Study Group on VSI Alliance Technology Formed
To investigate the creation of IEEE standards based on work done at the VSI Alliance (VSIA), the IEEE has formed two study groups to evaluate VSIA’s existing Quality IP Metric standard and encryption activities. Both groups, sponsored by the IEEE Design Automation Standards Committee, were created after the announcement that VSIA will cease operations and donate its technology to the IEEE. The study groups will make recommendations on whether or not to proceed with formal standards development after exploring each possible standard for market potential, compatibility with related standards, differences from other projects, and whether a viable pool of volunteer leadership and participants exists. Learn more
Oracle Adds Milestone Facility
Oracle, a major U.S. business software maker, plans to open additional offices in China, a move that will allow Oracle to meet the growing demands for their software in the nation. According to several officials at the company, the Oracle Asia Research and Development Center in Shanghai will join the company’s other facilities in Beijing and Shenzhen and focus on Web 2.0 technologies, wireless computing, and voice recognition devices. Read more
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WICSA 2008 Headed to Vancouver
The Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSA) will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 18-21 February 2008. The conference, created by software architects to bring together software engineering practitioners and researchers from industry and academia, will focus on issues and ideas related to all aspects of software architecture. Submissions are currently being accepted for research papers, experience presentations, and working session contributions. The deadline for all proposals is 17 September 2007. Learn more
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Smartphones: Essential Tools for Developing Nations
Smartphones, often seen as an unnecessary luxury for wealthy westerners, are increasingly being viewed by technology experts as a more practical source of communication among people in developing countries – enhancing their safety, education, and daily way of life. The phones, equipped with video cameras and internet access, have been used to report incidents of children being drafted to fight in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and by health workers to observe the outbreak of diseases in real time. Computer scientists, additionally, are developing a Smartphone barcode system that would allow for an easier, more secure banking system in remote villages and communities. Read more
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Future of Embedded Aerospace, Military Systems Shaped
The rise of multi-core processors, FPGA-based systems, and VPX backplane architecture are three key trends that could influence the future direction of embedded system design for rugged, high performance defense and aerospace applications, according to a report from ECN Asia that outlines specific benefits for each technology. The report notes that VPX architecture was created in response to the significant amount of high-speed sensor data that systems are being designed to process in applications such as radar and signal processing. Multi-core processors, additionally, lessen power dissipation while allowing for greater performance increases and are extremely well suited to SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing), popular in military applications. With low-power design and support for serial switch fabrics on the chip, reconfigurable computing for military applications has also proven to be cost-effective for embedded military systems. Read more
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Questions on Printer Generated Pollution Raised
A study conducted by researchers from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia revealed that laser printers found in many offices emit various levels of pollution. More than 60 printers were tested for emissions with varying results, with the worst printer emitting pollutants as bad for nearby workers as second-hand smoke. The researchers discovered that using newer toner cartridges and printing toner-heavy documents released more pollutants into the air than using older cartridges. Many offices, according to the study, can reduce the harmful effects caused by the particles by maintaining proper ventilation throughout the building. Read more
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IEEE-USA Seeks Award Nominations
The IEEE-USA Awards and Recognition Committee is seeking nominations for its 2007 awards in professionalism, technical achievement, and literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession. The deadline for nominations has been extended to 14 September 2007. Examples of activities that would qualify individuals for nomination include promoting science and math education in pre-college education, promoting professional awareness with college students, educating members on non-technical skills to advance and maintain their careers, and educating the public on the positive impact of the professions served by the IEEE.
IEEE-USA awards include:
Robert S. Walleigh Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism Award
Award for Distinguished Public Service
Citation of Honor
Pre-college Education Committee Teacher-Engineer Partnership Award
Regional/Divisional Professional Leadership Award
Professional Achievement Award for Individuals
Professional Achievement Award for Organizations
Harry Diamond Memorial Award
Electrotechnology Transfer Award
Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession
Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Engineering Professionalism
For a detailed description of each award and nomination forms, click here.
For more information about the IEEE-USA Awards and Recognition Committee, please visit the IEEE-USA Awards website or contact Sandra Kim via email at s.kim@ieee.org or phone at (202) 530-8330.
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E-passport Chip Cloning Poses Threat
The ability to extract data from a passport chip and use it to sabotage passport readers is now a realistic threat, as demonstrated by German security researcher Lukas Grunwald. The demonstration revealed new weaknesses in the composition of the current passport documents and the technology used to read them. Grunwald, an RFID expert, claims that security flaws make it possible to steal and copy the fingerprint image stored on the biometric e-passport and to design an idiosyncratic chip that can corrupt e-passport readers. This could allow hackers to damage any network attached to the e-passport readers. Read more
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High-Speed Cell Computing Board Introduced
Sony recently unveiled a prototype of its high-speed Cell Computing Board at Siggraph in San Diego, California, USA. The device contains a Cell Broadband Engine microprocessor and RSX graphics processor designed for computers that operate multimedia applications, such as graphics and video, and scientific computations that require processing large amounts of data. The Cell Board, which can obtain computational speeds beyond 230 gigaflops, will be utilized for “real-time image processing” of over 4,000 images and for the portrayal of computer graphics. Read more
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Code of Ethics for Robots
South Korea, which anticipates having a robot in every home by 2013, has announced plans to develop a code of ethics for robots. The proposed “Robot Ethics Charter” will outline “rules on how far robotic technology can go and how humans live together with robots", said Dae-Won Kim, a professor at Myongji University who is heading the team of scientists, doctors, psychologists, and robot developers charged with creating the ethics charter. Key considerations for the code of conduct include ensuring that humans maintain control over robots, preventing their illegal use, protecting data acquired by robots, and making sure the robots can be clearly identified and traced. Robots designed for the military will require additional rules not covered by the charter, in order to limit the legal liability for manufacturers. The charter is expected to be released by the end of this year. Read more
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IEEE Foundation Grants Awarded for 2007
Thanks to the generosity of donors who understand the importance of unrestricted giving, and in keeping with the mission of the IEEE Foundation to further the scientific and educational purposes of the IEEE, the IEEE Foundation was able to award grants to a variety of initiatives in 2007. Highlights include the creation of a new exhibit at the Women at Work Museum in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA, to showcase the achievements of women engineers throughout history; the production of the pilot episode of “Nerd Girls”, a television documentary aimed at encouraging a young female audience to consider entering engineering related fields; the creation of the “Museum of the Future”, a non-profit organization that aims to promote science and engineering among the public, especially those that are victims of the digital divide in Portuguese-speaking countries around the world; and providing resources to launch a Turkey-wide Pre-College website contest in which pre-college students will compete to design and develop the best school website. In total, nearly $250,000 was presented to support initiatives from IEEE branches around the world. Read more
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