Pittsburgh Section Bulletin · IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin March 2018, Volume 67 No. 3 Page 3...

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin March 2018, Volume 67 No. 3 of 10

Pittsburgh Section

Bulletin March 2018 Volume 67, No. 3

Included in this issue:

Notes From the Chair .............................................................................................................................. 2

How (Not) to Get Fired in 3 (Not so) Easy Steps! ........................................................................... 3

Using Near-Infrared Light to Monitor Brain Function ................................................................... 3

Dynamic Voltage Sharing in Multilevel Converters Through Diode Characterization .............. 4

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair – Call for Judges ........................................... 5

Image-based Crowd Analytics ............................................................................................................... 6

“Become a Senior Member” Advancement Event - March 29 ........................................................ 7

IEEE Consultant’s Workshop and Job Fair......................................................................................... 8

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Annual History and Awards Dinner ....................................................... 8

Looking Ahead: Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2018 - Call for Judges .... 9

Editor: Philip Cox, [email protected]; Contributors: George Crawford, Tom Dionise, Steve

Mozelewski, Sid Pant, Sarika Solanki, Ralph Sprang, and Dan Wilson

All announcements for publication in a particular month’s bulletin are due to the Editor by the 20th of the

previous month. The accuracy of the published material is not guaranteed. If there is any error, please bring it to

the Editor’s attention. The Section’s web site, http://sites.ieee.org/pittsburgh, has recent issues of the bulletin

and lots of other useful information.

mailto:[email protected]

http://sites.ieee.org/pittsburgh/


Notes From the Chair This month we have some exciting opportunities and

technical meetings announced in the bulletin, including

the “Become a Senior Member” Advancement Event on

March 29. Only about 7% of all Members advance to

Senior Membership, and it would be great to increase

the number in the Pittsburgh Section.

I would also like to take this opportunity to

commemorate the first woman electrical engineer to be

hired by Westinghouse here in Pittsburgh - Bertha

Lamme, in 1893. Bertha Lamme was the first woman to

receive an engineering degree other than civil

engineering, and graduated from Ohio State University

with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with a

specialty in electricity. The specific details of her work

were not well recorded at the time, so we are not sure

which specific projects she worked on. However, the

legacy of trailblazing women such as Bertha Lamme

lives on and continues to inspire engineers today from

all different backgrounds, to do things nobody else is

doing and things they are told can't be done.

The volunteers in our IEEE Pittsburgh section today

share the common vision, which is to support the

development of technology that improves the quality of

life for people around the world. I am grateful every

month for our volunteers, who make our section the

vibrant place that it is. Thank you!

Daniel Wilson

2018 IEEE Pittsburgh Section Chair

Section

Chair - Dan Wilson, [email protected]

Vice Chair -- Navid Binesh, [email protected]

Treasurer – Ted Zyra, [email protected] Asst. Treasurer – Evan Watson, [email protected]

Secretary - Haifeng Wang, [email protected]

Immediate Past Chair – Dr. Drew Lowery, [email protected]

Special Events Chair – Dr. Kal Sen, [email protected]

Webmaster – Gerry Kumnik, [email protected]

UpperMon Subsection

Chair: Dr. Gianfranco Doretto, [email protected]

Chapters

Communications Society – Chair: Dr. Balaji Palanisamy, [email protected]; Sec: Phil Cox, [email protected]

Computer Society – Chair: Dr. Ralph Sprang, [email protected]

Electronics Packaging/Electron Devices Societies – Chair: John Mazurowski - [email protected]

Engineering In Medicine & Biology Society Chair: Steve Mozelewski, [email protected]

Electromagnetic Compatibility Society - Chair: Michael J. Oliver, [email protected] (814) 763-3211 Magnetics Society – Chair: Vincent Sokalsky, [email protected]

Nanotechnology Society: Guangyong Li - [email protected]

Power Electronics Society – Chair Sid Pant - [email protected]

Power & Energy & Industry Applications Societies Chair: Steve Dobos, [email protected]; Vice-Chair: Julie Clark; Treas.: Dave Vaglia, [email protected]

Robotics Society – Chair: Joseph Giampapa, [email protected]

Signal Processing Society – Chair: Nicholas.O’Donoughue [email protected]

