Systems, Man & Cybernetics - July 2016 - 19

Society News

by Walt Downing

ast November, the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities
Department approved the formation of a new joint chapter of the
IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS) and the IEEE
Aerospace and Electronic Systems
(AES) Society within the Central
Texas Section (CTS) of Region 5.
The new joint SMC-AES Chapter
more than doubled its membership through the reorganization
and broadened its technical scope
of complex systems to incorporate
local interest in the aerospace sector. One of the goals of the Joint
SMC-AES Chapter is to work very
closely with both SMC and AES
technical committees. The officers
for 2016 are Walt Downing (chair),
Sos Agaian (vice chair), and Nils
Smith (secretary/treasurer).
CTS is one of 26 sections in Region 5, and it serves more than 4,500
IEEE higher-grade Members and
over 600 Student Members living and
working throughout central Texas,
but primarily in the San Antonio and
Austin area. The Joint SMC-AES
Chapter is the latest of 25 Society
Chapters and Affinity Groups to be
established in CTS, which also hosts
five Student Branch Chapters. (See
http://sites.ieee.org/ctx/).
The Joint SMC-AES Chapter
kicked off 2016 with a meeting on Friday, 22 January, to hear Distinguished
Lecturer George T. Schmidt speak
on navigation sensors and systems
in global navigation satellite systemdegraded and denied environments.
A morning meeting at Southwest
Research Institute was attended by
78 people (23 IEEE Members and 55
guests), of which 36 participated by
web conference from remote sites

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSMC.2016.2565960
Date of publication: 24 August 2016

Central Texas Section
Organizes Joint SMC-
AES Chapter
neers Week (eWeek). eWeek is an anas far away as Europe. An afternoon
nual event established by the National
meeting at the University of Texas at
Society of Professional Engineers
San Antonio included 61 participants
in 1951 to promote
(16 IEEE Members
an increased unand 45 guests), the
derstanding of and
majority of whom
One of the goals
interest in engineerwere students atof the Joint SMC-
ing and technology
tending the presenAES Chapter is to
careers. The event is
tation as a graduate
held during the week
seminar. Several of
work very closely
that includes George
the participants in
with both SMC
Washington's actual
these meetings were
and AES technical
birthday (22 Februalso members of the
committees.
ary), honoring the
American Institute
first U.S. President,
of Aeronautics and
and also the nation's
Astronautics (AIAA),
first engineer for his early survey work.
which collaborated with IEEE in
Today, eWeek is celebrated by a coalipublicizing this opportunity to hear
tion of over 70 professional societies
Schmidt, who is an AIAA fellow and
to raise public awareness of the
an IEEE Life Fellow. Schmidt was
positive contributions of engineers
in San Antonio to participate in an
to quality of life. The IEEE CTS celAES Society officer's strategic planebrated eWeek with a series of events
ning meeting.
culminating in an Innovators, EngiThis Distinguished Lecture providneers, and Entrepreneurs Workshop
ed several beneficial results that are
at the University of Texas in Austin.
useful for planning future events. By
(See http://sites.ieee.org/ctx/engineerstaking advantage of the opportunity
week/for a complete listing of these
to schedule the Distinguished Lecture
events.) To promote activities, CTS
when Schmidt was in San Antonio for
offered to pay for the meal expenses
a Society meeting, the talk reached a
for any Chapter that conducted a
large and geographically dispersed
meeting during eWeek. As part of
audience at a relatively low cost.
these events, the Joint SMC-AES
There were also many lessons learned
Chapter held a lunchtime meeting
on how to organize, publicize, and
at Southwest Research Institute on
conduct meetings that include particiWednesday, 23 February.
pation by web conference.
The featured speaker for the
The Joint SMC-AES Chapter met in
Joint SMC -AES Chapter meeting
February to recognize National EngiJu ly 2016

IEEE SyStEmS, man, & CybErnEtICS magazInE

http://sites.ieee.org/ctx/ http://sites.ieee.org/ctx/engineers

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Systems, Man & Cybernetics - July 2016