IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 1 of 9

Pittsburgh Section

Bulletin October 2012 Volume 61, No. 10

Included in this issue:

Lou’s Limnings ............................................................................................................................................ 2

Impact of FPGAs and Multicore Processors on Test and Measurement ..................................... 3

Tour of ABBs High Voltage Breaker Facility, Mt. Pleasant, PA ..................................................... 5

Summary Of Central Area, Region 2, Meeting – 14 Sep 2012 ....................................................... 6

Call for Nominations: IEEE MGA Awards, Recognizing Outstanding IEEE Volunteers ........... 7

EMC symposium 2012 ............................................................................................................................... 8

2013-2014 IEEE-USA Government Fellowships ................................................................................ 8

Editor: Philip Cox, p.e.cox@ieee.org; Contributors: Russell Dudek, Louis Hart, Gabriela Hug, and Matthew

Valenti

All announcements for publication in a particular month’s bulletin are due to the Editor by the 20th of the previous

month. The accuracy of the published material is not guaranteed. If there is any error, please bring it to the Editor’s

attention. The Section’s web site www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/pittsburgh has past issues of the bulletin and lots of other

useful information

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 2 of 9

Lou’s Limnings

You probably know that IEEE Region 2 has 20 sections, of

which Pittsburgh is one. For reasons which I admit have not

always been clear to me and may have been lost to history,

we have a subsection centered in Morgantown, WV, the

‘Upper Monongahela subsection’. It does appear that having

this subsection makes things easier for Pittsburgh’s treasurer,

as Upper Mon has its own financial accounts. It may be of

interest to you – it is to me – to know that the Pittsburgh

section encompasses a large geographic area. Pennsylvania

counties range from Armstrong and Butler to Greene. In

West Virginia, the 4 counties of the northern panhandle are

part of the Pittsburgh section directly. A goodly number of

other West Virginia counties are part of the Upper Mon

subsection; most of those counties I confess I could not find

quickly on a map, but I do know that Tucker county is well

out in the mountains. Two Ohio counties, Belmont and

Monroe, complete the Pittsburgh section cast of characters.

Any members in the hinterlands who want to put on an event

for IEEE, please contact me or, if you are a technical society

member, your respective chapter chair.

Last month I gave you a brief description of the section

secretary’s duties. Here is what the section treasurer does:

(1) reimburse society chapters and affinity groups for

expenses they incur in holding events, (2) balance the

section checking account, (3) reimburse members for

expenses such as travel to IEEE meetings, (4) prepare the

yearly financial report to IEEE. The most troublesome of

these duties is (4), if only because IEEE headquarters seems

to have had trouble getting the forms and software, which

are supposed to make the job easy, working well.

Nevertheless, our treasurers have managed to get the annual

reports in every year despite any confusion. Duties (1) and

(3) involve writing 3-6 checks per month. Don’t let any of

the preceding discourage you if you have ever thought of

serving on the executive committee. Pittsburgh section is

still looking for a secretary for 2013. Contact me or Bob

Brooks, the immediate past chair listed at the top of this

bulletin, if you are thinking about taking on the job.

On 14 September, I attended the Region 2 Central Area

chairs’ fall meeting in Indiana, PA. A short summary

appears later in this bulletin.

Pittsburgh section is in danger of losing recognition of its

Life Member affinity group, as we have had no meetings or

events this year. Would one of our Life Members step in to

serve as chair and organize an event? It can be a social thing

like a lunchtime meeting.

Lou Hart, 2012 Chair

Section

Chair - Dr. Louis Hart, louishart@ieee.org Vice Chair - Dr. Jim Beck, beckje@westinghouse.com

Treasurer – Mey Sen, senml@ieee.org

Secretary - Frank Pietryga, fwp@pitt.edu

Immediate Past Chair – Robert Brooks, rbrooks@ieee.org

Awards Chair - Ralph Sprang, rsprang@ieee.org

Webmaster – Gerry Kumnik, g.kumnik@computer.org

UpperMon Subsection

Chair: Dr. David Graham David.Graham@mail.wvu.edu (304) 293-9692

Chapters

Communications Society – Co-Chairs: Phil Cox p.e.cox@ieee.org (724) 443-0566 and Dr. Ajay Ogirala ajayo17@gmail.com

Computer Society – Chair: Ralph Sprang, rsprang@ieee.org

Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology/Electron Devices Societies – Russell Dudek, rdudek@compunetics.com; Treas.: Dr. Louis Hart

Engineering In Medicine & Biology Society Chair: Dr. Wei Wang, wangwei3@pitt.edu

Electromagnetic Compatibility Society Chair: Michael J. Oliver emi@majr.com (814) 763-3211

Power & Energy & Industry Applications Societies Chair: Dave Vaglia, davevaglia@ieee.org; Past: Mey Sen, senml@ieee.org 412-373-0117