Society on Social Implications of Technology Chair: Dr. Kal Sen, [email protected]; Vice Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E., [email protected] 724-244-1609

Council of Electronic Design Automation Chair: Baris Taskin, [email protected]

Affinity Groups

Young Professionals (formerly GOLD) – Chair: Matthew Rehder [email protected]

Women In Engineering – Chair: Mey Sen, [email protected]

Committees

Consultant network: George Crawford - [email protected]

Professional/Career Activities (PACE) Chair: Joe Cioletti, P.E. [email protected]

Student Activities – Dr. Irvin Jones, [email protected]; student reps: Chair:, Zoe Toigo, [email protected]; Vice-chair: Will Howard, [email protected];

Membership Development – Steve Mozelewski, [email protected]

Publicity – Chair: Thomas Dionise, P.E. [email protected] (724) 779-5864




































How (Not) to Get Fired in 3 (Not so) Easy Steps!

Speaker: Steve Gross

Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Time: 6:30 PM for dinner, talk at 7 PM

Location: Franklin Park/Wexford Eat'n Park, 2650 Brandt School Road, Wexford, PA 15090

RSVP: Register at: Event Registration Form : vTools Events

Sponsor: Computer Society

Abstract: If you have ever received a negative performance

review, you know it can be very challenging. Faced with the

existential risk of losing your job, life gets very stressful. Know

this: you are not alone. And: you can surmount this challenge. Join

Steve Gross for a discussion on how he handled this situation in his

own career, and how he ultimately learned to embrace critical

feedback, get better at his job, and (spoiler alert!) eventually get

promoted.

Bio: Steve Gross; Professional skills: ~17 years as a code monkey

(Case Western School of Medicine, St Jude Medical, Google);

Amateur skills: pianist, urban planning, home chef, Francophone,

parent

Using Near-Infrared Light to Monitor Brain Function

Presenter: Jana M. Kainerstorfer, PhD

Date: Thursday, March 22, 2018

Time: 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner (Pizza, Salad)

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Presentation and Q&A

Location: Benedum Hall Parking: Soldiers & Sailors Hall

Room 102 4101 Fifth Ave.

University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15260

3700 O’Hara St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/162335

Deadline: Register by March 21, 2018

Event Sponsor: Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society

Summary: Bedside monitoring of cerebral perfusion is desired for a variety of diseases, such as

traumatic brain injury, hydrocephalus, sepsis, and stroke, where inadequate perfusion can lead to

ischemia and neuronal damage. The healthy brain maintains a relatively constant blood flow even during

episodes of changes in cerebral perfusion pressure, which is the pressure difference between mean

arterial pressure and intracranial pressure (ICP). The mechanism of preserving cerebral blood flow is

called cerebral autoregulation, which is known to be impaired in a variety of diseases. Quantification of

https://events.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_registration/register/168803

https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/162335


autoregulation is important for patient treatment but would require one to measure ICP, which currently

is only possible by invasive pressure probes placed in the brain and therefore not applicable in many

patients. In order to overcome the invasiveness of such pressure monitoring, we are using an optical

technique called near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). By placing optical fibers on the head of individuals,

which emit and collect near-infrared light, changes in the cerebral microvascular hemodynamics can be

measured. This talk will summarize recent advances in non-invasive ICP and autoregulation

measurements based on NIRS with an emphasis on experimental implementation as well as data

analysis.

Bio: Jana Kainerstorfer is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at

Carnegie Mellon University. She obtained her PhD at the University of Vienna

in Austria in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and performed

her post-doctoral research at Tufts University in Boston. Her lab’s research is

focused on developing noninvasive optical imaging methods for disease

detection and/or treatment monitoring, with a particular emphasis on diffuse

optical spectroscopic imaging methods. Applications include cerebral

monitoring in traumatic brain injury and breast cancer imaging. Her research

spans from instrument development to novel data analysis tools all the way to

clinical translation. Jana has published over 50 journal articles and conference

proceedings. She serves on program committees for the SPIE Photonics West

conference as well as the OSA Biophotonics Congress. Jana recently became an

Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME) and also serves on the

editorial board for the OSA Virtual Journal of Biomedical Optics. Active funding for her work includes

grants from the American Heart Association as well as the National Institutes of Health.

