Fred Schindler
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I’ve been a Member of IEEE since 1977. I joined when I was a student. I added an IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) membership two or three years later once I had started to focus on microwave technology. Over the years, I have belonged to other Societies: the IEEE Electron Devices Society, IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, and IEEE Society on the Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). I’m also a participant in the Council on RFID (CRFID). But the MTT-S has been my home in IEEE for decades, and I’ve been active in the Society since 1992.
I was largely ignorant of IEEE’s structure when I first joined IEEE. I probably knew more than most, given that my dad had been chair of the IEEE North New Jersey Section. I added an MTT-S membership just to receive copies of its only publication at the time, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. I learned more about the organization over the years, especially once I started volunteering for the MTT-S, and even more so when I volunteered in IEEE roles outside of the MTT-S.
There are a total of 39 IEEE Societies. You can join as many of these Societies as you like, or none. There are also seven technical Councils (the CRFID is one). Technical Councils don’t have members, they have member Societies. In concept, councils cover areas where Societies overlap, so they are an opportunity for Societies to collaborate in areas of mutual interest. Individuals can’t be members but they can register as participants, as I have with the CRFID. There is no cost to be a participant, but Societies charge membership dues.
The distinction in technical domains between Societies and Councils can be quite gray. The IEEE Council on Electric Design Automation (CEDA) is a good example of what Councils were intended to do. It’s a topic that many, if not all Societies are interested in. The MTT-S is a member of CEDA and of the CRFID. But there are also Societies that cut across the technical domains of other Societies; consider the SSIT, IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS), IEEE Professional Communications Society, or IEEE Reliability Society as examples. Members in most of the other Societies would also have an interest in what such Societies do, so this might also be an opportunity for collaboration.
All the Societies and Councils are a part of the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB). In TAB, we often talk about verticals and horizontals in our organization. The MTT-S and the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) are examples of verticals: clearly identified technical areas. The SSIT and TEMS are examples of horizontals; they also have well-defined areas, but they intersect with all the others. But things aren’t quite that clean. What about the IEEE Communications Society (COMSOC)? They are also considered a vertical. But MTT-S, AP-S, and IEEE Signal Processing Society technologies are needed for much of what they do. So, in the end, we have a bunch of blurred distinctions and perhaps most Societies and Councils should be considered diagonals.
It’s also useful to keep in mind that many of the Societies in the IEEE date back 70 years or more. Technology has changed dramatically since then, and distinctions that made sense when Societies were formed may not any longer. And as technology continues to advance, ever more of us find ourselves working in interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary areas. Is it still possible to design an RF power amplifier without considering the system’s signal processing? What about all the technologies in a software-defined radio?
The 46 Societies and Councils are organized into Divisions. Divisions nominally sort Societies and Councils into technically related areas, and try to have roughly the same number of members. COMSOC is large, so it has Division III all to itself. The IEEE Computer Society is larger and has two Divisions. The MTT-S is in Division IV, along with the AP-S, CRFID, IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society, IEEE Magnetics Society, IEEE Council on Superconductivity, IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society, IEEE Consumer Technology Society, and the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society. Division IV is sometimes referred to as the Electromagnetics Division. As a member of one of the Division IV Societies, you were able to vote for the Division IV director to the IEEE Board of Directors. I served in that role a few years ago. I can vote in three Division elections every year because I am a member of Societies in those three Divisions.
There are also technical communities in TAB. These are typically in emerging technical areas and are often interdisciplinary. They have a limited life and can mature into a new Society or Council, become an activity in an existing Society or Council, or may fade away if they don’t maintain critical mass. New communities can develop within TAB’s Future Directions Committee.
You can learn more about all these organizations and activities on the www.ieee.org/communities webpage. There you can find links to all the Societies, Councils, and technical communities. You’ll also find information about much of the rest of IEEE.
Societies, Councils, and technical communities are all a part of TAB. TAB is one of the major operating units (OUs) in IEEE. The IEEE Standards Association is another major OU of which you are likely aware. The others are the IEEE Membership and Geographic Activities Board (MGAB), IEEE Publication Services and Products Board, IEEE Educational Activities Board, and IEEE-USA. The leader of each of the major OUs sits on the IEEE Board of Directors. I have already mentioned that the 10 Division directors are on the Board.
MGAB and TAB have equal representation on the Board. MGAB is divided into 10 Regions. Each Region also has a director. I live in Boston and am in Region 1. You can find all the Regions on the same webpage mentioned earlier. The Regions are being realigned, with the United States losing a Region and one being added in Asia and Pacific. So, in a few years I will live in Region 2, even though I won’t have moved. Each Region has many Sections. There are roughly 340 Sections. I’m in the Boston Section. I grew up in New Jersey and my dad was in the North Jersey Section, also in Region 1. Each Section can have multiple Chapters. Chapters are where IEEE’s technical and geographic organizations meet. We have an MTT-S Chapter in the Boston Section. Often Chapters are joint; there are many joint MTT-S and AP-S Chapters.
There are also numerous committees. TAB has many, as do the other major OUs. There are also committees of the Board of Directors. Many of these committees serve important functions. With others, it might only be some of those serving on those committees who find them valuable. I serve on a few committees. Needless to say, those committees have great value!
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2023.3321224