Plotting To Save The World: An Invitation To
Power Engineers To Help Shape The Future
by Lee H. Goldberg
If you are reading this column I probably don't have to explain to you that energy is one of the most pressing issues we're facing today. But it's probably worth noting that electricity production is second only to transportation in the consumption of rapidly dwindling, and environmentally-damaging fossil fuels.* That's why I'd like you to consider my invitation to help shape the agenda of a new track on Energy Conservation and Management the IEEE's International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment (ISEE), one of the world's foremost events on green electronics. This gathering of environmentally-minded technologists is one of the most influential events of its kind, dedicated to understanding, and reducing, the environmental impact of the electronics industry and the products we produce. And you could have a role in shaping next year's agenda.
For next year's conference, to be held in San Francisco, May 8 - 11, 2006, the ISEE is expanding its focus beyond the traditional topics involved the life cycle of electronic products, particularly computers, to look at technical areas that are converging with traditional electronics, such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and energy.
That's where you come in. As the guy putting together the session on energy issues, I'd love to get your thoughts on what's happening, what's possible, and what should be happening to get the most out of every watt we produce. While I've tentatively identified a few basic areas I'd like to cover (power supplies, lighting, motor controls, computing, and energy management), your ideas will determine the final shape of this panel session.
Besides helping me select the overall themes for our session, I'd also like to invite you to propose a paper you'd like to present at the conference. Because ISEE is not your typical trade show you'll need to go beyond the glorified product pitches that usually pass for papers at most events and give us some juicy ideas that could help shape how the next generation of electronics is designed, manufactured, and used. I'm hoping to provide a good balance of material that is of interest both to high-level academics and hard-core folks who actually translate theory into practical applications.
Some of the topics I'm kicking around so far include:
Of course you probably have some ideas of your own, and there's a good chance that there's a space for them at our session. To make sure your ideas get to be a part of this heady mix, I'd like to hear from you as soon as possible, preferably by the end of July.
But whether or not you decide to contribute to the program, you should make plans to be at what promises to be the largest and most interesting installment in the event's 13-year history. Registration will open later this year, but you can get a preview of the event by visiting the ISEE's web site any time. I'll look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing you in San Francisco next spring.
Comments? Questions? Ideas for things to do in San Francisco? Write me at: lgoldberg@green-electronics.com.
* "Power plants burn a third of the world's fuel and emit a third of the resulting CO2, as well as a third of the NOx and two-thirds of the SOx, both of which also contribute to global warming a little directly, and more by degrading forests and other ecosystems that otherwise store carbon." Excerpted from Least-Cost Climatic Stabilization by Amory Lovins, et. al., published by the Rocky Mountain Institute.
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