Improved Dynamic Voltage Sharing in Multilevel Converters Through

Diode Characterization

Speaker: Luke Solomon

Title: Senior Engineering Manager, Advanced Concepts, GE Power Conversion

Date: March 22, 2018

Time: Refreshments - 6:30 PM; Presentation - 7:00 PM

Place: Westinghouse Energy Center, 4350 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA 15146

RSVP: Required at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/161197 by March 19, 2018. If you are an

IEEE member, you must enter your membership number. If you would like to receive PDH, please bring

a copy of this announcement for verification of your attendance and your membership identification

card. A non-Member who would like to receive PDH is required to pay $10 to “IEEE Pittsburgh

Section.”

Organizer: Power Electronics Society (PELS)

Abstract: Power converter topologies with series-connected devices must maintain repeatable blocking

voltages across the devices to ensure reliability. Effective voltage sharing requires consistent diode

reverse recovery charges, which is not guaranteed with commercially produced devices. Dr. Luke

Solomon will present a method that measures and statistically quantifies the variation in reverse



recovery characteristics of diodes from one manufacturer. Statistics will be presented for various

groupings by date code, shipment tube, and back- and front-end epitaxy processes. The devices are then

matched for reverse recovery charge and series-connected in a medium-voltage five-level power

converter. Voltage sharing is demonstrated to be significantly better than a similar test with devices

chosen at random.

Speaker: Dr. Solomon is presently the Senior Engineering Manager for the

Advanced Concept Group for GE Power Conversion. He has over fourteen

years of experience focused in power electronics design, real-time control

systems engineering and power systems analysis. At GE Power Conversion,

Luke served as the technical lead responsible for all design, analysis, and

hardware verification aspects of a medium voltage, IGBT based, power

converter development project. These responsibilities include the range from

conceptual design of the power converter to the delivery of a full-scale prototype

unit to manufacturing. Luke has completed several development projects for the

next generation electrical propulsion drive including the real-time control

implementation of a variable carrier frequency PWM modulator with dead-time distortion compensation

for a three-level power electronic converter. He was also part of a team as a real-time control systems

engineer that was responsible for the development of the next generation power management system for

the DD(X) destroyer program. Dr. Solomon received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from The

Pennsylvania State University, the M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the

Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of

Pittsburgh.

DIRECTIONS TO WESTINGHOUSE ENERGY CENTER

From Pittsburgh take Interstate 376 East (Parkway East). Take Exit 84A to Monroeville. Cross Business

Rt 22 at the traffic light and proceed on Rt 48 South (Moss Side Blvd) approx ½ mile (two traffic lights).

The 2nd

traffic light is at a 4-way intersection with a Marathon station on the right and a Sunoco station

on the left. Turn left onto Northern Pike. Proceed approx 0.2 miles and turn right at the 1st traffic light

onto Westinghouse Dr. Travel 0.7 miles (past the guard stand) to the 3 flags where the building’s main

entrance is located. Parking in the evening will be plentiful. Use the main entrance and check with the

security guards inside. You will be directed to the proper room for your meeting.

From the PA Turnpike, take Exit 57 (Monroeville). After the toll plaza, get in the left lane to get on

Business Rt 22 West. At the first light, turn left onto Rt 48 South (Moss Side Blvd) and follow the above

directions.

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair – Call for Judges

Once again, volunteers are needed to represent the IEEE Pittsburgh Section as Judges at the 2018

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair (PSREF) on Friday, March 23, 2018 at Heinz

Field. The PRSEF will celebrate its 79th

year of open competition of research projects in the fields of

science, mathematics, and engineering. The goal of the Science Fair coincides with one of the missions

of the IEEE, that is to foster an interest in the engineering profession.


As in past years, the half-day event begins with lunch at noon, followed by judging of Junior,

Intermediate and Senior Division projects, and concludes with presentation of four IEEE sponsor awards

to Senior and Intermediate Division entries at approximately 4 PM.

To volunteer to be an IEEE judge for ISEF, just email [email protected], and you will be given

information on registration and included in future mailings.

