We are wrapping up another great year at the IEEE Denver Section, and we want to thank all of you for making this possible with your continued membership. During 2017, the Denver Section had a number of highlights in the following areas:

Conference Activities

2017 GreenTech

• 65 papers & 97 attendees
• Very successful conference

R5 Annual Meeting

• 278 attendees of which 190 were students
• The Student Competitions and in particular the Robotics Competition were major draws

Dine & Learn Program

We continued this very successful monthly program holding 11 events over 2017 covering a wide variety of topics with an overall attendance of about 400 people.

Chapters, Student Branches, Affiliate Groups

Chapters:  We have 10 active Chapters.  The Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) Chapter was formed this year and the Geoscience & Remote Sensing (GRSS) Chapter has been revived.

Student Branches:  We are engaged with the Student Branches at four local Universities:  Colorado Schools of Mines, University of Colorado – Boulder, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Denver.  We continue to work on engaging additional area Universities / Campuses.

Affiliate Groups:  The Life Members Affiliate Group was formed this year and has been a key part of the engagement with the Student Branches.

Student Activities:

K-12

• 2017 Colorado Science and Engineering Fair
• Build Something Cool – Hands on opportunity to help Gr. 6-12 kids learn how to successfully build electronics project kits.  This year we had 40 kids with their parents assisted by 14 volunteers
• We have agreed to sponsor the Colorado Future Cities Competition in January 2018

University

• 2018 R5 Robotics Competition Grant has been approved for Colorado School of Mines
• We agreed to support the MNAV Student Project proposal from the University of Colorado – Boulder
• We purchased glass mugs with the IEEE Logo for Colorado School of Mines and University of Colorado – Boulder branches to give to student members
• We agreed to support a new Student Intern Program being developed for the Colorado Legislature

Industry Activities

We again sponsored the IoT Startup Weekend in May.

IEEE Events

The Denver Section was recognized by R5 as an Outstanding Large Section

We our social media pages.

We sent a member to Congressional Visit Day in April and to the Sections Congress in August held this year in Australia.

Section Officers

Jason Rupe was appointed as Vice-Chair and Chris Crosby as Treasurer.

Governance

Denver Section Local Operating Procedures were developed based on the Section Bylaws which were deprecated several years ago.

L31 Meeting Reports:

by Ian MacMillan 

2017 was my first year as a member of the IEEE. I started out by just attending a few interesting Dine & Learns, but as I got to know the wonderful people here I decided to volunteer myself. In addition to engineering skills & best practices and industry news, my time volunteering with the IEEE has taught me valuable skills in financial management, website design, organizational structure, and so much more. Networking has brought me valuable business connections, and I enjoy spending some of my free time surrounded by like-minded technical people.

If you love the sciences and engineering, or you want to mentor & encourage the next generation of great thinkers, or you just like ending your day with the feeling that you made a difference, consider joining our team in 2018. We accomplish so much with a small team, and we can accomplish so much more with your help.

The best way to get started is to attend one of our monthly ExCom meetings in Denver. Any IEEE member is welcome to join us for a free dinner and an opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes. If you see a small role you can play in our team we would love for you to help. Here are a few of the roles we are looking to fill:

• Events Committee
• Awards & Recognition Committee
• Young Professionals Committee
• Student Activities Committee
  • 6-12 & University
• Conference Planning
  • GreenTech 2021
• Professional Activities (PACE)
• Finance & Audit Committee

by Jeff Woodard & Ian MacMillan

https://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/Engineering/news-events/SeniorDesign/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.cuanschutztoday.org/bioscience-2-called-spectacular-facility/

Lung Model Manufacturing Process

Team members Mackenzia Wilderman, Yoana Arellano, and Kathryn Chrisman

“This project will develop a repeatable method for manufacturing the lung model produced by Jennifer Wagner and Dr. Emily DeBoer. The product will be used to train medical students on how to perform bronchoscopies.  The process shall produce a model that is anatomically correct and will aid in facilitating training in a cost-effective manner. This model has realistic airways that are semi-flexible, but the silicone casting around the airway mimics the rigidity of the body. It provides a location for physical anatomical markers to be placed within the mold, which helps pulmonary fellows learn the anatomy of normal lungs.”