Magnetics Society – Chair: Dr. Jimmy Zhu, jzhu@ece.cmu.edu

Nanotechnology Society - Chair: Dr. MinheeYun yunmh@engr.pitt.edu

Robotics Society – Chair: Dr. Guy Nicoletti Nicolett+@pitt.edu (724) 836-9922

Signal Processing Society – Chair: Dr. Ramana Kumar Vinjamuri;,rkv3@pitt.edu

Society on Social Implications of Technology Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E., j.kalasky@ieee.org 724-244-1609

Affinity Groups

GOLD – Chair: Mike Hollis, mike.hollis@ieee.org

Life Member – Chair: Bob Grimes, P.E. r.d.grimes@ieee.org (412) 963-9711

Women In Engineering – Chair: Dr. Gabriela Hug ghug@ece.cmu.edu

Committees

Consultants Network

Professional/Career Activities (PACE) Chair: Joe Cioletti, P.E. jcioletti@ieee.org

Student Activities – Rajiv Garg, rajivg@computer.org

Membership Development – Dr. Karl Muller P.E., karl.muller@comcast.net

Publicity – Chair: Thomas Dionise, P.E. ThomasJDionise@eaton.com (724) 779-5864

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 3 of 9

Impact of FPGAs and Multicore Processors on Test and Measurement

Speaker: Michael Owens and others

Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Time: 6:30 PM (social), 7:00 PM (talk)

Location: Doubletree Pittsburgh Green Tree, 101 Doubletree Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15205

RSVP: Email ieeersvp@yahoo.com on or before 10/15/2012

Sponsor: Computer Society and National Instruments

Abstract: Abstract: Our world has become increasingly software-oriented, and the devices we use every

day such as smart phones, set-top boxes and even automobiles offer features that are increasingly defined by

their embedded software. For test engineers, the challenge of testing these complex devices has increased

while their development time and budgets have decreased. Now, test managers and engineers are

implementing modular, software-defined architectures in response to these challenges and trends. The

concept of user-defined instrumentation or test systems is not new. In fact, user-defined instrumentation has

been around for more than two decades in the form of virtual instrumentation. The technologies driving

these trends, however, have matured to create a tipping point toward this new software-defined model.

Similar to Web 2.0, the difference is distinct enough to be called Instrumentation 2.0. The key technologies

driving this change include multicore processing and FPGAs. In this presentation we will explore how to

take advantage of these technologies to develop custom test systems more efficiently to solve today's

complex problems.

Presenters: This presentation will be host by Mike Owens of National Instruments who will also be

accompanied by one of NI's embedded design system engineers. Mike has a computer engineering

background and has been employed by National Instruments since 1999 and a bulk of the time with NI has

been spent in the Western PA area working with users to design and implement measurement and

automation systems. These solutions have been utilized in a variety of industries ranging from medical

devices to nuclear reactors, academic to commercial, many of which were developed using FPGAs and

multicore processors.

IEEE members are also invited to attend the Technical Symposium, described on the following page, on

Thursday. Note this symposium is presented by National Instruments and is not sponsored by the IEEE.

©2012 National Instruments. All rights reserved. Visit ni.com/legal. For patents see ni.com/patents.

Title Heading2012 NI TecHNIcAl symposIum

When?

Thursday, october 18, 2012

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Where?

DoubleTree Green Tree

101 DoubleTree Drive

pittsburgh, pA 15205

Register Today:

Online: ni.com/techsym

Phone: 888-444-3539

Email: ni.register@ni.com

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided by National Instruments

2012 NI Technical Symposium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This complimentary event is divided into three different tracks, but you are

free to move between sessions that are most applicable to your interests. A

few of the highlights offered at the event:

• see new product demonstrations and network with colleagues and professionals

• learn how industry leaders are adapting NI products to meet their specific

application needs

• collaborate with exhibitors to discover product and integration solutions

Featured sessions include:

• What’s New in labVIeW Real-Time and FpGA

• Architecting embedded control and monitoring Applications

• measuring electrical power with labVIeW and cRIo

• smartphones and Tablets for measurement and control

• Hands-on Introduction to NI compactRIo for embedded measurement and control

By attending this event, you may be eligible to win a free 16GB iPad!

Visit ni.com/techsym for details and eligibility.

