In January, IEEE-USA released the results of its 2008 Unemployment Survey.

IEEE-USA joined other STEM societies in supporting House Resolution 224, recognizing 14 March 2009 as National Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematic function, which provides an opportunity to promote STEM awareness.

IEEE-USA's Innovation Institute held an Industry Roundtable in Atlanta, Georgia on 20 March.

The IEEE-USA Precollege Education Committee held a workshop at George Washington University (March 13) to introduce K-12 math and science teachers to IEEE/IEEE-USA STEM education resources including the PEC Teacher Reward/Grant Program, the IEEE-USA PEC Teacher-Engineer Partnership Award and IEEE lesson plans available on-line as part of the Teacher in Service Program (TISP) and TryEngineering.org. The workshop was held in conjunction with a local JETS TEAMS Competition.

On 21 March, IEEE-USA Communications VP Paul Kostek provided a briefing on career opportunities in engineering to participants in the Department of Energy's 2009 Real World Design Challenge, a new annual competition that provides high school students with the opportunity to apply the lessons of the classroom to important energy and environment technical problems currently encountered in the engineering field.

The IEEE-USA Careers Fly-In was held on 23-24 March.  19 volunteers from 11 states made visits to their representatives on Capitol Hill to share their personal experiences and deliver IEEE-USA's proposals for immigration reforms for high-tech workers.

On March 26, IEEE-USA and ASME jointly sponsored a congressional briefing on the status of NIST's efforts related to "Smart Grid" interoperability standards

IEEE-USA's Innovation Institute held an Industry Roundtable in Austin, Texas on 27 March.

As an information service to IEEE members, IEEE-USA launched a GovDocs ebook series featuring selected government reports and publications of prospective interest.  The first titles released in the series included:  The Plum Book: 2008 Edition (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions), The Globalization of R&D Innovation: Scale, Drivers, Consequences and Policy Options, and A History of the Committee on Science and Technology: 1958-2008.

In March, IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conferences at Binghamton University - SUNY (6 March), Georgia Tech (6 March), Colorado University at Denver (13 March), Louisiana Tech University (18 March), SUNY at New Paltz (24 March), Cleveland State University (25 March), University of Florida (25 March), Oklahoma University (28 March), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (28 March).

AICNCC's Winter Newsletter features tips for engineering considering consulting as a career option.
 

IEEE-USA co-sponsored the IEEE Green Technologies Conference, held on 16-17 April in Lubbock, Texas.

IEEE-USA joined approximately 30 engineering organizations in co-sponsoring the 2009 Engineering Public Policy Symposium, held on 20-21 April in Washington D.C.

At its April 23 meeting, the IEEE-USA Board of Directors approved position statements on developing national policies for deployment of Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) technology and providing recommendations on electricity delivery workforce training.

IEEE-USA co-sponsored the 2009 IEEE RFID Conference, held on 27-28 April in Orlando, Florida.

2009 IEEE CVD Participants

Thirty-eight IEEE members joined the 250 scientists and engineers participating in the 2009 Science, Engineering and Technology Congressional Visits Day, which was held on 28-29 April in Washington.  CVD provides an opportunity for IEEE U.S. members to interact with their representatives in Congress on issues related to R&D, innovation and U.S. technological competitiveness.  IEEE's members participated in a total of 69 congressional visits to encourage federal investments in research and development.   During the CVD reception, IEEE-USA President Gordon Day (left) presented U.S. Representative David R. Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, with the George E. Brown, Jr. Memorial Award for SET Leadership.

In April, IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conferences at The University of Maine (1 April), DeVry University, Queens, NY (8 April), Syracuse University (9 April), The University of Texas at Arlington (10 April), California State University, Long Beach (15 April), University of California, Berkeley (16 April), Texas Tech (17 April), University of Houston-Clear Lake (24 April), TCNJ - College of New Jersey (24 April), University of California, Chico (24 April) and Grove City College (25 April).
 

IEEE-USA's Innovation Institute held an Industry Roundtable in Denver, CO on 5 May.

IEEE-USA co-sponsored the 2009 IEEE Technologies for Homeland Security Conference, held on 11-12 May in Waltham, Massachusetts.

On May 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution (H. Res. 413) recognizing IEEE on its 125 Anniversary, which was initiated through IEEE-USA contacts with U.S. Representatives Bart Gordon and Clifford Stearns.

On May 19, IEEE-USA joined with 18 other national and global organizations to announce the formation of Professionals for the Public Interest, a coalition dedicated to promoting professional integrity in the public interest.

IEEE-USA was represented in a May 20 information meeting with First Lady Michelle Obama to explore how the organization can engage in the Administration's "Summer of Service" public service program.