TOS Arm Holder

Team members Tyler Jordan, Vinh Pham, Paige Moseley, and Cameron Mattson

“The purpose of this project is the redesign the arm holder that is currently used in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is a condition in which the nerves or blood vessels are compressed between the thoracic outlet, where the thoracic outlet is the space between the first rib and the clavical. According to the orthopedic surgical team, the current equipment used for first rib resection of the thoracic outlet is obstructive, hard to assemble and expensive.”

Manufacturing Process for Bending a Cardiac Cannula

Team members Brian Chio, Keanu Lynn, and Ashley Newton

“Develop a reproducible method to precisely bend a pre-manufactured cardiac cannula that will withstand shipping and sterilization and be integrated into workflow. This project was brought to the department by LivaNova, a leading medical device manufacturer.”

Arm Board Broject

Team members Samantha Passman, Easley Boo, Mohamed Abdel-Hafis, and Samantha Sharrar with Project Advisers

“The design focuses on an Arm Board method to immobilize newborn’s elbow with a peripheral intravenous catheter to ensure stability and preserving catheter while maintaining visibility and preventing secondary injury. We aim to design an arm board which is more effective at immobilizing a newborn’s limb than current devices, while maximizing visibility of nearby tissue and minimizing the risk of secondary injury, such as pressure ulcers and blunt trauma.”

by Jim Harrer   

The Denver IEEE Section will again team with  MSU Denver, and Sparkfun Electronics to host the fourth annual “Build Something Cool” Event for 6-12th Graders on Saturday, February 24, 2018.  Together with IEEE and community Volunteers, kids and their parents, we hope to help make another great time for everyone and learn something about science and engineering in the process. Event founder Dave Young has moved to Rochester, NY, but has been helping our section to continue this worthwhile event.

Over the course of the day, Denver area students build (and keep) electronic projects of their own, for free. The students can select project kits like Simon Says Games, Portable USB Chargers, and LED Blinky Projects. IEEE also will host lunch for the students and their parents, and encourage them to meet the volunteer engineers and chat about careers in electronics.

Mark your calendar for February 24, 2018:  we will send out requests for volunteers to help kids assemble kits, learn to solder, organize lunch and registration, and regale them about the fun of careers in engineering. Please contact Jim Harrer at jharrer@ieee.org if you are interested in helping out with the event.

by Jim Harrer  

Jim Look, R5 Director-Elect

Thank you for supporting my election and entrusting me with the position of Region 5 Director (2020-2021 term).

My previous experience as Chair of the Denver Section has given me valuable insights into the needs of the members. I plan to incorporate these insights, ideas and concepts into my future IEEE policymaking activities. I also will continue to attend as many Denver Section meetings as possible. These meetings are an indicator of both the health of the IEEE in Colorado and the concerns of the members.

In addition, I will do my best to advance my previously stated key goals and objectives. I will work with Bob Shapiro, the current Region 5 Director, to:

Support the Sections

The Region must ensure that every Section has the expertise, resources and tools necessary to conduct outreach programs for future members along with worthwhile technical and career related programs for current IEEE members.

Continue Our Focus on Delivering Value to the Members

It is our responsibility to ensure that IEEE money is spent effectively and wisely on programs that deliver increasing value to the member.

Enhance Exchanges with Student Branches

Additional resources must be allocated to improving IEEE’s relevance and increasing our positive engagement with students. These students are our future members and leaders.

As you may know, the Regional Directorship is a six-year commitment. For the first two years, I am expected to become conversant with IEEE policies, procedures and issues, while supporting the current Regional Director in the execution of his programs. The next two years (2020 and 2021), as Region 5 Director, I chair the Region 5 Executive Committee and sit on selected IEEE committees in addition to representing our Region at the Board level for IEEE-USA, MGA and the IEEE Assembly. Finally, as Past-Director I will support the Region’s leadership as well as serving on IEEE committees and working groups. During this six-year time frame, I plan on developing and executing programs which address my three key goals.

