To be published in the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Magazine. Copyright 2006 by the IEEE, acting as a trustee and agent for the Antenna and Propagation Society.
B. Shanker and D. S. Weile
Co-Chairs of the AP Society Membership Committee
Each year at the Antennas and Propagation (AP) Society Symposium, we host a booth representing the AP society that gives free membership to anyone registered for the conference that has not already joined the society. (Indeed, membership dues are included in the nonmember price.) Inevitably we are asked what the point of membership is, given that conference proceedings are available to attendees, and journal articles are most easily accessed online. The answer is very simple: A society is much more than a collection of papers and journals. A society is a community of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests. In particular, the AP society is a collection of individuals who share a passion for furthering research and development in all areas related to antennas and propagation.
At present, the AP Society is a collection of individuals whose interests span the theoretical, computational, and experimental fronts of cutting edge technology in electromagnetics. Indeed, a sampling of the topics of research includes wireless applications, satellite systems, nano-antennas, biomedical applications, numerical/computational methods, metamaterials, inverse problems and remote sensing, nano-electromagnetics, ultrawide band systems, optics and photonics, plasmonics and others. As is evident, the members of this community have wide ranging interests, and the scope of their intellectual activity is vast. Indeed, pioneering work has been and continues to be done in several of these areas by members of the AP community. The research atmosphere as measured by either the journals or the conferences is vibrant.
However, people do not join a society because of the existence of some luminaries in the field. They do so for the research and development cultures; for the access to cutting edge ideas in informal and formal settings; and most importantly, for the encouragement given by other members. It follows that these factors are what really makes the AP community so vivacious. There is almost always a constant inflow of new members, who serve to maintain a continuous flow of new and evolving ideas. Some of the most important ideas from the last few years have come from seemingly far outside the domain of “conventional electromagnetics” and include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), genetic algorithms, biological applications, and nanotechnology. Many of these topics have become integral enough to the practice of our profession as to become special sessions at conferences and objects of special journal issues. Only members of the AP society can influence and guide discourse in this fashion.
To further mold the future of antennas and propagation research and developments, there are several opportunities to volunteer in the service of the AP society, in both standing and ad hoc committees. Indeed, volunteering in the cause of a society is perhaps the most rewarding feature of being a part of such a community. By volunteering, one not only gets to meet the current leaders of the society; but it also allows one to become part of the leadership. The networking opportunities provided by this activity are invaluable.
The AP society is a leader amongst other IEEE societies in encouraging women and other minority participation in its activities. All our members, regardless of their gender, color, religious or political affiliations, are treated with respect. Every member has an equal opportunity to excel technically within our society.
The AP society, like all IEEE societies, is transnational. It allows all members a means to meet and access other members, wherever they are located. Our activities are truly international. We technically co-sponsor local Chapters as well as local, regional, and international workshops, conferences and symposia. Our Distinguished Lecturers Program offers internationally recognized speakers and their expertise to all parts of the globe. Our journals and magazine represent the results from work conceived and completed by members from this international community. Our members network internationally. These activities foster a climate of technical excellence within an international setting that allows an appreciation of the various cultures involved. Members from all over the world volunteer, they serve on our committees, and they help lead the current and future directions of the AP society.
In the near future, the AP society is looking to further its service to its members with additional member centric activities. Activities that we are planning in the near future include fostering closer ties with the industry and our sister societies within the IEEE, offering life-membership, increasing targeted sessions in conferences to cutting edge technologies, offering networking opportunities for new graduates, setting up forums for continued dialogue on topics of interest to AP, etc. The principal driving force behind most of the planned activities is to foster/sustain a culture of community and to increase the opportunities for networking. The abundance of these opportunities, the sense of community shared by the current members of the society, and the opportunity for mentoring by the best in the field make membership in the AP society necessary for the professional career growth of any electromagnetics professional.