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Technical Committees Frequently Asked Questions

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Q. How often should Technical Committees hold meetings?

Technical Committees will hold at least one meeting per year, normally at one of the Society’s sponsored conferences.   Technical Committees are encouraged to hold meetings at their workshops too and publicly announce they are open to Associate and Affiliate Members.

Q. Who can attend a Technical Committee meeting?

In general, all IEEE meetings are open, except if the bylaws state otherwise, so Technical Committee meetings are considered open meetings and Associate and Affiliate members of the Technical Committee may attend.  When confidential matters arise before the body and guests are present, the Technical Committee should convene itself in executive session.  Only committee members are permitted during executive session and the discussion remains private, unless the committee decides to report an action out after the executive session has ended.  Guests are permitted to return to the meeting after the executive session has ended.

While IEEE meetings are open to IEEE members of any grade (except for Executive Sessions), attendees cannot speak unless the Chair of the meeting recognizes them to do so.  They are observers and not full participants.

Q. What is the membership size of a Technical Committee?

Technical Committees must have at least 20 elected members so that there is critical mass, but may have up to 40 elected members. A Technical Committee Chair can request a larger number of elected members to the Vice President-Technical Directions who, in consultation with the TC Review Committee, may approve an increase in the number of members for Technical Committees provided there is good justification.

Q. What is a quorum and how it applies to voting?

A quorum of a Technical Committee shall be a majority of those members having voting rights.  An affirmative vote of a majority of all the voting members of the Technical Committee shall be required to approve the action.

Q. What are the voting rules?

Face-to-Face Voting: The vote of a majority of the votes of the members present and entitled to vote, at the time of vote, provided a quorum is present, shall be the act of the Technical Committee.

Telecommunication Voting: The Technical Committee may meet and act upon the vote of its members by any means of telecommunication. The normal voting requirements shall apply when action is taken by means of telecommunications equipment allowing all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same time.

E-Mail Voting: The Technical Committee may take action without a meeting if applicable (e.g., e-mail voting). An affirmative vote of a majority of ALL the voting members of the Technical Committee shall be required to approve the action. The results of the vote shall be confirmed promptly in writing or by electronic transmission. The writings and/or electronic transmission shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Technical Committee. “Electronic transmission” means any form of electronic communication, such as e-mail, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient.

Voting Example: If a committee has 40 members and 30 of them are present at the meeting, then you have quorum.  For voting, the committee would need a minimum of 16 favorable votes for face-to-face or telecommunication meetings and a minimum of 21 favorable votes for electronic voting.

A plurality of the votes is not enough to pass a motion. For example, if there are 30 total votes split into 14 yes, 13 no and 3 abstain, the motion fails.

Number of Votes. Individuals holding more than one position on the Technical Committee shall be limited to one vote on each matter being considered by the committee.  Proxy voting is not allowed.

Q. Who is allowed to vote on Technical Committee matters?

Only elected-Members of the Technical Committees, including the Chair, Vice Chair and Past Chair, are allowed to vote in matters that come before the Technical Committee.  Associate and Affiliate Members of the Technical Committee do not have a vote.  Individuals holding more than one position on the Technical Committees will be limited to one vote on each matter being considered by the Technical Committees.

The Vice President-Technical Directions shall be an ex-officio member, without vote, of all Technical Committees.

Q. What is the term and role of a Technical Committee Chair?

The term of office of the Technical Committee Chair is two calendar years. A second term as Chair is permitted, but may not be consecutive. The Chair automatically succeeds to the position of Past Chair.

The Chair is a voting member of the Technical Committee, as well as the Technical Directions Board and must attend meetings and participate in the board’s processes.

The Chair is responsible for:

  • organizing the activities of the Technical Committee;
  • maintaining communication with the Vice President-Technical Directions, the Officers of the Society and other similar organizations;
  • appointing members to the TC’s subcommittees;
  • maintaining a roster of the membership;
  • maintaining the EDICS and a list of reviewers for the Society’s conferences and overseeing the paper review and session assignment process for ICASSP;
  • preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting; and
  • preparing bi-yearly activity reports.