Thank you for your continued support and for your commitment to the IEEE. I am always eager to get your input. Please feel free to contact me at Jim.Look@IEEE.org.

by Jim Look 

In case you missed out on the conference this year, here’s a quick recap: 

Keynote Speakers:

• Martin Keller, Ph.D. – Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Samuel F. Baldwin – Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Dr. Ben Kroposki – Director, Power Systems Engineering Center – NREL
• Dr. Sunil Cherian – Founder and CEO – Spirae
• Dr. Hongming Zhang – EMS Network Application Manager – Peak Reliability

Panel Discussions:

• Grid Security
• Renewable Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
• Advances in Optimization and Control of Sustainable Distribution Grids
• The Market, Business Cases, and Technology of Microgrids
• Big Data Analytics for Power Systems

Technical Sessions:

• Control of Distributed Energy Resources
• Power Electronics for Microgrid Applications
• Interconnection, Capacity and Future of Renewable Energy
• Power Electronics Control for Utility Integration
• Energy Management and Power Quality
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Emerging Power Systems and Real Time Dynamics
• Advanced Renewable Energy Power Systems
• Photovoltaics Power Systems
• Security and Critical Analysis of Power Distribution Systems
• Energy Storage for Distributed Generation
• Interconnection of Wind Energy Systems
• Renewable Energy Interaction with Data, Wireless Communication and Future Trends

Learn more about the Greentech conference by visiting their website, here.

by Jeff Woodard

 A Writer’s Life

As a journalist and writer, I’ve been reading, reviewing, writing and editing technical journals throughout the course of my IT and IEEE career.  My early contributions were to Sextant The Independant Magazine for the Entire Zenith Computer Community.  In those days (mid-80s) topics included –

• Memory Enhancements for the Z100 and Z150 (256k RAM chips)
• IBM Emulation With the Scottie Board (DOS running on CPM computers)

Fast forward to the 21^st century and I serve as the Cybersecurity Editor for IEEE Computer Society’s IT Professional Magazine.  Without too much bias, I can say this is one of the best journals published by IEEE.  Recently, one of our editors, Zeljko Obrenovic has published a searchable index into IT Pro and other top IEEE Publications –https://obren.nl/trends/articles.html  This index provides keyword searches by authors and topics and shows the ‘impact factor’ from cross-referenced article citations.

A recent sampling for our IT Pro Cybersecurity column include these articles –

• Spammers Are Becoming “Smarter” on Twitter
• Addressing Pressing Cybersecurity Issues through Collaboration (NCCOE)
• Defeating Buffer Overflow: A Trivial but Dangerous Bug
• VPKI Hits the Highway: Secure Communication for the Connected Vehicle Program
• Bystanders’ Privacy
• Can Blockchain Strengthen the Internet of Things?

Authors for the Cybersecurity Column Department or other IT Pro departments can submit short articles (approximately 1,500 words) suitable for any of the departments to the respective editor or the editor in chief (for contact information, see our editorial staff directory).  The process for submitting longer articles is described below.

General Submissions (IT Pro Magazine)

IT Professional, an IEEE Computer Society magazine designed for developers and managers of enterprise information systems, seeks original submissions for publication. Coverage areas include (but are by no means limited to) emerging technologies, cloud computing, Web 2.0 and services, cyber security, mobile computing, green information technology, health information technology, social software, data management and mining, enterprise architectures and infrastructures, software development, systems integration, communication networks, data center operations, office automation, IT asset management, and radio frequency identification. Summaries of works in progress, what worked for you, and what didn’t are most welcome, as are tutorials and articles accompanied by Web-based demos.

Articles should be approximately 4,200 words (with about three figures or images counting as 300 words each) and no more than 20 references. Also consider providing background materials in sidebars for nonexpert readers. For more information and instructions on presentation and formatting, please visit our Author Resources page. Submit your paper using our new online manuscript submission service.  Here are a few other references that may be of interest to future authors and reviewers –

Call for Papers (IT Pro) – Connected and Autonomous Driving (April 2018) – https://publications.computer.org/it-professional/2017/10/24/connected-autonomous-driving/

Special Issues Calendar – https://www.computer.org/web/publications/editorial-calendar

We look forward to hearing from you.   Questions?