Thursday, October 18, 2012 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. DoubleTree Green Tree

Join National Instruments engineers for a one-of-a-kind event packed with technology demonstrations,

expert advice, hands-on learning opportunities, and a partner exhibition. The day-long event program

features a morning keynote and more than a dozen technical sessions designed to help you enhance

your productivity, reduce your costs, and optimize your system’s performance.

ni.com/techsym

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 5 of 9

Tour of ABB’s High Voltage Breaker Facility, Mt. Pleasant, PA

Date: October 17, 2012

Time: Light dinner/5:00 PM, Presentation starts at 5:15 PM

Location: High Voltage Products, 100 Distribution Circle, Westmoreland Distribution Park East,

Mount Pleasant, PA 15666

RSVP: Required to Dave Vaglia (davevaglia@ieee.org) by October 15, 2012 with each attendee’s Name,

Affiliation, email, and phone number. If you would like to receive PDHs, please bring a copy

of this announcement for verification of your attendance. A non-Member who would like to

receive PDHs is required to pay $10 to IEEE Pittsburgh Section. A Member who would like

to receive PDH is required to show membership ID.

Organizers: Power & Energy Society/Industrial Applications Society

Attendance/Cost: Free to IEEE members and guests. (Meeting is limited to 25 people.)

Please Note: In Japan, there’s an unwritten gentleman’s agreement not to visit your competitor’s plant. As

there are several SF6 breaker manufacturers in the Pittsburgh area, I have been told that this same

customary courtesy is offered and shared by these competitors. Enough said!

Format: ABB will provide a talk (45 min) on breaker technology followed by a facility tour (about 1.5 – 2

hours)

Background: The world-class ABB high-voltage breaker facility in Mt. Pleasant, PA opened in April 2003

and serves as the US headquarters for high-voltage power technology products. This new facility has been

designed to produce SF6 dead-tank circuit breakers for use in applications from 38 kV to 800 kV and where

lead-times, floor space, capacity and productivity have all been greatly optimized.

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 6 of 9

ABB’s SF6 dead-tank circuit breakers were formerly produced at an ABB facility in Greensburg, PA, but as

the HV breaker business was experiencing unprecedented demand leading to backlogs as long as 80 weeks

for some products, it became clear that the business had outgrown its facility. In addition as demand and

leadtimes grew ABB’s competitors saw an ideal opportunity to enter these more lucrative markets.

ABB Greensburg was located in the middle of a residential area, and this complicated shipping and

delivery. The facility was housed in four separate buildings, some of which were over 100 years old, forcing

people and materials to move between the buildings. Breaker design had also changed over the years and

the factory doors were no longer wide enough or tall enough to accommodate the new products. The factory

floor was at different levels, thus requiring excess material handling. Some raw materials had to be stored

out of the factory, a fair distance from where they were used. This inevitably led to unnecessary cleaning

and handling. The most impressive achievement by far is not any new technology but rather that a culture of

continuous improvement has been sustained and nurtured at the new facility. Analysis was undertaken to

define an approach that would best resolve these production issues while reducing lead times on factory

orders. The best option was found to be a new facility in a nearby technology park located outside of Mt.

Pleasant, PA. A key factor which led to this decision was the proximity of several other breaker factories,

meaning an abundance of qualified suppliers and a skilled workforce. Another very important factor

included access to major highway

Summary Of Central Area, Region 2, Meeting – 14 Sep 2012

Here are some points that came up during the meeting of 4 of the 6 central area chapter chairs with our area

director, Pittsburgh’s Joe Kalasky:

Section Vice-chairs are suggested for taking the responsibility of maintaining the calendar, to avoid

scheduling conflicts. There have been some occasions in the past where two society chapters schedule an

event on the same night.

Any member can nominate someone for an award. See the solicitation of MGA award nominations

elsewhere in this bulletin. Endorsement by the executive committee helps the nominee greatly. So, if you

nominate someone, please let the committee know about it.

Region 2 has an ‘Outstanding Meeting Program Speaker List’. If you want to have a presentation from one

of the 5 speakers on the list, the Region will pay travel expenses if the section provides hospitality.

Partnerships with industry were discussed. I asked, what is in it for the company? One thing would be, if

the company provides on-going meeting space, it would be acknowledged in each announcement.

Last February, the question arose of what IEEE can provide. Can we get ‘items of value’ to give away at

meetings, like pens, notepads, ties, etc., as opposed to IEEE pins. (Of course, I wear my IEEE pin at every

opportunity.)

One question that came up had to do with student chapters. Apparently it has been hard for a section to

know how many student chapters are contained within its geographic area. It seems like years since there

has been any activity from a student chapter in our section. If I am missing something, please let me know.

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 7 of 9

Wolfram Betterman, Suquehanna section chair, said he sends a ‘welcome letter’ to all new members every

month. That is something I have been wanting to do, but…Let me ask anyone who has joined IEEE since

Jan 2012 simply to let me know why you joined.

Questions for sections were:

1) What novel assistance can the region and or IEEE HQ provide?

2) Develop plan for next 6 months. Possible employment session with recruiters or HR managers. Want

to increase number of events or total attendance?

3) What metrics or goals would sections have?

The executive committee can discuss these questions in upcoming months.