Q. What is the term and role of a Technical Committee Member?

All Technical Committee members must be current IEEE and SPS members of good standing and will serve a term of three-years, starting 1 January. All terms run on a calendar year. They must be willing to review papers within the area of the TC submitted to the Society’s conferences, review papers for workshops owned or co-owned by the Technical Committee, serve in the subcommittees established by the TC, and perform other duties of membership.

Membership on the Technical Committee may be terminated by the Technical Committee Chair, with the consent of the Vice President-Technical Directions, provided that the Chair and Vice Chair concur that the member has been inactive in the sense of little or no participation in Technical Committee responsibilities.

Q. What is an Associate Member?

The TC Chair can appoint a small number of Associate Members not to exceed one-half the size of the TC’s regular membership.  They are non-voting members of the Technical Committee. Each TC Chair can appoint Associate Members at any point during his/her term and their terms coincides with the term-end date of the TC Chair. These can be individuals who are current and/or previous Associate Members, new individuals, past TC Chairs, past or current Editors-in-Chief, liaisons with other communities and IEEE Societies, other past members of the TC who were particularly active, as well as highly active Affiliate Members of the TC.  It is preferred that Associate Members be SPS members, but it is not required.

Special effort should be made to coordinate with Associate Members for nomination of new members, nomination of best paper awards, EDICS alignment between the periodicals and the Society’s conferences.  The TC Chair may appoint Associate Members as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.  Associate Members shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.  

The Society will not maintain a historical list of Associate Members. 

Q. What is an Affiliate Member?

Affiliate Members are non-elected, unlimited in number, and non-voting members of the Technical Committee.   Affiliate membership is open to IEEE student members and all grades of IEEE SPS members interested in the scope of a given Technical Committee, as well as members of some professional organizations in interdisciplinary fields within the Society’s TCs scope, such as language processing or biological sciences and are not IEEE members.

The Chair may appoint Affiliate Members as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.   Relevant Transactions Associate Editors should be invited as Affiliate Members.

Affiliate Members shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.

Q. What subcommittees do Technical Committee’s have?

Technical Committees will normally have subcommittees to help them accomplish their duties.  The Technical Committee Chair will appoint the Technical Committee members to the subcommittees.  The Technical Committee Chair may also appoint Associate and Affiliate Members to subcommittees, unless specified otherwise.  Such Associate and Affiliate members must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties of the subcommittee, and can be removed from the subcommittee if the TC Chair and Vice Chair concur they have been inactive.  The Chairs of each subcommittee must be elected members of the Technical Committee, unless specified otherwise. 

The subcommittees may address the following activities:

  • Awards Subcommittee
  • Nominations and Elections Subcommittee
  • Workshops Subcommittee
  • Industry/Government Subcommittee
  • Webmaster Subcommittee
  • Newsletter Subcommittee
  • Area Chairs
  • Student Subcommittee
  • Education Subcommittee
  • Four Regional Representatives
  • Other.

Q. What is the election process for Vice Chairs position?

The Vice Chair election will be organized by the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee. The Nominations and Elections Subcommittee will bring forward one or more candidates for the position of Vice Chair.  The Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations, and conducting the balloting.

Vice Chair elections will take place every two years and results shall be finalized by 15 November, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).

Nominations for Vice Chair shall be restricted to individuals who are currently serving or have previously served as elected members of the Technical Committee. Vice Chair nominees are not eligible to vote in Vice Chair elections.  Vice Chair candidates that are part of the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee are required to withdraw from the subcommittee.

Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society’s Bylaws and Policies and Procedures if elected. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae to be distributed before the election.

The Vice Chair candidate shall be both approved by a majority of the Technical Committee elected-members, and most preferred by the Technical Committee members responding to the ballot, provided a quorum of the Technical Committee members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the Technical Committee Chair will break the tie. The election shall be conducted by an e-mail ballot, unless another means is proposed and approved by the Technical Committee.

Q. What is the election process for Technical Committee Members?

The new member election shall be organized by the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee. New member elections shall be held once each year, so one-third of the TC’s membership turns over each year.