Image-based Crowd Analytics

Speaker: Vishal Patel

Date: Monday, March 26, 2017

Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Place: G39 Engineering Sciences Building (ESB)

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Abstract: The study of human behavior based on computer vision techniques has gained a lot of interest

in recent years. In particular, the behavioral analysis of crowded scenes is of great interest due to a

variety of reasons. Exponential growth in the world population and the resulting urbanization has led to

an increased number of activities involving high density crowd such as sporting events, political rallies,

public demonstrations, thereby resulting in more frequent crowd gatherings in the recent years. In such

scenarios, it is essential to analyze crowd behavior for better management, intelligence gathering, safety

and security. In this talk, I will present some of my recent work on developing algorithms for crowd

analytics, including crowd counting from unconstrained imagery, crowd segmentation and human

detection from crowded scenes. I will conclude my talk by describing several promising directions for

future research.

Biography: Vishal M. Patel is an A. Walter Tyson Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical

and Computer Engineering at Rutgers University. Prior to joining Rutgers University, he was a member

of the research faculty at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies

IEEE Judges Michael Driver and Jimmy Chen

with the 2017 IEEE Sponsor Award Winner IEEE Judge Richard Haverlack with the 2017

IEEE Sponsor Award Winner



(UMIACS). He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College

Park, MD, in 2010. His current research interests include signal processing, computer vision, and pattern

recognition with applications in biometrics and imaging. He has received a number of awards including

the 2016 ONR Young Investigator Award, the 2016 Jimmy Lin Award for Invention, A. Walter Tyson

Assistant Professorship Award, Best Paper Award at IEEE AVSS 2017, Best Paper Award at IEEE

BTAS 2015, and Best Poster Awards at BTAS 2015 and 2016. He is an Associate Editor of the IEEE

Signal Processing Magazine, IEEE Biometrics Compendium, and serves on the Information Forensics

and Security Technical Committee of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. He is a member of Eta Kappa

Nu, Pi Mu Epsilon, and Phi Beta Kappa

“Become a Senior Member” Advancement Event - March 29

Interested in becoming a Senior Member, but not quite sure how to pull it off? Come to an advancement

event at Panera Bread in Wilkins Township (official address: 400 Penn Center Boulevard, Pittsburgh,

PA 15235) on Thursday, March 29, 2018 at 6:30 PM.

Advancement to Senior Member is free and the benefits are numerous. The main reason for elevation is

to achieve recognition among your peers for technical and professional excellence. It looks great on

your resume or CV! However, you will also receive a very nice wood plaque engraved in bronze, a

letter of commendation sent to your employer, and an acknowledgement in this newsletter for all to see!

A coupon for $25 off membership in a new technical society is an added bonus.

The IEEE web site grade elevation page says, “For admission or transfer to the grade of Senior Member,

a candidate shall be an engineer, scientist, educator, technical executive, or originator in IEEE-

designated fields for a total of 10 years and have demonstrated 5 years of significant performance.”

Additional detailed requirements should be reviewed to assure that you are comfortable that you qualify

at: http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/senior/senior_requirements.html

Some of our members who are candidates for Senior Member have expressed the concern that they do

not know Senior IEEE members who are familiar with their work as 3 references are required. If you

have determined that you fulfill the requirements of IEEE Senior Membership and you have this

concern, come to this meeting where Senior Members will be present.

The goal of this meeting will be for you to have a casual dinner, meet some Senior Members, learn

about the application process, and come away with the online application form filled out and ready to

submit. So, bring your laptop and assure that your IEEE account is active before the meeting.

Please send your resume in advance to Steve Mozelewski ([email protected]), Membership

Development Chair and also register for the meeting online at: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/155913

Only about 7% of all Members advance to Senior Membership, but we want to see that improve in the

Pittsburgh section.

http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/senior/senior_requirements.html




IEEE Consultant’s Workshop and Job Fair

Are you thinking about becoming a consultant or are you already a consultant in your own business?

This workshop is just what you need to start or expand your business.

The purpose of the workshop is “to facilitate the formation of more consulting businesses by showing

our members the How-To part of becoming a consultant and running their own business where they are

their own boss”.

The Job Fair is designed to inform electrical engineers of available employment opportunities in the

local area.

Date: April 21, 2018

Site: Sewickley United Methodist Church

Broad and Thorne Streets

Sewickley, PA 15143

Time: Registration at 8:30AM, Workshop from 9:00 to 2:30 and Job Fair from 2:30 to 4:30.

