As we enter this new year, let me extend a warm welcome to our membership on behalf of the Executive Committee. We had a strong 2003 with improved membership and increased participation and I look forward to continuing this trend with the able and welcome support of the many volunteers on the Executive Committee. I strongly encourage you to become engaged in the section, participate in its many activities, and take the opportunity to grow yourself both personally and professionally. As you all know, the section survives and grows due to the efforts of volunteers and any progress for the future can only be made with your help and dedication.

I would also like to express my appreciation to the membership for the opportunity to serve as Chairman for 2004. I am confident that with the continued efforts of the many outstanding individuals on the Executive Committee and the ever improving participation of our membership that we can capitalize and even improve on the excellent performance and accomplishments of the past year.

As we move forward, let us take a moment to acknowledge some of the many accomplishments made in 2003 under the able and dedicated stewardship of Dwayne Lowry. We moved forward on many fronts, such as establishing the Houston Section GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Affinity group, revitalizing PACE and Engineering Council of Houston (ECH) groups, significantly increased membership over 2002, and the continued success of the Houston Section annual golf tournament which increased the number of scholarships for this year from three to five. None of which would have been possible without the enthusiastic, dedicated, and personable leadership of Dwayne. Thanks, Dwayne, for your leadership and commitment from all of us in the Houston Section.

Looking forward, we have a number of exciting events scheduled and endless opportunities for volunteers to contribute to the Electrical and Electronics Engineering community and the continued success of our section. The opportunities for 2004 include the annual OTC and SWEE Conferences, Women in Engineering group, and the aforementioned, PACE and ECH groups. As you are all aware, the IEEE is a volunteer organization. The primary success of any “volunteer” organization is getting the volunteers. Please take the time to consider volunteering in some capacity. You will find your time was well worth it. If you are interested, please contact an Excom member.

We will kick off the general meetings with a very interesting session on real time systems. Dr. Albert Cheng will make a presentation titled “Formal Analysis and Verification of Embedded and Real-Time Systems.” His presentation deals with the use of practical formal analysis and verification techniques to ensure that the implemented systems performed as required. Dr. Cheng is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Houston.

Gilroy Dolor
Houston Section Chair