The Nominations and Elections Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations in the Society’s e-Newsletters and the website. The Nominations and Elections Subcommittee shall come up with a slate of candidates representative of the diversity of SPS members in the Technical Committee area, which includes: gender, geographic, academic/industry, junior/senior, etc. The slate shall include at least as many candidates that have never served in the TC as open slots. The Nominations and Elections Subcommittee will also conduct the balloting.

Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by Technical Committee members. Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society Bylaws and Policies and Procedures. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae, as determined by the TC, to be distributed before the election.

Current TC members who are in their first term may be nominated for a second consecutive term, but are not eligible to vote in that new member election and shall not be part of Nominations and Elections Subcommittee for that election. After the second term on the TC, members may run for additional terms, but there must be an absence of at least 3 years between terms.

Technical Committee members shall be elected by the members of the Technical Committee itself based on the needs of the Technical Committee. Each year the new member election results shall be finalized by 15 November, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).

The new members shall be both approved by a majority of the Technical Committee elected-members, and most preferred by the Technical Committee members responding to the ballot, provided a quorum of the Technical Committee members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the Technical Committee Chair will break the tie. The election will be conducted by e-mail, unless another means is proposed and approved by the TC.

Q. Where can I find orientation information for new Technical Committee Chairs?

Orientation information on the Society’s activities can be found on the Society’s website on Board Agenda/Minutes page under Technical Directions Board.  Please remember that you need to login with your IEEE Member username and password to access the information.

Q. How does a Technical Committee change its name/scope?

In response to changes within the technical community, it may be advisable to change the name of a technical committee.  Name changes may be recommended in order to keep current with the changing vocabulary of technology or to reflect a change in scope of an existing TC.

As technology advances, activities surrounding certain disciplines may evolve, making both a change of name and of scope of a Technical Committee appropriate.  In the event that such change is believed by a particular TC to be warranted, the Chair of that TC should bring the suggested name change and change of scope to the Technical Directions Board for deliberation, discussion, and recommendation to the Board of Governors.  The Board of Governors will take final action on the recommendation of the Technical Directions Board.

Q. Where can I find copies of the TC Review reports?

Copies of the finalized TC Review reports can be found on the Society’s website on the Technical Committees page.  Please remember that you need to login with your IEEE Member username and password to access the information.

Q. Where can I find information on Technical Committee Affiliate members?

Information on Technical Committee Affiliate members, as well as the sign up page, can be found on the Society’s website on the Join a Technical Committee page.   Each Technical Committee’s list of affiliate members can be found on their respective Technical Committee page.

Q. What are TIP codes and what are they used for?

TIP stands for Technical Interest Profile.  Each individual should identify with their IEEE Membership a set of TIP codes.  TIP codes allow members to identify what technical areas they are working in or are interested in.  TIP codes are used within IEEE to target specific technical audiences.  The Signal Processing Society has a set of TIPs assigned to the Society, which can be found on the web at https://ta.ieee.org/operations/membership-development/technical-interest-profile-codes-tips.

 

AWARD ACTIVITES

Q. What is the nomination procedure for the Society’s awards?

Please refer to Policy 2.20. Awards Nomination Process for details on nomination procedures, as well as Policy 5.7. for Technical Committee Award Nomination Procedures.  Nomination procedures for each award are detailed below, but full details for each award can be found in Policy 2.19 Signal Processing Society Awards

Norbert Wiener Society Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The following list is ineligible to receive the award: current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board, as well as the previous recipients of the SPS Society Award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September. 

Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered and members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The following individuals are ineligible to receive the award: current President of the Signal Processing Society, current members of the SPS Board of Governors and Awards Board, as well as the previous recipients of the SPS Meritorious Service Award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Best Paper and Young Author Best Paper Awards: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. The current members of the SPS Awards Board are ineligible to receive the award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. The current members of the SPS Awards Board are ineligible to receive the award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. The current members of the SPS Awards Board are ineligible to receive the award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered and members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The following individuals are ineligible to receive the award: current officers and members of the SPS Board of Governors and Awards Board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award:  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered and members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The following individuals are ineligible to receive the award: current officers and members of the SPS Board of Governors and Awards Board, as well as previous recipients of the SP Technical Achievement Award. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award:  A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations should be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Donald G. Fink Overview Paper Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Papers that have already been recognized with another SPS Paper Award are not eligible. Nominations should be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Sustained Impact Paper Award: Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. This award is exempt from the rule that papers that have already been recognized with another SPS Paper Award are not eligible. Nominations should be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Amar G. Bose Industrial Leader Award:  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Previous recipients of the Industrial Leader Award are ineligible. The candidate is not required to be an IEEE member. Nominations should be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Industrial Innovation Award:  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Candidate(s) need not be an IEEE SPS member. It is preferred that recipients of the IEEE SPS Industrial Innovation Award be members of IEEE. However, the IEEE Board of Governors may approve the presentation to a non-member upon the recommendation of the IEEE SPS Awards Board. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. However, non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Previous recipients of the Industrial Innovation Award are ineligible.  Nominations should be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.  Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Conference Best Paper Award for Industry: The candidate(s) are not required to be IEEE members. Candidates are not required to be working in industry at the time of nomination or when the paper was written. Current members of the Conference Award Evaluation Committee are ineligible. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations can be submitted through two methods: 1) The authors will be given the option to nominate their paper for the award at the paper submission step; or 2) The reviewers will be asked to indicate whether a paper is award quality, as is the case for the regular conference paper awards.

Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee member cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or a member of a committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Please note: boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that Board of Governors voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current members of the Awards Board and the Board of Governors are ineligible. The current President of the Signal Processing Society is ineligible. Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors. Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Please note: boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors members and/or Signal Processing Society Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. The candidate is required to be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Previous recipients of the IEEE SPS Early Career Technical Achievement Award are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the Education Committee, technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors. Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Regional Distinguished Teacher Award. The candidate need not be an IEEE SPS member. It is preferred that recipients of the IEEE SPS Regional Distinguished Teacher Award be members of IEEE. However, the IEEE SPS Board of Governors may approve the presentation to a non-member upon the recommendation of the IEEE SPS Awards Board. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the Education Committee, technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee member cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Please note: boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Signal Processing Society Awards Board members or Regional Directors-at-Large sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Regional Distinguished Teacher Award are ineligible. Current members of the Awards Board and the Regional Directors-at-Large are ineligible and are not permitted to submit nominations. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. The Society’s Awards Board will be responsible for managing the award nomination and selection process. However, an initial review of the nominations will be conducted by the Society’s four Regional Directors-at-Large, who will work as a committee to select up to six nominations among all the submissions, which will be sent to the SPS Awards Board. The Awards Board may select no more than half of the submissions received from the Regional Directors-at-Large (up to three if the Regional Directors-at-Large submit six) as the final awardees. Standard conflict-of-interest (CoI) rules apply throughout the selection process: if there's a conflict, the individual must remove himself/herself from the discussion and voting for all candidates, not only the one with which there is a conflict. Nominations must be received by the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

Q. What is the nomination procedure for IEEE awards?

Technical Committee level endorsement is not needed for IEEE awards, but individual TC members may wish to nominate an individual for an IEEE level award.  The award procedures and selection process are handled by an IEEE level committee.

IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal
The nomination form and award information for the IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal can be found at http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/medals/kilby.html.  Nominations must be received at IEEE by 1 July.

IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Processing
Nomination forms for the IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Processing are now available and can be found at http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/tfas/fourier.html. Nominations must be received at IEEE by 31 January.

IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Technical Field Award
The nomination form and award information for the IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Technical Field Award can be found at http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/tfas/flanagan.html.  Nominations must be received at IEEE by 31 January.

EEE Biomedical Engineering Award
Nomination forms for the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award are now available and can be found at shttps://www.ieee.org/about/awards/technical-field-awards/biomedical-engineering.html#award-nomination-forms. Nominations must be received at IEEE by 15 January and endorsements by 31 January.