IEEE-USA's May 21 career webinar on "How to Win in a Competitive Job Market" drew 150 participants.

On May 21, IEEE-USA sponsored a briefing for the Congressional Robotics Caucus on the national robotics technology roadmap.  The briefing unveiled the results of a Computing Community Consortium funded (via a National Science Foundation grant), year long study to develop a national robotics technology roadmap.

In May, IEEE-USA released three new titles in its GovDocs ebook series:  Smart Grid: Enabler of the New Energy Economy, Science and Engineering Indicators 2008 (Volume 1), and University-Private Sector Research Partnerships in the Innovation Ecosystem.

In May, IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conferences at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (4 May), Christian Brothers University (5 May), the University of California, Irvine (7 May) and UCLA (9 May).

AICNCC's Spring Newsletter features news and tips for engineering consultants.
 

IEEE-USA has joined with SNIA-SAM, NSA and Facebook in sponsoring the 2009 TopCoder Open, set for June 4 in Las Vegas, NV, which will feature 77 semifinalists participating in the Championship rounds of a year long competition that tests skills in every aspect of software.

IEEE-USA organized a Photonics Society Fly-In on June 3-4 in Washington, DC, held in conjunction with the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), held in Baltimore.   Forty participants, including 21 IEEE members, helped communicate the importance of federal investments in R&D to their representatives in Congress.

IEEE-USA career webinar on "Consulting 101" held June 9 drew 114 participants.

Held 15-16 June, IEEE-USA's 2009 Energy Fly-In provided an opportunity for IEEE members to meet with their U.S. Representatives and discuss important national energy policy issues.

On June 18, IEEE-USA President Gordon Day participated in a kick-off workshop for the National Academy of Engineering's Lifelong Learning Initiative.

IEEE-USA joined with ASME, Discover Magazine and the National Science Foundation in sponsoring a series of congressional briefings on the New Energy Economy, beginning with a June 18th briefing on Biofuels: The Next Generation.  [Video]

In June, IEEE-USA released Perspectives on Innovation, the first in a series of four planned E-books designed to help engineers and managers learn and apply the fundamentals of innovation management in the context of the organization’s purpose and associated values.

The IEEE-USA Board of Directors met on June 26 in Los Angeles, California.

On June 23, IEEE-USA President Gordon Day joined with officials of the U.S. Small Business Administration in signing a strategic alliance memorandum pledging mutual cooperation in promoting, strengthening and expanding small business development to assist high-tech entrepreneurs starting new businesses throughout the country.  more

In June, IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conference at the Devry University in Columbus, Ohio (3 June).
 

IEEE-USA established a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to help U.S. IEEE members follow the organization's activities and keep them apprised of the latest news and events that are affecting their careers and the profession.

IEEE-USA President Gordon Day was invited by the National Academy of Engineering to respond in the Summer issue of Issues in Science and Technology to a previous article by Dr. Ron Hira on U.S. Workers in a Global Market.

In July, IEEE-USA began distributing selected position statements on-line through The Hill White Papers Portal.  The Hill is a specialty publication widely read by congressional staff and other Capitol Hill insiders in Washington.

The second of a four part series of congressional briefings on the road to the new energy economy sponsored by IEEE-USA, ASME, Discover Magazine and the National Science Foundation is set for July 16 and will feature Energy Storage.

IEEE-USA partnered with Scientists and Engineers for America and other participating organizations to offer "Campaign School", a series of workshops for engineers aspiring to run for public office.  The July 22 workshop focused on campaign messaging.

On July 23, IEEE-USA co-sponsored a congressional briefing on Medical and Health Care Robotics for the Congressional Robotics Caucus.

With assistance from IEEE Standards and the IEEE-PES Power and Energy Workforce Collaborative, IEEE-USA submitted testimony to the House Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards for a July 23 hearing on effectively updating our national electrical system to a Smart Grid.

IEEE-USA joined in a tribute recognizing NASA and the role of engineers on the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing on 20 July 2009.

The Summer 2009 WISE program concluded in early August, as IEEE's WISE Interns Milad Alemohammad (Drexel University), Ian Hoffbeck (Calvin College), and Stephen McGill (University of Pennsylvania) made their final presentations to an assemblage gathered in the Rayburn House Office Building.  WISE student papers are published in the WISE EJournal of Engineering and Public Policy.  After presenting their papers, the WISE Interns had an opportunity to tour Congress and met with Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware) on August 6.

2007 IEEE-USA President John Meredith presented a paper on the "History of the IEEE-USA" at the IEEE's 2009 Conference on the History of Technical Societies , held on August 5-7 in Philadelphia.

IEEE-USA partnered with Scientists and Engineers for America and other participating organizations to offer "Campaign School," a series of workshops for engineers aspiring to run for public office.  The August 5 workshop focused on campaign fund-raising.

