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IEEE 125th Anniversary Celebration in Austin

April 30, 2009 event one of only three in US

IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association, announced today that the IEEE Central Texas Section will host one of eight global events celebrating IEEE's 125 years of Engineering the Future. The anniversary celebration will take place in Austin, Texas from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Goodwill Community Center.

This event is being held in conjunction with the Austin Chamber of Commerce's third annual Brain Party designed to honor Central Texas engineers. The anniversary event will bring together IEEE Central Texas Section members, customers and engineers as well as technology leaders from the area to celebrate the numerous accomplishments of IEEE members, technology professionals and the Central Texas Section during the past 125 years, and provide perspective on the future of technology. IEEE's rich history includes the founding of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers by early industry giants including Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell; the introduction of the Wi-Fi standard in 1997 and local contributions such as innovations in the semiconductor bioscience and clean energy industries, to name a few.

Invited IEEE fellows, student members, members of academia, distinguished engineering and technology industry professionals, customers and members of the media will also enjoy entertainment from local band the Blues Crawlers, and food and beverage from McCormick and Schmick's.

During the event, University of Texas at Austin electrical and computer engineering students will also showcase such creative projects as:

• IEEE Robotics group's Intuitive Robotic Arm and Delivery Robot
• IEEE Energy group's Power Bike which shows how fast you have to pedal to turn on a light bulb or a TV
• Entries from the winners of the Senior Lab Competition
• Research in biofuels, next generation telescopes, two-tier networks and more

"For 125 years IEEE and its members have influenced the creation of nearly all the technologies we now tend to take for granted," said 2009 IEEE president, John Vig. "Today, more than 4,500 IEEE members live and work in the Central Texas area –developing the future in semiconductor technologies; energy, clean energy and manufactured energy systems; information and computer software technologies; nanotechnologies; and life sciences, among others."

Door64.com, a community of more than 4,000 Central Texas technology professionals, will also host a Tech Fair sponsored in part by the IEEE Central Texas Section at the Goodwill Community Center from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. prior to the 125th anniversary event.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the event will feature Central Texas technology companies showcasing their achievements and group forums discussing how professionals may transition to an entrepreneur, or to a consultant. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. a panel of notable tech minds from industry and academia, including Jack McDonald, CEO, Perficient (Moderator); Dr. Tony Ambler, Chairman, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin; Eric Swanson, Technical Fellow, Cirrus Logic; Dennis Ferguson, Senior Partner, Crossfield Technology; Shelly Van Dyke, Corporate Strategy, Freescale and Garrett Polhamus, Chairman of Central Texas Section, IEEE will discuss "The Engineer of 2020."

The IEEE Central Texas event in Austin is one of a series of eight key 125th Anniversary celebrations in technology hubs around the world, including: Boston Massachusetts, USA; Bangalore, India; Beijing, China; Munich, Germany; London, UK; San Jose, Calif., USA and Tokyo, Japan. These events will honor IEEE and its members for its 125 years of fostering technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.

"As IEEE honors its past, these events highlight today's technologies and focus on what's to come," Vig said.

The global commemoration of IEEE's 125th Anniversary will continue throughout 2009. In addition to the Austin celebration, local anniversary events across the Americas include Engineer's Day in Lexington, Ky.; a Spring Banquet and 125th Anniversary Celebration in Columbus, Ohio; the dedication of a Milestone in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the 19th Interuniversity Congress of Electronics Computation and Electricity in Veracruz, Mexico.

For more information on IEEE and 125th anniversary activities, please visit www.ieee125.org.

In 2009, IEEE is commemorating 125 years of ingenuity and innovation in engineering and technology with events and activities supporting the anniversary theme "Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future." The year-long IEEE celebration includes local and global member and customer events; the first IEEE Presidents' Change the World Competition for students; a global media roundtable and webcast featuring emerging, world-changing technologies; IEEE Engineering the Future Day on 13 May 2009; and much more. For more information on the IEEE 125th Anniversary, visit www.ieee125.org.

IEEE is the world's largest technical professional association and a leading authority on technology-related matters. Through its diverse selection of publications, conferences, educational forums and standards development, IEEE advances creativity and technological excellence while inspiring future generations. Learn how the IEEE fosters technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity at www.ieee.org.

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