 

CONFERENCE ACTIVITES

Q. Where can I find information about organizing a Conference/Workshop?

You can find miscellaneous information and forms concerning organizing a Conference/Workshop on the Society’s web site on the Conference Resources page. Specific information on managing a Conference/Workshop can be found in the IEEE Conference Organizers’ Manual.

Q. Where can I find information on Technical Co-Sponsorship?

Questions regarding Technical Co-Sponsorship by the Signal Processing Society should be addressed to SPS conferences staff.

Q. What is the process for obtaining permission for a Technical Committee to co-sponsor a workshop organized by an outside body?

A conference requesting Technical Co-Sponsorship (TCS) from the Signal Processing Society should fill out the ICX IEEE Conference Application at http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/conf_app.html.  Samatha will review the application for thoroughness and forward the application along with the pertinent background information to the appropriate Technical Committee for a recommendation and to the Conference Board Executive Subcommittee for final approval.

Q. What is the process for obtaining permission for an outside body to Technical co-sponsor (not financial) a workshop organized by a Technical Committee?

The Technical Committee should send a request for Technical Co-Sponsorship (TCS) for an outside entity to SPS conferences staff.  Conference staff will forward the request along with the pertinent background information to the Conference Board Executive Subcommittee for consideration.    The Conference Board Executive Subcommittee will review the information and make a final decision.

Q. What is the process for creating a workshop/conference series?

Technical Committees should contact the SPS conferences staff if they are interested in creating a new conference or workshop.  The following process has been established:

New Society Level Technical Meetings (Conferences, Symposia, etc.). New Society Level Technical Meetings in which the Society is the sponsor or co-sponsor shall require the following clearances:

  1. Review by the Technical Directions Board
  2. Approval by the Conferences Board, including approval of the proposed budget
  3. Approval by the Executive Committee
  4. Approval by the Board of Governors
  5. Approval by the IEEE.

Subsequent notification shall be made to the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE Regional Section Chair

New Technical Committee Level Technical Meetings (Workshops, etc.). New Technical Committee Level Technical Meetings or other new technical meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by one or more of the Society’s Technical Committees or Chapters, or with other organizations shall require the following clearances:

  1. Approval by the cognizant Technical Committee(s)
  2. Approval by the Conferences Board, including approval of the proposed budget
  3. Approval by the Society’s Executive Committee
  4. Approval by the Board of Governors.

Subsequent notification shall be made to the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE Regional Section Chair.

Meetings Having "Technical Cooperation" or "In Cooperation" Status. Technical meetings for which the Society provides no direct financial sponsorship shall require the approval of the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee who subsequently shall notify the Executive Director.

For other conference-related questions, please refer to the Conferences Frequently Asked Questions page.

 

DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS

Q. What is the nomination procedure for the Society’s Distinguished Lecturers/Distinguished Industry Speaker?

The Awards Board shall make an open solicitation for all Distinguished Lecturer/Distinguished Industry Speaker nominations no later than 1 June of each year. All nominations will be considered by the Awards Board and a list of nominees and alternates, along with a list of their lecture topics, will be provided to the Board of Governors at least three weeks prior to its Fall meeting. The Board will consider this list at its Fall meeting and provide its advice and consent for the final selections, which shall be announced by the Awards Board Chair.

 

FINANCE

Q. What happens to the surplus/loss made by the Society’s conferences and workshops?

All the Society’s conference and workshop budgets in a given year are incorporated in the Society’s annual budget.  The conference business is a portion of the overall Society budget.  When a conference or workshop does better/worse than their approved budget, it has an impact on the total net of the Society’s budget.

Q. Where can I see the Conference/Workshop account information?

If you are a conference/workshop organizer and need specific financial information concerning your conference/workshop account, please first contact the conference/workshop Treasurer.  If the Treasurer can’t provide you with the necessary information, please contact Karik Patel at +1 732-562-5488 or kartik.patel@ieee.org.

Q. Is there any funding available from SPS for new initiatives?

Yes, the Society does have funds available to support new initiatives.  However, the initiative must have been reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors or Executive Committee.  If a Technical Committee is interested in bringing forward an idea for a new initiative, they should first talk with the Vice President-Technical Directions and then the Vice President would bring the issue forward for discussion and approval to the Board of Governors or Executive Committee.

