J.-C. Chiao, Ke Wu
The recently established IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) Inter-Society Technology Panel (ISTP) program came to European Microwave Week (EuMW) in 2022 for the very first time! This program is currently led by Dr. Ke Wu and Dr. J.-C. Chiao, who collaborated with the 2022 EuMW steering committee to facilitate and organize two ISTPs at the EuMW held in Milan, Italy. The ISTP program aims to strengthen multilateral collaborations and idea exchanges of the MTT-S with other IEEE entities (Societies and Councils) and non-IEEE organizations. The panels are set to coordinate conversations about multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial research and development topics on emerging applications and future trends that are of interest to all parties and partners involved. This is the third ISTP event after four panels held at the 2021 International Microwave Symposium (IMS) and the 2022IMS, which were reported in the 2023 January and February issues of IEEE Microwave Magazine. Two inaugural EuMW ISTP panels were successfully organized in Milan, which focused on emerging developments in the fields of biomedical electromagnetics and RF/microwave materials.
The panel called “Biomedical Waves—The Next Breakthrough!” (Figure 1) was held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 11:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. The panel was organized by Dr. Luciano Tarricone (University of Salento) and Dr. Alessandra Costanzo (University of Bologna). Panelists Dr. Lourdes Farrugia (University of Malta), Dr. Panos Kosmas (Kings College London), Dr. Gianluca Lazzi (University of Southern California), Dr. Milica Popovic´ (McGill University), Dr. Atif Shamim (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), and Dr. Leena Ukkonen (Tampere University) presented their visions and research accomplishment individually. A lively interaction between the audience and panelists sparked many interesting ideas.
Figure 1. The panel “Biomedical Waves—The Next Breakthrough!” discussion.
The “Emerging Materials for Reshaping the MHz-Through-THz World: Fiction or Fact?” panel (Figure 2) was held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 4:40 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. The panel was organized by Dr. Ke Wu (Polytechnique Montréal), Dr. Raafat R. Mansour (University of Waterloo), Dr. Rolf Jakoby (Technical University of Darmstadt), and Dr. J.-C. Chiao (Southern Methodist University). The panel, moderated by Dr. Ke Wu, focused on the new research topics of materials for microwave, millimeter-wave, and terahertz applications. Panelists include academic and industry experts Dr. Eric Carty (Analog Devices), Dr. Alejandro Jimenez-Saez (Technical University of Darmstadt), Dr. Raafat R. Mansour, Dr. Arshad Mehmood (ALCAN Systems GmbH), Dr. Nian X. Sun (Northeastern University), Dr. Madhavan Swaminathan (Georgia Tech), and Dr. Michael Wittek (Merck KGaA). They discussed different aspects of emerging and functional materials regarding RF performances and their applications, ranging from devices, circuits, and antennas to packaging and heterogeneous integration. Many fresh developments and exciting ideas were debated and exchanged during the presentations and Q&A session.
Figure 2. A scene from the panel presentations on “Emerging Materials for Reshaping the MHz-Through-THz World: Fiction or Fact?”
The details of the previous two panels have already been described in the program booklet of EuMW 2022, in which readers can find out more about the essence of those two ISTPs.
The MTT-S ISTP program has manifested the collaborative spirit and synergy among cross-disciplinary colleagues. The ISTP committee has further broadened the participation. Two MTT-S ISTPs are organized on June 14 and 15 during IMS 2023 in San Diego, CA, USA. The panels will focus on the topics of wireless power transfer and device packaging challenges. Details will be reported in this column later. Two ISTPs are being planned for the 2023 Asia–Pacific Microwave Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, focusing on semiconductors, 5G/6G, and health care. In addition, two more ISTPs are being planned for EuMW 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The aim of all of these ISTPs is to expand and promote MTT-S activities in collaboration with our sister Societies and professional partners.
The MTT-S Inter-Society Committee wants to highlight that the ISTP panel organization is open to everyone who is interested in multidisciplinary and cross-societal topics in connection with MTT-S fields of interest. If you are interested in the work or want to get involved in the organization of a future ISTP, please don’t hesitate to contact Ke Wu (ke.wu@ieee.org) and J.-C. Chiao (chiao@ieee.org). In addition, we are counting on your support and suggestions for the improvement and expansion of ISTPs.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2023.3277400