technical
excellence, thought leadership,
and the facilitation of
collaboration and networking-
rather than amassing profits.
The essential roles of our
organization have always
been facilitating the exchange
of knowledge, advancing
the technical state of the art,
promoting guidelines and
standards for professional
excellence, and raising public
awareness and recognition of
members' contributions.
I encourage all our members
to be engaged, be involved,
and be part of the drive to
reaffirm awareness of IEEE
as your professional home
to all members and other
technologists around the
world. After all, IEEE is your
professional home. Please take
care of yourself and each other.
-K.J. RAY LIU
IEEE president and CEO
Please share your thoughts with me
at president@ieee.org.
Innovations for
the Underserved
Ensuring those who need technology have access to it
MANY IEEE MEMBERS start
off their engineering career as
interns, but few end up running
the company. That's not the
case with Natarajan " Chandra "
Chandrasekaran. The senior
member has risen through the
ranks and is now the chairman
of Tata Sons, in Mumbai, India,
the holding company for the
Tata Group.
His focus for the company
is to have a positive impact on
society. On page 54, he discusses
his vision for using artificial
intelligence, cloud computing,
the Internet of Things, and
other technologies to improve
conditions for the underserved.
On page 61, read about
Alvin, a U.S. human-operated
submersible that changed the
course of oceanography. Now an
IEEE Milestone, the 58-year-old
vessel is still operating today.
Scientists have used Alvin-
developed by a research team
at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution-to study the
effects of pressure on seafloor
microbes. It also has discovered
hydrothermal vents that help
regulate ocean chemistry and
support ecosystems.
As a youngster, Member
Aadeel Akhtar made a pledge
that one day he would build
affordable artificial limbs.
He fulfilled that promise in
September when his startup,
Psyonic, released the Ability
Hand, the fastest bionic hand on
the market and the only one with
touch feedback [page 64]. The
haptic hand contains pressure
sensors on the index finger,
pinky, and thumb. It functions
almost like a regular hand.
Another member who has
done groundbreaking work is
this year's IEEE Medal of Honor
recipient, Asad Madni [page
56]. The award recognizes his
contributions to the development
and commercialization of
innovative sensing and systems
technologies.
The Life Fellow's quartz
microelectromechanical system,
GyroChip, is the first MEMSbased
gyroscope and inertial
measurement unit for aerospace
and automotive safety.
On page 58, meet the members
who are running to be the 2023
IEEE president-elect. The Boardnominated
candidates are Life
Fellow Thomas Coughlin and
Senior Members Kathleen Kramer
and Maike Luiken. Life Fellow
Kazuhiro Kosuge is seeking to be
a petition candidate. Learn about
some of the key deadlines in this
year's election on page 66. Also on
that page you'll find the results of
the 2021 election.
Need to brush up on some of
today's latest technologies? IEEE
Educational Activities is offering
courses on blockchain [page 60].
On page 63, learn about the
IEEE standards that can be
found in a variety of well-known
medical devices used both at
home and in hospitals.
The IEEE Standards
Association is also working to
bring Internet access to those
living in rural communities.
Its Connectivity and Telecom
Practice group has released
several videotaped interviews
with industry professionals,
researchers, and policymakers
working on providing worldwide
access [page 63].
-KATHY PRETZ
Editor in chief, The Institute
For updates about IEEE and its
members, visit us at
spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute
MARCH 2022 THE INSTITUTE
53
https://www.tata.com/business/tata-sons http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute
The Institute - March 2022

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