By Michael N. Geselowitz, Ph.D., Staff Director, IEEE History Center
Many of us would be happy to make our mark in one field. Imagine revolutionizing two fields. From time to time, this column has featured individuals who were trained as electrical engineers but became known for other endeavors (the British comic actor Rowan Atkinson was an early example). This month we would like to feature an individual who became well-known both as an electrical engineer and later in another endeavor.
By Thomas Jepsen, Chair, IEEE-USA Medical Technology Policy Committee
The recent push to computerize health care has resulted in a confusing set of acronyms that even health IT professionals sometimes have trouble understanding. The transition from paper medical records to electronic records has resulted in a proliferation of terms. The following is an attempt to sort out the “alphabet soup” of health care IT and expand some of the common acronyms that you may encounter.
By Abby Vogel
10. Wikipedia
When you need to look up a quick fact or double-check some stats, Wikipedia can be a very useful tool. It’s also very addicting, especially if you become involved in contributing to the articles. But even if you don’t contribute, reading one article leads to reading another, which leads to another … and there’s your whole day. The lure of soaking up useless facts while you’re supposed to be getting work done is sometimes overwhelming.
Reviewed By Terrance Malkinson
New York, McGraw Hill – 2009
ISBN 978-0-07-160556-4
Author Joseph Fiksel believes that environmental sustainability is compatible with economic growth and is essential to the revitalization and continuity of our global economy. This 390-page book provides a guide to the design and development of environmentally responsible products and processes. Offered are both a business rationale for developing sustainable products and processes, and a comprehensive toolkit for implementing design for the environment into product life-cycle management. Information provided is useful to managers, product developers, environmental specialists, government, and academics.
By Terrance Malkinson
It’s time to reconnect our children with the outdoors, where there are no electrical outlets and no technology. Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around the campfire, children today are more likely to attend computer or weight-loss camps or the movies. 2008 Audubon Medal recipient, Richard Louv describes in his book, Last Child in the Woods, a phenomenon called nature-deficit disorder. His book has sparked a national discussion about the disconnect between children and the natural world. Louv believes that the lack of nature experiences in the lives of today’s wired generation leads to disturbing childhood trends, including increases in obesity, attention-deficit disorders, depression, as well as other disorders.
Fraunhofer
IEEE