For more information, please contact Tim Weil: tweil.ieee@gmail.com

by Tim Weil

The purpose of this meeting was multifold.  Beyond enjoying lunch and fellowship, we learned of potential opportunities to become more engaged in the activities of the Denver Section – activities that are particularly well suited to participation by Life Members.  A few examples:

• serving as a judge in the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair
• assisting youngsters in assembling basic electrical projects as part of the “Build Something Cool” event.
• identifying and shepherding deserving technical achievements that occurred in our area through the IEEE Milestone recognition program.
• arranging for tours and presentations at companies we have worked for or with. This activity was one that was frequently requested during meetings with IEEE student branches at local universities.
• sharing our experience through the mentoring of others on topics such as career paths, getting hired, not getting fired, etc.

So if you are a life member, (and records show there are over 500 of us in the Denver Section), and any of the above items interest you, we’d love to welcome you into the group.  You can email the LMAG Chair, Jim Sipes, at: lmag@ieee-denver.org . We’re tentatively planning our next group meeting for some time in March.  Watch for the announcement.  One of our LMAG member, Frank Barnes, has agreed to present findings from some research he is involved with concerning the effect of weak magnetic fields on chemical reaction rates in cells – in other words, “Do cell phones give you brain cancer?”

Too young to be Life Member?  That’s okay, we’d still like to hear from you if you’re planning activities or functions that would benefit from Life Member participation.  We might be able to help.

by Owen Herman

Recognizing the importance of Blockchain and related technologies, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers held a workshop to foster the development of an initiative. During the day and a half event, representatives from academia, industry, government, and IEEE volunteers and staff gathered to define that initiative. As several subject matter experts discussed the status of the technology, attendees gave their own perspectives, and attendees generally agreed an IEEE initiative was imperative. This diverse group of experts generated more than great ideas; they defined the work that must be done for Blockchain to reach its potential, and focused the energy to accomplish it.

I’ll assume you know what Blockchain is. But if not, I encourage you to learn more at https://blockchainincubator.ieee.org/. The IEEE already has resources gathered for you to learn about it, become engaged in the efforts, and help develop the technology for humanity.

The workshop’s team of experts gathered in late October to define a framework for the IEEE under two important conditions: the IEEE must be uniquely positioned to fill a need, and the effort must provide real benefit and value to Blockchain.

The first day focused on presentations that cover the state of Blockchain technology, deployment, use cases, and other relevant information. We discussed what makes Blockchain disruptive, how it influences society, what the future may be for Blockchain technology, and what the IEEE can do to help Blockchain develop effectively. The group explored in depth the importance of Blockchain, and its many use cases. We recognized the importance of reliability and security of Blockchain, and discussed many application areas including communications, smart contracts, FinTech, vehicles, supply chain, and energy transactions.

Several IEEE organizations have already recognized the importance of Blockchain technology, and have already created a strong base from which to build.

Concluding that first day, the attendees all discussed the various efforts, projects, and focuses where the IEEE can provide the most value in its unique position.

Day two turned discussion into the first steps of action. After reviewing how to support an IEEE initiative, the teams broke up into interest groups that defined the actions to be executed. The societies involved have supported several members with expertise in the key areas of effort, so a strong team is being formed rapidly. This team defined work to be accomplished through training, conferences, standards, publications, and several special projects. We all recognized the needs to define many aspects of Blockchain, distributed ledger, crypto currencies, and related technologies. Most importantly, we all clearly see the need to make these technologies reliable, dependable, secure, flexible, and applicable to the problems it is well suited for, not misapplied, not poorly designed, and not vulnerable.

Because Blockchain and its related technologies hold a lot of excitement and opportunity for the future, and are unique in many ways, the special projects are perhaps the most critical and exciting efforts to come. Fortunately, the attendees at the workshop were the right people to define the key efforts, and get them started.

But for this initiative to be successful, we need at least two things: make sure the work we accomplish is self sustaining so that the value created returns value to the community, and to engage the help from all members interested in developing this new technology space.