In partnership with AICHE's Institute for Sustainability, IEEE-USA supported the First International Congress on Sustainability Science and Engineering and sponsored an associated Water Workshop on August 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio which brought together representatives of key government agencies in a forum to discuss sustainable management of the nation's water resources.

On Aug. 17, IEEE-USA President Gordon Day gave a breakfast keynote on the subject "Globalization, Offshoring of R&D, and the Science and Engineering Workforce" to the American Chemical Society's Annual Meeting at a session organized by the ACS Professional and Member Relations Committee.

AICNCC's Summer Newsletter features tips to help engineering consultants find clients and market their services.
 

On Sept. 10, President Gordon Day joined representatives of other scientific and engineering associations in a special meeting with administration officials convened by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to discuss joint initiatives in promoting K-12 STEM education.  At the request of OSTP staff, IEEE-USA played a key role in organizing engineering society participation in this meeting.

IEEE-USA is offering a free webinar on the Future City Competition on Sept. 16. The webinar will explain how IEEE Sections, Chapters, and individual members can promote technological literacy of the next generation through National Engineers Week's Future City Competition.

President Gordon Day will represent IEEE-USA at a National Energy Policy Summit organized by the Council on Competitiveness on 23-24 Sept. in Washington, DC.

IEEE-USA is a partner in Grid Week 2009 (23-24 Sept.), an annual gathering for organizations and businesses focused on promoting development of a national Smart Grid.

Working with IEEE's Standards Association and its P2030 Working Group, IEEE-USA arranged a targeted congressional briefing on IEEE's P2030 Smart Grid interoperability standard on Sept. 23 for key Congressional staff members who work on smart grid standards legislation. IEEE-USA President Gordon Day and IEEE-SA President Chuck Adams will participate in the briefing, which will be delivered by Richard DeBlasio, chair of the IEEE P2030 working group. A private briefing is also being provided to the staff of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

IIEEE-USA joined with over 70 other organizations supporting National Health IT Week to be held on 21-25 September, in Washington DC.  Events include an advocacy day; award presentations; a Congressional showcase of health IT applications and systems; and active participation by Members of Congress and heads of leading national healthcare stakeholders.   IEEE-USA is also co-sponsor of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's 8th Annual Policy Summit , held 22-23 Sept. in Washington.

IEEE-USA is offering a free webinar on Sept. 25 highlighting the work of IEEE's Individual Benefits and Services Committee to deliver new and valuable benefits to IEEE members worldwide.

IEEE-USA is a co-sponsor of the 2009 Women in Engineering Professional Development Seminar, which will be held on 25-27 Sept. 2009 in White Plains, New York.

In Sept., IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conferences at the University of Florida (24 Sept.), the University of Rhode Island (25 Sept.) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (26 Sept.).
 

On Oct. 15, IEEE-USA is co-sponsoring a congressional briefing on Robotics and K-12 Education, featuring Dean Kamen, famous inventor and founder of the FIRST Robotics competition.  The briefing is organized through the Congressional Robotics Caucus.

IEEE-USA is joining with other members of the STEM Education Coalition in sponsoring a 16 Oct. Congressional Briefing on the National Academy of Engineering's recently released report on "Engineering in K-12 Education."

In October, IEEE-USA's Career Webinar series includes free member offerings entitled "Why Aren't I Hired Yet?" by Elizabeth Lyon (22 Oct.), "What Do You Want to Do When You Change Your Career?", by Peggy Hutcheson and Mauro Togneri (28 Oct.), and "Resume Writing: Right Management" by Elizabeth Lion (29 Oct.)

IEEE-USA STEM Measures for Innovation and Competitiveness Workshop was held on 21 Oct. in Washington, DC.  Offered in partnership with RAND, AMS and ASTRA, the workshop examine ways of assessing the impact and importance of federal STEM-related funding to U.S. innovation and competitiveness.

In Oct., IEEE-USA sponsored student professional awareness conferences at Gannon University (20 & 27 Oct.) and a special workshop at Boston University (17 Oct.)
 

On 5 November, IEEE-USA is partnering with the International Test Conference (ITC) in Austin, Texas, to hold three career workshops geared to helping engineers advance in their chosen professional endeavors. ITC attendees may attend the workshops for free, and interested engineers in the Austin area can attend for a nominal fee of $25.

In November, IEEE-USA's Career Webinar series includes free member offerings on "How Employers Get Background Information On You" by Elizabeth Lion (12 Nov.) and "Funding Opportunities in the Green Sector" by Mashi Ishii (19 Nov.).

The IEEE-USA Board of Directors will meet on 20 Nov. 2009 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.