Editor's Notes

I am writing this “note” in early August, about one month after the AP-S/URSI meeting that was held in Spokane, WA.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend but I have heard that it was a great success.  I would like to congratulate Jeffrey Young, Shira Broschat, John Schneider and the other members of the Steering Committee on a job well done.

The latest feature article is “WHO WAS JAMES CLERK MAXWELL AND WHAT WAS/IS HIS ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY” by Tapan Sarkar, Magdalena Salazar-Palma, and Dipak Sengupta.  The article provides a nice biography of Maxwell and discusses his contributions to electromagnetics and physics in detail.  comprehensive introduction to the principles of FDM.  While the article provides an excellent introduction and discussion of the topic for students, it will serve as valuable reference material for educators as well.  I encourage you to read the article.

Finally, if you have any content for the website, please let me know and I will get it posted as quickly as possible.

- Steven Best, webeditor@ieeeaps.org

Feature Article

WHO WAS JAMES CLERK MAXWELL AND WHAT WAS/IS HIS ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY
Tapan K. Sarkar*, Magdalena Salazar-Palma**, Dipak L. Sengupta

ABSTRACT - The Electromagnetic community make profuse utilization of Maxwell’s
equations, his theory and their applications. It is arguable that very few of us have clear ideas
about what exactly Maxwell did and what kind of scientist he was.

In fact, he developed many of the fundamental ideas in electrical engineering and
provided mathematical language for their exposition. His contributions to other branches of
science are no less significant. He was not only one of the great scientists of the nineteenth
century but also is great for all time. To this end, the present essay starts with a brief outline of
his life; and then it provides a short but critical discussion of his original contributions in
electromagnetics and their evolution as his electromagnetic theory. We also give a cursory
review of his significant contributions in other areas of science. It is hoped that this will provide
the electromagnetic community readers with better and more complete appreciation of James
Clerk Maxwell as a scientist as well as of his electromagnetic theory as we know now it.

Read full article

Announcements

January 18, 2012:  The Antennas and Propagation Society lost one of its most dynamic and respected researchers in the field of microwave antennas when Professor Marek Bialkowski passed away on October 27 2011. He is survived by his partner Grażyna and four children, one of whom, Konstanty, has followed Marek into our field and is making a name for himself. Marek has also left behind a body of research work and publications, which should ensure his future reputation. Read more.

Web Site Information and Updates

The inaugural launch of the AP-S web site leaves a few areas “under construction”. These include the For Students tab, the Ask an Expert feature and AP Fellows on the Cutting Edge. Updates to these sections of the web site will follow shortly.

In the For Student section of the site, we intend to add education resources, which will include the capability to download a number of IEEE AP-S training videos. With Ask an Expert, we intend to add a feature that will allow students to ask recognized experts in the field basic questions regarding antennas, electromagnetics and wave propagation. We have some implementation considerations to work out on this feature before it goes live. Finally, with AP Fellows on the Cutting Edge we intend to have short feature comments from recently elected AP-S Fellows on critical topics in antennas and electromagnetics.

Navigating the web site is straight-forward using the numerous tabs on the left. You are encouraged to use these tabs rather than the backward and forward features of your browser. If you have any issues or find any errors on the site, please send an email to webeditor@ieeeaps.org