From the Chair - September 2010

It is the fall season and we have a very exciting fall program in store. We start off in September with a presentation by Dr. Hargsoon Yoon of Norfolk State University on Nano-Sensors and Modulators for Neural Engineering applications. I think that this topic sounds very interesting. I want to thank Dr. Yoon and Norfolk State University for hosting this presentation. In October, we will have a joint meeting with the Power Engineering Society chapter on Electric Vehicles. I did not know that Virginia actually has to import electricity. We simply do not generate enough electricity. While electric vehicles either reduce or eliminate the production of exhaust gases (not counting any gases produced during generation of the power), the need to charge the vehicles remains a challenge for the transmission of power and the stresses that it will put on the grid. I am anxiously waiting to hear this presentation and where we stand on the issues that await us in this area. Lastly, we will be holding our student paper presentation in November. I encourage all undergraduate student members to participate. You just don't know but you may walk away with some money in your pocket.
Also in the fall we will be holding our elections for officers in the section. The four positions open for elections are the chair, vice-chair, treasurer and secretary. The election is open to all members from graduate student members to Fellows. I highly encourage all those that are interested to contact any section officer by the October meeting. We will formally announce our slate of candidates through our October newsletter. Formal election will be held in November. I have been an officer in this section for four years and I have found my experience to be very rewarding. I have had the opportunity to travel and represent the section at various conferences and had my travel covered by IEEE. There will be much to do in the upcoming years between the Section's 50th anniversary in 2011 and Oceans 2012 the following year. Descriptions of the positions are as follows:
The Section Chair shall serve as Chair for all meetings of the Section, the Section Committee and the Section ExCom. The Section Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in the coordination of all Section activities.
At the request of the Section Chair or in the absence of the Section Chair, the Section Vice Chair shall chair meetings of the Section, Section Committee or Section ExCom.
The Section Secretary shall include correspondence, the keeping of the minutes of the Committee meetings, mailing notices, and submission of meeting and officer reports to the Member and Geographic Activities Department at the end of each year and such other duties as are assigned by the Chair.
The Section Treasurer shall include the development of a Section budget for approval by the Section, accounting of all Section funds, keeping financial records, and submitting the Financial Operations Report of the Section to the IEEE Staff Director, Financial Services.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone this fall.
Regards,
James Bolitho
2010 Chair
Hampton Roads Section