Election of the Executive Committee of the IEEE Germany Section for the term 2011/2012

In 2010 election of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the IEEE Germany Section takes place for the term 2011/2012.

Please find information about the elections in the circular letter of the Nominations & Appointments subcommittee (available in German language only).

Voting is possible either electronically or in written form until the 15. September 2010 (date of the post mark).

The profiles of the candidates for the elections are available online .

IEEE Representatives Discussing Energy Efficiency and Renewables at the German American Energy Days in Berlin

The 2nd German American Energy Conference, organized by the German American Chambers of Commerce and the German Energy Agency, has taken place on March 22-23, 2010 at the House of German Business in Berlin. The Conference was found “the main event for German and US businesses in the transatlantic context when it comes to renewables and energy efficiency” and, as such, a “place to be” for the IEEE. Our representatives included Uwe Jungfer, the head of Standards and More, the IEEE’s sales entity in Germany, Paul Canning (IEEE HQ) and numerous members of Germany Section and PES Germany Chapter. The active IEEE’s contribution to the discussion regarding energy – relevant programs, invectives and initiatives was inevitable and so the German Chapter’s Vice Chair - Wilfried Fischer, was chosen to moderate the Energy Efficiency Block on Tuesday’s afternoon. The block comprised three parts: presentations and speeches introducing the topic delivered by Philip Mosenthal (Partner at Optimal Energy), Douglas Kaempf (Program Manager at U.S. Department of Energy) and Dr Hermann Hüwels (Director Environment, Energy and Consumer Protection Division European Union), a panel discussion on “How to Increase Efficiency Capabilities in Industry” and the Energy Efficiency Best Practices presentation. According to W. Fischer himself “the energy efficiency field is a real challenge for the future”.

The active IEEE’s participation in the conference further involved the information booth set up in the premises by the HQ, which also was one of the event Partners among other notable organizations including U.S. Department of Energy, Bundesverband BioEnergie e.V., Solar Energy Industries Association and many others. In the course of the consecutive workshops the IEEE members enhanced the discussion with their expertise on the technology, standardization and education field as well as contributed to the exchange of ideas regarding energy efficiency optimization and renewable energy expansion. The two days’ event was also a great opportunity for the networking considering the number of attendees and speakers (over 400) and their position within numerous energy – relevant programmes and institutions. Rainer Brüderle, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology taking up the topic of “Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency as the keys for a sustainable energy supply in the U.S. and Germany”, Richard O’Neill, Chief Economic Adviser in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission presenting the details of “Integration of Renewables into National Grid – Extension of Power Grids, Storage and Smart Grids” and Scott Gregory Minos from the U.S. Department of Energy introducing the “Current National Incentives for Energy Efficiency in the USA” best exemplify how wide the spectrum of discussion was and how in-depth the topics were covered.

“Energy efficiency and renewable energies are essential industries for the 21st century.” – the German Energy Agency’s Chief Executive Stephan Kohler wrote in his welcome note to the conference’s attendees and what we have heard during the event only proves him right.

More to the conference, its speakers and detailed program, is to be found on the German Energy Agency’s (dena) website: www.gae-conference.com

IPCC 2010 in the Netherlands

The IEEE Professional Communication Society (PCS) invite you to this year's annual conference on Communication in a Self-Service Society on 7-9 July, 2010, in Enschede, the Netherlands.

The move to self-service has important consequences for everyone who uses information technology to communicate. For example, Web 2.0 features enable the public to contribute to or amend (technical) documentation. User forums, weblogs (blogs), and wikis have become important sources of information about almost every conceivable topic. The roles of information creator and information user are becoming interchangeable. Administrative organizations such as banks, insurance companies, and government agencies increasingly use the Internet as the channel for transactions with their public. Health organizations are using the Internet for communication purposes, from health advice and consultation to remote monitoring of patients.

This raises important questions. What are the social and economic implications of the self-service world? What are the consequences of the "digital divide" if everyone is expected to "help themselves?" How can we support the development of self-service environments that make sense and empower the public to put them to good use?

We invite you to explore these questions and other issues at IPCC 2010. Full conference program and registration information is available at the IPCC 2010 website.