Edward C. Niehenke
As your Ombuds Officer, I received 23 inquiries (eight non-US) from IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) members from 1 January to 31 2023 May. All inquiries were typically acted upon within one week, and replies were sent to all MTT-S members.
A member was interested in becoming an IEEE Senior Member. Senior Member is the highest grade for which IEEE Members can apply. IEEE Members can self-nominate, or be nominated, for the grade of Senior Member. To self-nominate, please visit https://www.ieee.org/membership/senior/. As a Senior Member of IEEE, one can obtain many discounts for various IEEE and Society items.
To be eligible for application or nomination, candidates must
The benefits of being an IEEE Senior Member include the following:
This year represents the 70-year anniversary of the MTT-S. All MTT-S members received a pin, and some members received in addition a 2-in (5-cm) diameter medallion to commemorate this event. I had four complaints from overseas members that the customs requested fees and some local taxes to obtain the medallions with a cost of about US$10. The four members refused to pay the customs fees. I tried to obtain additional medallions for these members, but the supply was exhausted.
An MTT-S member requested contact information for a friend. IEEE will not provide contact information for its Members. However, I looked up the friend’s name on www.linkedin.org and provided it to the member.
I received a note from an MTT-S member reflecting on the IEEE Microwave Magazine memorial article for Tatsuo Itoh in the 2023 May issue. He noticed that Tatsuo’s works with colleagues and students by Google Scholar had 63,000 citations. He noted that the best thing we can do as individuals is to try to use our talents as we go through life, touching others in the kindest way possible because this life is to be lived well, and it is a short span of time that each of us is given.
I had a question from an inquirer about microwaves. The inquirer had a photo showing two distinct rays of white light. I explained that white light is composed of three basic colors, red, blue, and yellow, as shown in the electromagnetic spectrum shown here.
White light cannot be limited to a single wavelength as it consists of wavelengths of 400–700 nm. On the other hand, microwaves consist of much larger wavelengths or lower frequencies. For example, 1 GHz has a wavelength of 0.3 m, and 200 GHz has a wavelength of 0.0015 m, the typical microwave–millimeter frequency range.
A member was missing an IEEE Spectrum issue, which was mailed to the member. Another member wanted to renew membership. I provided the member the contact phone number for renewal (+1 800 678 4333) or worldwide (+1 732 981 0060). A student wanted to renew his membership, and I provided the following information. After 1 March 2023, the IEEE renewal fee is 50% (US${\$}$16), and the MTT-S fee is US$0.50 for a total of US${\$}$16.50. I received a request to delete a duplicate membership fee, which was completed. Finally, a member of an MTT-S technical committee requested that his biography be updated, and this request was submitted to the technical committee chair.
A member was interested in submitting a paper to IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. I suggested that the member visit https://mtt.org/publications/transactions/author-information-transactions/, where all of the information is enumerated. I was advised that two different articles in different IEEE journals have strong overlapping content. I sent this information to MTT-S Publication Committee Chair Dominique Schreurs, who reviewed the articles and sent them to IEEE for further investigation.
I received information that the MTT-S website has a bug. I forwarded this information to our webmaster for review. I also received a request to build or improve the MTT-S website. I thanked the inquirer and sent the request to our webmaster. Another agency, representing a few clients, was interested in increasing its online presence on the MTT-S website by providing acceptable sponsored posts or links. I explained to the interested person that we do not provide this service.
A future exhibitor wanted to exhibit at the 2023 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2023). I provided this information to our exhibitor manager. A company wanted to offer tours for IMS2023 in San Diego. I forwarded this request to IMS2023. A person wanted to offer help with future IMS symposia. I forwarded this request to the IMS Committee. Another member requested the phone number for registration assistance (+1 774 247 4038).
An agency is interested in bringing the Asia–Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC) to Malaysia. I forwarded this request to our APMC contact.
A member is interested in becoming a Distinguished Microwave Lecturer (DML). I suggested that the member contact the DML selection chair for further information.
Additional IEEE contact information is as follows: toll free in the United States and Canada +1 800 678 4333 or worldwide at +1 732 981 0060, fax +1 732 562 5445, attention member services; e-mail contactcenter@ieee.org. To add a new service electronically, please visit IEEE at www.ieee.org and click on “Renew.” To purchase an IEEE product by e-mail, contact customercenter@ieee.org or call the numbers listed previously.
Please feel free to contact me by letter, telephone, or e-mail concerning any complaint you may have or any assistance you may need in obtaining membership services from IEEE and the MTT-S. My contact information can be found on the first page of this column.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2023.3284772