IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Magazine - July 2019 - 5

President's Message

by Edward Tunstel

ne of the strengths of the
IEEE System s, Ma n, a nd
Cybernetics Society (SMCS)
is its community of enthusiastic and
dedicated volunteers. Volunteers
are essential to the SMCS and ultimately enable the Society to deliver
benefits to members, the engineering community, and humanity. Our
members advance technology by
focusing on traditional subdisciplines of systems analysis and synthesis, human-systems integration
and human factors, and cybernetics-enabling intelligent systems. In
addition, members are increasingly
engaged in today's trending technologies and methodologies for solving
complex engineering and societal
problems. As relevant strengths of
traditional and trending technologies continue to combine, ultimately converging within the scope of
SMCS fields of interest and including transdisciplinary problems, the
need persists for volunteers with
varied backgrounds and interests.
People with diverse backgrounds
and thought leadership skills are needed for important roles in SMCS governance as well as in developing productive relationships with other IEEE
Societies, including those involving the
production of joint technical offerings
of consistent quality. To stay ahead
of the pace of change and development, we need more involvement from
members who are students and young
professionals. The SMCS can benefit
greatly from these members' professors, both recent and current. Our
members in industry have a critical
role to play as well in grounding SMCS
technical activities in practical applications and guiding those activities
so they can be used to solve industrial
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSMC.2019.2916265
Date of publication: 5 August 2019

Pitch In, Help Out:
Volunteers Needed

problems. The SMCS has opportunities
and needs volunteers across a range of
activities that would mutually benefit
volunteers and the Society.

in the future. Various benefits can be
realized through volunteering.
Opportunities for student members at their universities include leadership roles in forming and governing
Opportunities for
Student Branch Chapters. Each ChapStudent Members and
ter needs officers, such as a Chapter
Young Professionals
chair, cochair, treasurer, and secreLet us start with our members who
tary. Student Branch Chapters at the
are students and young professionals,
various universities represent and
the future of the Society. Students
fulfill the needs of student members
receiving education
by providing valuand training in trendable opportunities to
ing technologies and
host local activities
methodologies involvand meet face to face
ing machine learning,
with others sharing
artificial intelligence,
the same interests.
r obot ic s, hu m a n -
The purpose of each
machine symbiosis,
Chapter is to help stua nd m o d e l - b a s e d
dent members learn
systems engineering
professional skills,
are highly sought by
build effective interleading companies,
national connections,
and participate in a
progressive industries,
strong Society that
national laboratories,
Edward Tunstel
represents their areas
and academic instituof technical focus.
tions worldwide. Young professional
Becoming active in Student
members are already working in posiBranch Chapters also opens doors
tions calling for cutting-edge practo a mentorship program that the
tices in these and related areas. The
SMCS offers for facilitating relademand for their knowledge and
tionships among junior and senior
skills will continue for years. These
SMCS members and providing career
fields of interest all come together in
guidance. Outside of IEEE Region 10
the SMCS. Student and young profes(Asia and Pacific), the SMCS has
sional members can maximize the
very few Student Branch Chapters;
membership benefits they share with
many more are needed to benefit
leaders in those fields while seeing
students studying SMCS topics at
the SMCS as a relevant professional
home during their careers today and
universities across the United States
Ju ly 2019

IEEE SYSTEMS, MAN, & CYBERNETICS MAGAZINE

IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Magazine - July 2019

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