Louis Hart

Call for Nominations: IEEE MGA Awards, Recognizing Outstanding IEEE Volunteers

You can help recognize the efforts of outstanding volunteers by nominating individuals for one of the

prestigious IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Awards. Each award has a unique mission

and criteria and offers the opportunity to honor distinguished colleagues, inspiring teachers, and corporate

leaders.

If you know someone who has made substantial regional contributions through innovative projects,

exemplary leadership, service, or by fulfilling the goals as related to transnational activities, consider

nominating them for one of the following awards:

MGA Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award

MGA Innovation Award

MGA Leadership Award

MGA Achievement Award

MGA GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Achievement Award

Please visit the MGA Award Nomination web page to review the nominator guidelines and eligibility

requirements, reference the step-by-step submittal instructions, and link to the portal for nominations.

The deadline for nominations is 15 October 2012 (for completed nomination form and two letters of

endorsement).

Nominate a colleague now Please e-mail MGA Awards with any questions about the MGA Awards and Recognition Program.

A comment from the chair: With the exception of the first award on the list, these awards can have multiple

winners. Let’s see if we can get someone from our section winning one of them. Louis Hart”

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 8 of 9

EMC symposium 2012

The IEEE International EMC Symposium (http://www.2012emc.org/) was held in Pittsburgh, PA this year

on August 6 to August 10 with Michael J. Oliver as Chairman, Ed Nakauchi as Vice Chair and John Vanella

from Conference Direct as the Conference Manager. The symposium was an overall great success

technically, with Dr. Bruce Archambeault as the Technical Chairman and for the exhibitors with Andy

Drozd as the Exhibits Chairman. Attendees were impressed with Pittsburgh as a revived city with it’s many

bridges and beautiful skyline. In addition, the David L. Laurence Convention center was excellent as the

atmosphere was open and inviting. For further reading, pictures, and details on the 2012 IEEE International

EMC Symposium please click on the following links for an excellent documentary by Ken Wyatt:

Part #1: http://www.tmworld.com/electronics-blogs/the-emc-blog/4394059/EMC-Symposium-2012---

Part-1--New-Products-

Part #2: http://www.tmworld.com/electronics-blogs/the-emc-blog/4395322/EMC-symposium-2012---

part-2--technical-sessions-

Best Regards,

Mike Oliver

2013-2014 IEEE-USA Government Fellowships

Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors three qualified IEEE members to serve as government fellows: one

Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow and two Congressional fellows. The fellows spend a year in Washington

– from September to August each year – serving as advisers to the U.S. Congress or key U.S. Department of

State decision-makers. IEEE-USA's Government Fellowships link engineers with government, providing a

mechanism for IEEE-USA members to learn firsthand about the public policy process through personal

involvement.

The congressional fellowship consists of an appointment to the personal staff of a U.S. Senator or

Congressman, or to the professional staff of a Congressional Committee. For an application Kit for the

2013-2014 Congressional Fellowship Program, visit: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/congfel.asp

The State Department fellowship offers an opportunity for an engineer to provide technical expertise to the

State Department, and help raise awareness of the value of engineering input while learning about and

contributing to the foreign policy process. For an application Kit for the 2013-2014 Engineering &

Diplomacy (State Department) Fellowship Program, visit: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/state.asp

The postmark application deadline for 2013-2014 Fellowships is 8 February 2013. For more information,

visit: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/congfel.asp

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin September 2012 Volume 61 No. 9 Page 9 of 9

2012 Calendar – Meetings of IEEE Pittsburgh Section Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec

Executive

Committee

19

Panera

Cranberry

16

Panera

Wilkins Twp

15

Cranberry

Panera

19

CUP

California

17

Monroeville

21

Wilkins

19

Panera

Cranberry

16

Panera

Wilkins

20

Panera

Oakland

18

WVU

20

Monroeville

Section 18 Eng. Week

30 Science Fair

4 History

Dinner

22 Dinner, Tour

Communic

ations

1 Circuits

2

Neural

14 RFID

Computer 5 IC security

17 FPGAs

EMBS 2

Neural

10

Nervous System

24- Brain

EMCS

PES/IAS 18

Powering Data Centers

22

Tour Data Center

14

Car Race History

18

Tour- transformers

16

Trail Project

20

Smart Grid

31

Solar Power

11

Pirates 30-Tour

17

ABB Tour

Magnetics

Robotics

Sig.

Processing

10 Nervous

System

24-brain

CPMT/ED 19

PCBs

14

Ptolemy

29 Cause

Analysis

20

Matco Co.

Tour

Social Impl

Technology

13 Recycling

Tour

24 Russ

Harrison

Upper Mon 6

DNA anal. 13

Bits, FLOPS

2

Digital Video 13

Robots

12

Searching Video

Women in

Eng’ing

Life Mem.

GOLD 18

Tour-

PACE 13

Recycling Tour

24

Russ Harrison

Student Act