Policies and Procedures

Technical Committee Policies & Procedures

This document presents the Policies and Procedures of the Audio and Acoustic Signal Processing Technical Committee (AASP TC) of the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS). These Policies and Procedures should guide the operation of this committee, but they are not bylaws and hence can be altered by majority vote of AASP TC members.

1. Purpose and Activities
   
   1. Purpose: To promote the advancement of technologies and applications in audio and acoustic signal processing and to enhance interaction with similar organizations within IEEE and throughout the world.
   2. Activities
      
      1. Assist with the review of papers in collaboration with IEEE journal and magazine editors.
      2. Conduct the review of papers submitted to Society conferences.
      3. Organize and operate symposia, seminars, workshops and sessions at technical meetings of the Society or of the IEEE, at all levels, and at meetings of other organizations having cooperative relationships with the Society, in accordance with IEEE rules and procedures and the rules of such meetings.
      4. Nominate candidates for the SPS and IEEE awards and prizes.
2. Membership
   
   1. All AASP TC members must be current IEEE and SPS members of good standing, and must be willing to serve and to carry out the duties of membership.
   2. Regular members are as set out below.
   3. Associate editors of the IEEE Transactions of Audio, Speech, and Language Processing are automatically eligible to participate in the AASP TC.
3. Management
   
   1. The Chair is responsible for organizing the activities of the AASP TC and maintaining communication with the officers of the Society and other similar organizations.
   2. The Chair is responsible for maintaining a roster of the membership and for the recording of minutes of all committee meetings.
4. Conduct of Business
   
   1. The technical committee will hold at least one meeting per year, that being during the annual ICASSP meeting.
   2. The technical committee may also conduct business via e-mail at the request of the Chair.
   3. A majority of legal votes cast by AASP TC members shall be necessary for the conduct of business.
   4. The order of business of AASP TC meetings shall be organized by the Chair and made available to the members prior to the meetings.
5. Nomination and Election of Members
   
   1. Membership is by election. Elections are held annually in the fall. Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by TC members. The term of office is 3 years, renewable once. Membership terms are staggered to ensure continuity.
   2. Nominations are invited from the TC present or past members and self-nominations are invited via a call for nominations on the TC web page. Nominations are made using a nomination form that provides relevant information, prepared by the nominator, about the nominee. All nominees enter a 2-stage election process. Firstly, each nomination must be approved by a majority of the voting members of the TC. Secondly, the number of vacancies on the TC is filled by an anonymous ranking vote of the voting members of the TC. No TC member currently serving their second term is eligible for election.
6. Chair
   
   1. The term of the TC Chair is two calendar years. Upon completion of this term, the current TC Chair automatically succeeds to the position of the TC Past-Chair. The Past-Chair works to assure a smooth transition. The Vice-Char of AASP TC automatically succeeds the position of Chair at the end of a two-year term of the current TC Chair.
   2. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee, at the end of the first year of the TC Chair term, solicits nominations for a new Vice-Char from the TC membership. Any past or current TC member is eligible to be a candidate for Vice-Char, and any past or current TC member may make a nomination (self-nominations are allowed). After the nomination period, the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee Chair organizes an election in which the TC members vote. Two votes are taken – an approval vote to approve candidacy and a preference vote to select from the approved candidates. The candidate receiving the most preference votes and a majority of approval votes is appointed as the new Vice-Chair. The term of the Vice-Chair is one calendar year.