RE: Millennium Medals for SA
Way to go Geoff !!! Thanx for letting them know how we feel !!!
Thanx, Buzz
Dr. Everett O. (Buzz) Rigsbee
Boeing SSG
PO Box 3707, M/S: 7M-FM
Seattle, WA 98124-2207
Ph: (425) 865-2443
Fx: (425) 865-6721
Email: everett.o.rigsbee@boeing.com
From: Geoff Thompson [SMTP:gthompso@nortelnetworks.com]
Sent: Monday, August 30, 1999 11:18 PM
To: d.bodson@ieee.org
Cc: s.diamond@computer.org; holleman@us.ibm.com
Subject: Millennium Medals for SA
Dennis-
As I said to you on the phone the other day I have some misgivings about the proposed distribution of Millenium Medals as indicated in the distributions from SA in their solicitation for candidates.
First of all, let me say that I fully support the concept of an award at (what is generally accepted by society at large as being) the turn of the Millenium. At this change of the Century as at the last it is appropriate to call attention to the way that Electricity and Electronics is changing our lives and society.
In particular I support the context of the medal as stated and the first criteria (Reference below). I would, however, expand the term "industry" to "industry and society".
I am greatly troubled by level of recognition offered to the SA in this context. The material for the medal states that 3000 medals are to be given throughout the Institute. I believe that this works out to about 1% of the membership. If the SA gets a total of 6 medals to award then it has been decided that the judgement of the SA is appropriate for awarding 0.2% of the medals to be awarded by the Institute.
I feel that this is way out of line. I have to say that it is my strongest opinion that the professional activities of volunteers within the SA count for a great deal more than 0.2% of the "significant impact leading up to and including the new millennium".
As we are diving into the wired age, the age of consumer electronics, and as we are moving to a multivendor deregulated environment for power generation and distribution IEEE Standards have been a major enabler for and key component of these paradigm shifts. These factor are having major impacts on the structure of our lives and society. These count for a great deal more than 0.2% of what the IEEE has given to the world it lives in.
That being the case, I strongly believe that one of two things should happen:
1) The SA should get their allocation of Millenium Medals raised significantly
or-
2) We should turn our insufficient allocation of 6 back to the Institute.
If the SA should choose option 2 we should endeavor to do it with the utmost grace and appreciation. I do believe that the Institute has done us a great service just by establishing the program and criteria and by calling attention to the fact that this is an appropriate time to take notice and provide recognition. The SA should follow up by implmenting a program entirely within the SA that provides recognition at a more appropriate level of distribution. I would not be averse to setting that at one per cent as was done for the Institute.
I hope you will give my suggestion your most serious consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Geoff Thompson, Chair IEEE 802.3 Working Group, Member Revcom
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Millennium Medal IEEE-SA Criteria
Context: At the beginning of the third millennium give recognition to 3000 individuals for their professional achievements worthy of recognition for significant impact leading up to and including the new millennium.
Millennium medals are to be awarded to those individuals for their outstanding contributions to the profession and to society in general. The medals are to be awarded by Societies, Sections, and major boards of which the IEEE-SA is one such entity. Each major board will recognize outstanding individuals based on outstanding contributions to that board and its major programs and activities. A recipient must be a member of the IEEE but does not have to be a member of the IEEE-SASB or the IEEE-SA BoG. We should identify and recognize individuals whose contributions helped to bring in and support the new millennium.
Two categories of nominees will be considered:
1) Nominees recognized for their development of standard(s) having a major impact on industry. This could be for a single standard or a family of standards.
2) Nominees recognized for their contributions to the development or establishment of management infrastructure having significant impact on industry now or in the next millennium. This could be for a new major infrastructure or for major improvements and evolution of an existing infrastructure.
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| Geoffrey O. Thompson
| Chair IEEE 802.3
| Nortel Networks, Inc. M/S SC5-02
| 4401 Great America Parkway
| P. O. Box 58185
| Santa Clara, CA 95052-8185 USA
| Phone: +1 408 495 1339
| Fax: +1 408 988 5525
| E-Mail: gthompso@nortelnetworks.com <mailto:gthompso@nortelnetworks.com>
| Please see the IEEE 802.3 web page at
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/3/index.html <http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/3/index.html>