IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2012 - 105

*
Call for TC Proposals
Satoshi Tadokoro, vice president for Technical Activities and
chair of the Technical Activities Board (TAB), has invited members to submit to TAB proposals for new TCs for RAS. The
deadline for proposals to be considered at the RAS-TAB meeting held during IROS 2012 (the week of 7-13 October). Proposals for 31 July must meet the criteria presented below:
l At least one proposer should attend the meeting to explain
the proposal in order for it to be discussed by the board.
The following will be the schedule for new proposals.
l 31 July:
TC proposals due
l 1 August-15 September:
Discussion in TAB. Feedback
to the proposers
l 1 October:
Final proposals due
l IROS TAB meeting
Presentation by the proposers.
Please remember that the following points are important
for approval.
l The nations and regions, nationalities, of the founders
should be balanced all over the world. The best way is for
the cochairs to include researchers from America, Europe,

to learn new skills and a new language
(I've absorbed enough robotics speak
that I can convince ICRA reception
attendees who have consumed at least
two adult beverages that I too have a
Ph.D. in engineering rather than
degrees in English and journalism).
I've had the chance to travel all over
the world, and most of all, the opportunity to work with great people:
David Orin and 14 of the past RAS
presidents, Peter Corke and the four
other newsletter and magazine
editors-in-chief, Kathy Colabaugh,

and Asia/Oceania. These researchers should include representatives of both universities/institutes and industries. On
the other hand, proposals by members from only one nation
can never be approved. This is because IEEE is an international organization for all the scientists and engineers.
l Significant overlapping of scientific/technical area should
be avoided. Such proposals are subject to summary
rejection.
l Cochairs must be RAS members. Even if the TC focuses on
border areas, more than 40% of the founding members
should be RAS members, and are expected to become RAS
members in one/two years. If the proposed TC deals with
the typical RAS areas of interest, 100% of the founding
members are expected to be RAS members. If approved,
the new TC's activities will be reviewed by TAB after one
year. The review result will determine whether the TC can
continue. All RAS TCs undergo a review every three years.
Submit questions to Satoshi Tadokoro, tadokoro@rm.is.
tohoku.ac.jp.

Debby Nowicki, and other colleagues
at the IEEE mothership in Piscataway,
New Jersey, and hundreds of RAS officers and other hardworking volunteers.
Many of you have become treasured
friends. I am grateful to all of you, not
least to Wes Snyder, who volunteered
me to help with that little newsletter 25
years ago.
By the time you read this, I will be
officially retired and looking forward
to new adventures, including lots of
tennis and some carefree travel. All of
you in far flung corners of the world,

who have casually offered us invitations to come visit, beware.
While I'm turning my Society and
magazine responsibilities over to
Kathy and her new colleague Rachel
Warnick, in the September issue I will
have a report on the past presidents
celebration at ICRA 2012 along with
some recollections of my own about
the high points of the last quarter
century.
Bye, y'all!
-Roz

Rosalyn celebrated her birthday in 2006 in Beijing with the RAS ExCom who surprised her with a cake and toasts.

JUNE 2012

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

105

http://tohoku.ac.jp

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2012