Distinguished Industry Speaker Program

Distinguished Industry Speaker Program

The Society's Distinguished Industry Speaker (DIS) Program provides means for chapters to have access to individuals who are recognized experts with a background in industrial applications in the signal processing area and are well versed in the ongoing issues/activities in industry, to lecture at Chapter meetings. Distinguished Industry Speakers will supplement the regular Distinguished Lecturer (DL) Program and will closely mirror the DL Program.  The main difference and goal of the Distinguished Industry Speakers Program is to educate and interact with Society members about topics that are of primary importance to industry and the signal processing community-at-large.  The speakers will focus their presentations on industrial applications of interest to practicing engineers and stress practical issues.  The Distinguished Industry Speakers will be available to all SPS Chapters, as are DLs, but lectures will be focused on current and future issues, applications and/or activities in industry.  

To further encourage Chapter and member engagement with signal processing experts in industry, all SPS Chapters may formally invite prior SPS Distinguished Industry Speakers to lecture at Chapter events along with the current class of Distinguished Industry Speakers. By formalizing this process, it is meant to enable Chapters to energize their local communities with dynamic signal processing content and generate interest by expanding the Chapter’s access to network with well-respected leaders in the field. While many IEEE Societies have similar programs, the SPS provides financial support for the Chapters to take advantage of the service.

For operational information on the SPS Distinguished Industry Speaker Program, please see the following file:

• DIS Operational Program Information

Upcoming Lectures › 

Program Coordinator

Please send your message to sp-lecturers@listserv.ieee.org.

Program is Open to

Signal Processing Society Chapters and Student Branch Chapters Only

To Request a Speaker

Chapter should:

• Contact directly the desired Distinguished Industry Speaker to set the date and negotiate travel expenses.
• Please fill out the Distinguished Industry Speaker REQUEST AND BUDGET FORM and submit your request for pre-approval of expenses. 
• After the approval, recontact the Distinguished Industry Speaker to confirm expenses/arrangements.
• If you have any questions, please contact sp-lecturers@listserv.ieee.org.

Student Branch Chapter should:

• Contact your local SPS Chapter to coordinate a joint event featuring the Distinguished Industry Speaker. If there is no local SPS Chapter, the Student Branch Chapter can apply directly to the Society.
• Contact directly the desired Distinguished Industry Speaker to set the date and negotiate travel expenses.
• Please fill out the Distinguished Industry Speaker REQUEST AND BUDGET FORM and submit your request for pre-approval of expenses. 
• After the approval, recontact the Distinguished Industry Speaker to confirm expenses/arrangements.
• If you have any questions, please contact sp-lecturers@listserv.ieee.org.

Speaker Expenses

The Society provides an allotment of up to $3,500 per SPS Chapter and SPS Student Branch Chapters annually to use towards scheduling Society-appointed Distinguished Industry Speakers, provided they are pre-approved by the Program Coordinator. The allotment is to help defray speaker travel expenses. Any unused balance from one year does not carry over to the next.

Additional Chapter Support

The Society also provides support for coffee breaks and other small social gatherings in conjunction with meetings up to $500 per SPS Chapter annually. Please submit your request for pre-approval of expenses to sp-lecturers@listserv.ieee.org. Note that funding will be done on a reimbursement basis and funds must be pre-approved. 

Student Branch Chapter Support

Student Branch Chapters are eligible for $500 annually to help support invited speakers, career development activities such as soft skill training, social functions in connection to Student Branch Chapter meetings, and similar related activities. Funding will be provided up front based on the submitted proposal/request. The funded Student Branch Chapter will be expected to provide receipts in a timely fashion based on IEEE’s guidelines after the event, and any continued funding for the following years would be contingent on the Student Branch Chapter having properly submitted receipts for the prior year. Student Branch Chapters must also write a small summary of the event to be featured in the SPS Newsletter. Requests for funding can be submitted to the SBC Funding Request form, using the SBC Budget Template as a supporting document. Any questions can be directed to sp-sbc-funding@listserv.ieee.org.

Student Branch Chapter Growth Reward

Student Branch Chapters are eligible to receive $25 for each new member, up to a maximum of $250 annually to be used towards additional funding for such activities as networking events, soft skill training, social functions in connection to Student Branch Chapter meetings, Distinguished Lecture related activities and similar related activities. This item is subject to budget approval by the Executive Committee.