Region 1 Milestone & History Committee Report

1. Region 1 Milestone & History Committee Report Nikolaos Golas Region 1 Milestone & History Committee Chair/Coordinator n.golas@ieee.org 2012 Region 1 Summer Meeting Marriott Hartford, CT 9-11 March 2012

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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. • http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Proposing_a_Milestone

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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 $795.00 plus approx. $65.00 for shipping. • Each plaque is 18” x 12” x 1-1/4”, is made of bronze and weighs 21 lbs.

13. 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.

14. 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)

15. Current Region 1 Milestones • Nominations Ready Board of Directors Action • 2011-03 Bell Laboratories [AM] (New Jersey Section) • Dedications Scheduled 2012 • 2010-10 LORAN (Boston Section) • 2010-11 Whirlwind Computer (Boston Section) • 2011-04 SAGE System (Boston Section)

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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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. • http://www.ieeeghn.org • 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.

20. 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: n.golas@ieee.org

21. For additional information please contact me: Nikolaos Golas Region 1 Milestone / History Committee Chair/Coordinator n.golas@ieee.org 21