Signal Processing Society Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a quorum and how it applies to voting?
A quorum of a Board or Committee shall be a majority of those members having voting rights. A majority of the legal votes cast by members of the Board or Committee present at a regularly convened meeting shall be necessary for the conduct of business.
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 Board/Committee.
Telecommunication Voting: The Board/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 Board/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 Board/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 Board/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 Board/Committee shall be limited to one vote on each matter being considered by the committee. Proxy voting is not allowed.
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 IEEE website.
AWARD ACTIVITES
Q. What is the nomination procedure for the Society’s awards?
Please refer to Policy 2.21. Awards Nomination Process for details on nomination procedures, as well as Policy 5.7. for Technical Committee and Special Interest Group Award Nomination Procedures. Nomination procedures for each award are detailed below, but full details for each award can be found in Policy 2.20 Signal Processing Society Awards. Refer to the Policies and Procedures Manual on SPS website.
Q. What is the nomination procedure for IEEE awards?
Board/Committee level endorsement is not needed for IEEE awards, but individual Board/Committee 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 here. 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 here. 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 here. Nominations must be received at IEEE by 31 January.
DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS AND DISTINGUISHED INDUSTRY SPEAKERS
Q. What is the nomination procedure for the Society’s Distinguished Lecturers and Distinguished Industry Speakers?
The Awards Board shall make an open solicitation for all Distinguished Lecturers and Distinguished Industry Speakers nominations no later than 31 May 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.
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 here. Links to IEEE’s controlling documents can also be found on the same page.
MEMBERSHIP
Q. Where can I find the list of SPS Member Benefits?
The list of current SPS Member benefits can be found on the Society’s website.
Q. Where can I find the list of IEEE and SPS Fellows?
The list of IEEE and SPS Fellows can be found on the IEEE website.
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 on the IEEE Fellows Program page.
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.
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.