There will be a charge to cover the cost of providing breaks and lunch for those persons attending the

entire event. The Job Fair is open to all after 2:30pm.

SAVE THE DATE. Pre-register at https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/m/158496. More information and a

syllabus can be found at this location.

Questions: Contact George Crawford – [email protected] about the Consultant’s Workshop and

Julie Clark at [email protected] about the Job Fair.

This event is jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Section Consultants Network and the Pittsburgh

Section Employment Network and is open to all engineers.

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Annual History and Awards Dinner

Date: Friday, May 4, 2018

Time: 5:30 PM: Arrival

6:00 PM: Dinner and Awards Presentations

7:00 PM: Keynote speech

Speaker: Mark Barlow

Place: The University Club, University of Pittsburgh

123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Phone: 412-648-8213

Cost: $30 per member; $50 member plus guest (Cash Bar is available)

Organizer: IEEE Pittsburgh Section.

RSVP: Required by April 20, 2018. Seating is limited to 40 people. Please send your check,

payable to “IEEE Pittsburgh Section,” to Philip Cox, 343 Partridge Run Rd., Gibsonia, PA 15044.

Please provide the name of your guest, if any. For any question, please write to Phil at [email protected].

https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/m/158496





Title: Exploring the Life and Achievements of Nikola Tesla

Join us in appreciating the life and achievements of electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. We will reflect on

Tesla’s past, recognize his contributions to the present, and consider his warnings about the future. The

presentation will touch on aspects of Tesla’s life, the impact of AC power, and the Tesla Coil!

Bio: Mark Barlow has 6.5 years experience in the energy

industry working on solar photovoltaic grid tied and battery

storage power systems. His years of experience include

employment within the energy sector, as well as work

completed in his own company DC to Power, LLC.

Mark established his company in 2011 with the ambition of

making sustainable energy more cost effective. Additionally, he

has 3.5 years of reliability engineering experience from the

semiconductor industry related to the development of MEMS

sensors. Mark has been a member of the IEEE for 15 years and

a Tesla Coil Builder for last 20 years.

Mr. Barlow received his Masters of Science in Engineering

from Youngstown State University where he completed his

thesis on the topic of fabricating Schottky Diodes on Silicon

Carbide.

Looking Ahead: Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

2018 - Call for Judges

Volunteers are needed to represent the IEEE Pittsburgh Section at the 2018 Intel International Science

and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The 2018 Intel ISEF event will be held at the David L. Lawrence

Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, May 13-18, 2018. IEEE members from Pittsburgh are needed to

judge for the IEEE President’s Scholarship of $10,000 plus new awards for 2nd

and 3rd

place. The

Special Award judging days begin on Tuesday, May 15 and a winner must be chosen by the end of the

day, Wednesday, May 16. The Awards Presentation will take place the evening of Thursday, May 17.

Volunteer judges are needed Tuesday, May 15 for pre-judging and for the whole day on Wednesday,

May 16 for judging. If you are unable to commit to both days, then it is possible to judge for a portion of

the time. Look for more details in the April Bulletin.

To volunteer to be an IEEE judge for ISEF, just email [email protected], and you will be given

information on registration and included in future mailings.



2018 Calendar – Meetings of IEEE Pittsburgh Section Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec

Executive

Committee

(AdCom)

18

Panera Bread

Robinson

15

Panera Bread

Wilkins

15

Panera Bread Oakland,

Forbes ave.

19

TBD

17

TBD

21

TBD

19

TBD

16

TBD

20

TBD

18

TBD

15

TBD

20

TBD

Section 24 Engineers

Week

29 Senior

Members

21 Consultants &

Employment

Workshop

4 History

Dinner

Communic

ations

Computer 20

Job advice

EMBS 22 Monitor Brain

EMCS

Power

Electronics

25

Ripple

Reduction

22

Voltage

Converters

PES/IAS

Magnetics

Robotics 30 Advocating

Robotics

Sig.

Processing

CPMT/ED

Social Impl

Technology

Upper Mon 26

Data Analytics

Women in

Eng’ing

Young Pros

PACE

Student Act

Pittsburgh Section Bulletin · IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin March 2018, Volume 67 No. 3 Page 3...

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