Q. Is there any financial support for Technical Committees?

Yes, Technical Committees are eligible for up to $1K annual support to help defray only out-of-pocket expenses related to miscellaneous office activities (copying, postage, etc.).  Up to a quarter of the allocation ($250) per year could be used by the Technical Committee to hire a student for activities such as web page development and maintenance.  It is desirable that the student be paid by the University with the University sending an invoice to the Society, rather than hired as a contractor.  As a reminder, the Society now has a dedicated staff to support the Society’s website.  If you have any questions concerning the site, please contact Rupal Bhatt at +1 732-562-6040 or r.bhatt@ieeee.org.

 

GOVERNANCE

Q. Where can I find the Society’s Constitution, Bylaws and Policy and Procedures?

The Society’s controlling documents can be found on the Society’s website at http://www.signalprocessingsociety.org/about/governance/.  Links to IEEE’s controlling documents can also be found on the same page.

 

MEMBERSHIP

Q. Where can I find the list of IEEE and SPS Fellows?

The IEEE Fellow Directory can be found on the web at http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/fellows/index.html.

Q. Where can I find the list of the current year’s SPS Fellows?

The list of the current year’s SPS Fellows along with citations can be found on the Society’s website at http://www.signalprocessingsociety.org/awards-fellows/fellows-programs/.

Q. Where can I find the list of SPS Senior Members?

The list of current SPS Senior Members can be found on the Society’s website at

https://mga.ieee.org/membership-development/senior-member-program-volunteer-resources/newly-elevated-senior-members

 

PUBLICATIONS ACTIVITIES

Q. Why are EDICS important to a Technical Committee?

EDICS are important to a technical committee because they define what areas the Technical Committee covers in the Society’s publications, as well as its conferences.  The Unified EDICS can be found online at https://signalprocessingsociety.org/publications-resources/unified-edics.

Q. How do I nominate an individual for an Associate Editor position on a journal?

If you are interested in nominating an individual for an Associate Editor position on a journal associated with your Technical Committee, please contact the journal’s Editor-in-Chief.  Information on the Society’s journals can be found on the Society’s website at http://www.signalprocessingsociety.org/publications/periodicals/.

 

SOCIETY EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Q. Where can I find a list of the Executive Office staff?

The list and contact information for all the Society’s Executive Office staff, including what areas they cover, can be found on the Society’s website at https://signalprocessingsociety.org/our-story/sps-staff.

Q. Who manages the Society’s alias lists?

The alias lists are managed by Debbie Blazek.  Debbie’s contact information is +1 732-562-3888 or d.blazek@ieee.org.

Q. How do I find out what alias lists are associated with my Technical Committee?

If you are unsure what group aliases lists are assigned to your Technical Committee, please contact Debbie Blazek at +1 732-562-3888 or d.blazek@ieee.org.

 

WEBSITE

Q. Who do I contact to get access/assistance with the Technical Committee’s website?

The Society’s website is managed by Rupal Bhatt. She can also help you with providing Technical Committee webmasters access to the TC’s web pages.

Q. How does a Technical Committee submit an article to the Inside Signal Processing eNewsletter?

The Inside Signal Processing eNewsletter is a monthly electronic newsletter, which can be found at http://signalprocessingsociety.org/newsletter/.  The eNewsletter serves as a timely platform to help Technical Committees publicize various things such as call for proposals of TC sponsored workshops, publicity for workshops and registration, nomination deadlines, etc.  Each Technical Committee should have a liaison to the eNewsletter.  Technical Committee liaisons should submit articles to the appropriate eNewsletter Associate Editor, which can be found at http://signalprocessingsociety.org/newsletter/about-us/ or you can submit article directly via https://signalprocessingsociety.org/newsletter/submit-article.   Possible article topics include: activity reports to keep society members informed of what TC is doing; articles on emerging topics, trends, and resources; articles on workshop activities, etc.

SPS on Twitter

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