This is where you come in. Become a link in the chain. While not a chain gain, and not a bunch of block heads, the IEEE members and experts in Blockchain technology recognize hard work is in front of us. But the effort is important, and can have profound impact on society. More than just an opportunity, we recognize a real need for IEEE involvement here. The IEEE is uniquely positioned to add value, as the premiere organization of engineering experts and technology development. And we know it is our role to provide tangible value to society. Help us develop Blockchain technology, and strengthen the community.

I encourage you to get involved now, as the initiative was just voted to become official, and we are now looking to staff key positions with experts who want to help develop blockchain technology.

Note an earlier version of this article appears at the current incubator site https://blockchainincubator.ieee.org/, which will soon transition to a new website https://blockchain.ieee.org/; please check it out!

by Dr. Jason W. Rupe

Future City Competition challenges 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase citywide sustainability. Future City Competion is coming back to Colorado in 2018. The regional competition is held in January, and regional winners will represent their region at the finals in Washington, DC in February.

Future City is one of the nation’s leading engineering education programs and has received national recognition and acclaim for its role in encouraging middle schoolers to develop their interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Future City Colorado needs your support. The regional competition would benefit from judges, coordinators, chaperones, and donations. Contact Rebecca Spearot at colorado@futurecity.org for more information about volunteering at the regional competition in January. IEEE-Denver is sponsoring the Future Cities competition in 2018 as a silver sponsor. 

Learn more about Future City Colorado by visiting their website, here.

 by Jeff Woodard

• Three university teams at the 2017 Annual R5 Robotics competition and the Colorado School of Mines for the 2018 Robotics competition.
• A University of Colorado – Boulder project on MNAV for inter-vehicle communications to help prevent accidents
• The Future Cities Competition
• An initiative from Representative Chris Hansen of the Colorado Legislature to create intern positions for student to work with State Government.

Interested Student Project Teams can contact Santosh Veda or Ian MacMillan to present at an upcoming ExCom meeting.

by Santosh Veda

Our folks at NIST-Boulder and CU-Boulder are organizing the joint 11th Global Symposium on Millimeter Waves (GSMM) 2018 and IEEE 5G Summit. It will be held in May 22-24, 2018 in Boulder. The accepted papers will be published on IEEE Xplore.

Interested parties, please follow this link to view the official Call for Papers with guidelines to submit your paper for publication. The Steering Committee is also looking for interested volunteers to help with registration, guiding the attendees, and checking badges in front of each conference room.

Dine and Learns are put on by local societies almost every month. We bring interested IEEE members to a fun restaurant for drinks, dinner, and lectures by distinguished speakers. Members enjoy a night of learning and networking with like-minded people. We had some tremendous Dine and Learns for our members in 2017! In case you missed them, here is what we did this year:

• January 2017: Modern Prosthetics, by RAS
• February 2017: Quantum Dots, by RAS
• March 2017: Distinguished Lecturer, by IES
• April 2017: Photoacoustics System for Measuring Glucose Concentrations, by RAS
• May 2017: VPKI Hits the Highway – Securing the US DOT Connected Vehicle Pilot Program, by ComSoc / CS
• June 2017: Deep Learning, by RAS
• August 2017: Emerging Wireless Infrastructure, by Ernest Worthman
• September 2017: DSP for Music Composition, by SPS
• October 2017: DSP in FPGA, by SPS
• November 2017: Small Satellites: Technology Challenges and Prospects for Improved Weather Forecasting, by ComSoc / Ryan Diebel

We have one Dine and Learn scheduled for 2018 so far, that’s the Coexistance of LTE and Radar Systems: Methodology and Assessment of Radar Receivers, by AES. That Dine and Learn will be on January 9th in Westminster. Dine and Learns are announced to our members through IEEE vTools. Please make sure your contact information is up to date with your IEEE registration to ensure you receive the event invitations.

Follow along with the local events and happenings of your IEEE Denver section by subscribing on social media. And don’t forget to “like” and share your favorite posts!

• Facebook Page
• LinkedIn Group
• LinkedIn Page

Beginning in January, we will have a regularly updated list of jobs posts for our members here.

Our members are skilled engineers and technically-minded business people from across industries. If you want to attract experienced applicants from this pool of talent please submit your job post here.