VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5, OCTOBER 2007
MESSAGE FROM THE 2007 CAS SOCIETY PRESIDENT* In Retrospect and Looking Forward As this year comes to an end, I would like to thank the Board of Governors (BoG) and the Executive Committee (ExCom) members for their dedicated service to the Society and for their help and support throughout the year. Many have volunteered to the numerous calls for action items and contributed their expertise and valuable time for the betterment of the Society and its members. Leadership: The members of the CASS ExCom held their annual summer meeting in Seville, Spain in August 2007. It was co-located with the European Conference on Circuit Theory and Design (ECCTD) 2007. The CASS elections are being held for the incoming five new members of the BoG and the new members of the ExCom. The Nominations Committee, led by Prof. Georges Gielen, has selected a strong slate of nominees for the upcoming BoG and ExCom elections. The outcome of the BoG elections is due shortly, while the ExCom elections will close on November 1, 2007. Both election results will be ratified at the upcoming BoG meeting to be held in San Francisco on November 4, 2007. While a record 14.6% (1,444 returned ballots from 9,875 eligible members) of the membership-at-large responded to the BoG elections, we hope that this number will increase in future elections. The Society is currently preparing for the five-year periodicals review, scheduled to be held during the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meetings in November 2007. The current Editors-in-Chief (EiCs) of the CASS Magazine and CASS Transactions and have compiled a detailed report to be presented to the TAB Periodicals Committee. The five-year Society review is scheduled to be held in February 2008. Membership services: The Regional Vice Presidents (VPs), Prof. Mani Soma (Regions 1–7), Prof. Peter Kennedy (Region 8), Prof. Pedro Julian (Region 9), and Prof. Yong Lian (Region 10), have contributed to the formation of four new CASS Chapters in the Republic of Macedonia (Region 8), South Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) (Region 9), and Calcutta, India and Nanjing, China (Region 10) Sections. As part of the continuing initiative led by CASS Past President, Dr. Ellen Yoffa, to engage CASS Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) members to participate in the Society’s governance, we have invited GOLD representatives from each CASS Region to attend the upcoming BoG meeting. In 2008, the CASS Distinguished Lecturer Program (DLP), Chaired by Dr. Tuna Tarim, will be enhanced by allocating additional funding to the program and increasing the number of DLP lectures. We are also participating in the IEEE mentorship program by inviting active CASS volunteers to join the initiative and by encouraging mentees to take advantage of the program. The ad-hoc CASS Web Design Committee, led by Prof. Wouter Serdijn, has embarked on the implementation phase of the new Society web pages. An open contest for a new Society logo has been announced to the membership. Please send us your logo design artwork by December 31, 2007. Technical excellence: We have received highly qualified nominations in response to the open call for (self)nominations for EiCs of the CASS Magazine and CASS Transactions. The ad-hoc EiC Evaluating Committee, composed of CASS VP Publications Prof. Franco Maloberti, VP Technical Activities Prof. Joos Vandewalle, Prof. Tony Davies, Prof. Peter Pirsch, and CASS President, recommended to the BoG the 2008–2009 editorial team: IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine: EiC Prof. Guanrong Chen; IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems–Part I: Regular Papers: EiC Prof. Gianluca Setti and Deputy EiC Prof. Wouter Serdijn; and IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems–Part II: Express Briefs: EiC Prof. Un-Ku Moon and Deputy EiC Prof. Tony Chan Carusone. The IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology EiC Prof. Chang Wen Chen and Deputy EiC Prof. Hamid Gharavi will continue their appointments for a second term. The incoming EiCs are currently assembling their editorial boards and are working to ensure smooth and seamless transitions. In closing the work, the EiC Evaluating Committee has also devised and submitted to the BoG a set of selection guidelines. The VP Technical Activities, Prof. Joos Vandewalle, is organizing a one-day workshop on “Views, Experience, and Prospects for Education in Circuits and Systems” to be held in conjunction with ISCAS 2008. Collaboration with other IEEE Societies and Councils: The CASS Technical Committee (TC) on Life-Science Systems and Applications (LISSA) is organizing the third workshop co-sponsored by IEEE and the National Institute of Health's Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative, to be held in November 2007. Jointly with the TC on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, they are also collaborating with the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) and participating in their newly established Special Interest Group (SIG) on Bio and Health Sciences. The next CASS President, Prof. Maciej Ogorzalek, will assume office on January 1, 2008. Please continue to provide your feedback and suggestions, volunteer to get involved, and participate in the governance of our Society. The contact information for the CASS Executive Office and the names and contact information of CASS volunteers can be found on our website (http://www.ieee-cas.org). Ljiljana Trajkovic President, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society  *This article will also appear in a future issue of the IEEE CAS Magazine.http://www.ieee-cas.orgshapeimage_3_link_0