Systems, Man & Cybernetics - January 2017 - 7

workshops, and still others focus
their activities on preparing highquality summer schools. But all of
them understand that their main attention should be paid to the annual
IEEE SMCS conference. We would
like to see more sessions organized by
TCs at these conferences.
In our area of cybernetics, we also
try to orient the TCs to support and
participate in the biannual conference,
the IEEE International Conference on
Cybernetics (CYBCONF). The third
conference, CYBCONF 2017, will be
held in Exeter, United Kingdom, 26-28
June 2017 and is being proactively led
by the TC on Cybermatics for CyberEnabled Worlds. Many other TCs have
joined these efforts, and quite a productive conference can be expected.
Another activity currently being supported is organization of specialized
summer schools and preparation of
the textbooks. These outputs should
serve to broaden the technical community and highlight the activities of
the SMCS.
The Executive Committee and
Board of Governors (BoGs) of the
Society are eager to support and enhance the efficiency of the activities
of TCs. That is why the current operational plan of the Society evaluates the

t t he 2016 I nter nat iona l
Con ference on Systems,
Man, and Cybernetics held
in Budapest, Hungary, the board
approved the Awards Committee's
recommendations for the 2016 awards.
Members of the Awards Committee
are Larry Hall, past president; Norbert
Wiener Award winner Michael Berthold, past president; and Keith Hipel,
past vice president, Norbert Wiener
Award winner, and Joseph G. Wohl
Award recipient. The 2016 awards are
as follows.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSMC.2016.2623879
Date of publication: 17 January 2017

TCs. The BoGs initiated a discussion
activities in each of the TCs. Half of
on how to proceed efficiently in Octothe TCs were evaluated in 2016. This
ber 2016 in Budapest, Hungary, and it
impor tant feedback will be used as a
will be necessary to
background for evaldevelop the process
uation of the Society
within a year.
as a whole as well as
The Executive
A not her poi nt
for identifying best
Committee and
shou ld be ra ised
practices. It will also
in connection with
help TCs to become
Board of Govthis democratization
more proactive.
ernors (BoGs) of
proces s: some of
The Society webthe Society are
the TC members are
site plays a very
eager to support
not members of the
important role in anSMCS. We don't want
nouncing TC activiand enhance the
to lose this vehicle
ties and for attracting
efficiency of the
for attracting new
new members, but
activities of TCs.
memb er s , but on
some of the TCs have
the other hand, we
a problem keeping it
would like to limit
updated. That is why
the percentage of non-SMCS members
we intend to introduce a more interacin the TCs. One of the instruments to
tive web system for TC needs.
change this situation is the clear rule
The Executive Committee and
that only SMCS members will have
TCs are facing a new challenge: acvoting rights in any democratic procording to IEEE rules, each commitcess inside SMCS.
tee within each IEEE Society should
The TCs represent the backbone of
have the leads elected for a limited
the Society. This is why the VPs, Experiod of time with limited options
ecutive Committee, and BoG memfor reelection. This is also valid for
bers should be in constant touch
the TC chair positions. We need to
with the TCs and should know the
start with the process of democratic
actual needs of the TCs to support
TC elections. It should be carried out
their activities. We are trying hard to
in a careful, sensitive way, respecting
do so.
the specific situation of individual

2016 IEEE Systems,
Man, and Cybernetics
Society Awards
by C.L. Philip Chen

Transactions Papers
◆ Andrew P. Sage Best Transactions Paper: Hongyi Li, Xing jian Jing, Hak-Leung Lam, and
Peng Shi, "Fuzzy Sampled-Data
Control for Uncertain Vehicle
Suspension Systems" (IEEE
Ja nu a r y 2017

Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.
44, no. 7, pp. 1111-1126, July 2014)
◆ Andrew P. Sage Best Transactions Paper: Ignacio Javier Pérez,
Francisco Javier Cabrerizo, Sergio Alonso, and Enrique Herrera-Viedma, "A New Consensus

IEEE SyStEmS, man, & CybErnEtICS magazInE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Systems, Man & Cybernetics - January 2017