A new year is now upon us, and the mission of the IEEE remains the same, to provide our Long Island Section members with unique benefits and to increase that membership, especially among a new breed of engineers. Membership in the Section is down a bit from last year, which indicates a need to inject some lifeblood into the organization. The Executive Committee is working on developing a system to organize that outreach. Among the Societies, many hold to the requirement of two technical lectures. Those that do not should take that requirement more seriously. There are also opportunities to create Societies in the newer disciplines.

However, nothing changes in the benefits member currently enjoy: our social networking events and CEU credits for attendance at IEEE sponsored lectures remain popular. As usual, the Awards Banquet is our highlight event and will be held again at the Crest Hollow Country Club on March 25. We look forward to a great turnout this year.

Some upcoming annual highlights deserve special mention. The Power Electronics Symposium and the Long Island RF/Microwave Symposium continue to draw significant attendance, as does the annual LISAT Conference. Be sure to register early, these events can be very popular. Here are the dates:

• Power Electronics Symposium, November 5, 2020
• RF/Microwave Symposium, April 20, 2020
• LISAT Conference, May 1, 2020

Also of note is NYIT’s Women in Engineering and Technology Day on April 4. Not strictly an IEEE event, but IEEE President-Elect Susan K. Land will be giving an address. Registration is at nyit.edu/Womensday. Since students are the future of the IEEE, the Executive Committee is expanding its outreach to the student chapters. The efforts to enhance our social media presence are mainly directed at the students and “millennial” engineers. Feel free to find us on twitter, facebook, linkedin and instagram in the coming months.

Regards,

Arnold Stillman
IEEE Long Island Section 2020 Chair