Hello Everyone,

I want to start my article off with a sincere prayer for our young men and women in the armed forces who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for all those who are still in harms way. Many of us have friends and family that have been sent out to defend our country while attempting to liberate others. Let's be sure to keep their safe return in our prayers.

I want to take this opportunity to showcase three of our newest IEEE recruits. Joe Bullington, who was the Huntsville Section Computer Society Chair, is back in town and has decided to take on the PACE position. He has already started coming up with ideas for our Section in the area of Professional Activities. Specifically, he will be working on our networking strategies for those members who are looking for employment. This is a very important benefit of the IEEE, and the Huntsville Section wants to maximize these benefits for our unemployed members.

Next we have Frank Parris. Frank comes to us from Sverdrup, a contractor for NASA/MSFC. Frank has so graciously volunteered his time to be our Educational Activities Chair. He has taken this duty a step further to join the Region 3 Educational Activities Committee. Stay tuned for upcoming events in the educational arena.

Our third spotlight that we are thrilled to introduce - Mr. Charles Bishop. He is replacing Christian Tournes as the new Chair of the Huntsville Chapter of the Controls System Society. He comes to us as a senior engineer from Boeing. Charles is eager to get the ball rolling this year with the CSS. So be on the lookout for their technical meetings.

As you can see, volunteers are beginning to roll in to help our section grow to the next level. But fret not, there's always room for more. We still need YOU! There are other positions available and several ways that you can help us reach and educate our membership. Remember, the IEEE is for YOU, so if you have ideas on how we can improve our membership benefits then let me know about it! If you would like to participate in the Huntsville Section, then feel free to contact me at Sonya.L.Hutchinson@nasa.gov

Willy Albanes, who has served the section for over 25 years, has decided to retire from active participation in the ExCom. During that time he has held almost every position on the ExCom and he has held several of them many times. Willy has also served on Region 3 and National IEEE committees. We will miss Willy's help and we wish him all the best as he enjoys a well-deserved rest. Now all we need is five or six more volunteers to take up the slack.

By the time you read this, the IEEE RadarCon03 will be underway. We are pleased to have the opportunity to host this annual event. We expect about 350 attendees from all over the world. We have over 70 papers to be presented and wonderful speakers to enhance your radar expertise.

Thanks,

Sonya Hutchinson
2003 IEEE Huntsville Section Chair
sonya.hutchinson@ieee.org