Region 1 Milestone & History Committee Report Nikolaos Golas Region 1 Milestone & History Committee Chair/Coordinator 2012 Region 1 Summer Meeting Marriott Hartford, CT 9-11 March 2012

IEEE Region 1 Milestone Report IEEE Milestone Program is an IEEE History Committee Program administered thru IEEE History Center. Honors significant technical achievements associated with IEEE. Milestones recognize technological innovation & excellence for the benefit of humanity found in unique products, services, papers and patents. 2

IEEE Milestone Program IEEE established Milestone Program in 1983 in conjunction with 1984 Centennial Celebration. Each milestone recognizes a significant technical achievement that occurred 25 years ago in an area of technology represented in IEEE with regional impact. 3

IEEE Milestone Program Milestones are proposed, nominated and sponsored by organizational units such as Sections, Societies or Chapters. A milestone must be submitted to the IEEE History Committee for review and recommendation. After approval by the IEEE Board of Directors, a bronze plaque is awarded. The plaque is placed at an appropriate site with a dedication ceremony. 4

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones General requirements Submitting a milestone proposal Review of proposal Submission of nomination Review of nomination Approval of Board of Directors Notification of approval Casting of the plaque Dedication Ceremony 5

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones General Requirements –Milestones recognize an achievement not a person or a place. –An achievement must be 25 years old & must have regional importance. –The IEEE Global History Network website lists all the requirements. – Milestones:Proposing_a_Milestone 6

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Milestone submissions –Two step process: milestone proposal followed by a nomination. –Any IEEE member can submit a proposal, but the proposal must be sponsored by the organization unit. –The OU pays for the dedication ceremony & plaque. –Typical time frame from submission of proposal to dedication of milestone is between 9 and 15 months. –Proposed milestones are submitted thru the IEEE Global History Network & evaluated by the IEEE History Committee (IHC). –IHC, when appropriate recommends approval by IEEE Board of Directors. 7

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Proposal Review –Milestone Coordinator of IEEE History Committee appoints an advocate, who is responsible for reviewing the proposal & determining the significance of the proposed milestone. –If approved the proposers are invited to submit a detailed nomination with supporting documentation. 8

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Submission of Nomination –Milestone administrator & advocate assist OU in completion of nomination. –Supporting material, with appropriate references must be in English & submitted in electronic format. –A draft citation describing the achievement must also be submitted. –The History Committee has the final decision on wording of citation. –Nomination must be submitted within 6 months of the issue of invitation. 9

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Nomination Review –Within 3 months of receipt the advocate evaluates the documentation & recommends whether to approve or reject the nomination. Approval of Board of Directors –The IEEE History Committee prepares the final review & evaluation of the proposed milestone to determine recommendation for approval by Board of Directors. 10

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Notification of Approval –Milestone administrator notifies the organizational unit when the IEEE History Committee recommends approval of the milestone to B of D. –If milestone is approved administrator completes arrangements for payment of plaque & suggests guidelines for dedication ceremony. 11

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Casting of Plaque –The milestone plaque will be cast & delivered to the OU within 2 months of receipt of payment by the History Center. –Cost of Plaque is $ plus approx. $65.00 for shipping. –Each plaque is 18” x 12” x 1-1/4”, is made of bronze and weighs 21 lbs. 12

Guidelines for Organizing Milestones Dedication Ceremony –Organizational units are responsible for developing & planning the dedication ceremony. –Ceremony requires several months advance planning & should include 8 weeks for delivery of the plaque. –Copies of the guidelines for organizing the dedication ceremony will be handed out. 13

Current Region 1 Milestones Milestones in Early Stages –Lee De Forest “Triode Audion” from 1908 (New York Section) –William Higinbotham "Tennis for Two" First Video Game at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1958 (Long Island Section) –"First Blind Flight" by Doolittle at Mitchel Field in Garden City, NY in 1929 (Long Island Section) 14

Current Region 1 Milestones Nominations Ready Board of Directors Action – Bell Laboratories [AM] (New Jersey Section) Dedications Scheduled 2012 – LORAN (Boston Section) – Whirlwind Computer (Boston Section) – SAGE System (Boston Section) 15

Future Milestones? Are any other Sections working on milestone nominations? Please contact me if you need help with your milestone nomination. 16

IEEE Region 1 History Report IEEE History Committee has been advising the IEEE Board of Directors on matters of legacy & heritage of IEEE and its members & their related professions & technologies since IEEE’s inception. In 1980 IEEE established the IEEE History Center to be the staff arm of the History Committee. IEEE’s historical activities are carried out by the staff of the History Center, under the guidance of the History Committee. 17

IEEE History Center Mission of History Center is to preserve, research and promote the history of information and electrical technologies. Center maintains resources for the engineer, historian of technology and anyone interested in the development of electrical & computer engineering & their role in modern society. The History Center is part of IEEE Corporate Activities & is co-sponsored by Rutgers Univ., History Dept. School of Arts & Sciences. Most of the Center’s resources are available online at the IEEE Global History Network. 18

IEEE Global History Network The Global History Network is a new website of the IEEE History Center dedicated to the histories of IEEE, its members and their professions & technologies. – GHN is wiki-based but restricted to IEEE members, technical authorities and professional historians. GHN empowers IEEE members to collaborate in documenting the histories of their organizational units. 19

IEEE Region 1 History Richard Ackley, a previous Region 1 Historian prepared an historic overview of Region 1 and our history of electro technology including a brief history of each Section in Region 1. This is a living document and I encourage each Section Chair or Section Historian to provide current and past Section history to be included in our Region 1 History Archives. Please send your Section history information / documents in electronic format to: 20

For additional information please contact me: Nikolaos Golas Region 1 Milestone / History Committee Chair/Coordinator 21