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Editorial
This being the fourth issue of the SMC Newsletter of 2014 comes
following the excellent Flagship Conference held in October in
San Diego. Congratulations to Bill Gruver for a job well done.
Many awards recognizing our colleagues' excellence were presented
and this Newsletter Issue includes a section devoted to the awardees
and their contributions.
It is with extreme sadness that we report the passing of Andy Sage
and this newsletter issue includes two eulogies by his George
Mason's Colleagues. Our SMC community's tributes will appear in the first issue of the SMC
Magazine.
The Magazine is the result of work of many volunteer leaders of the Society who envisioned a
publication that appeals to its membership by offering technical features and news and other
items of interest that act as a communication vehicle for all members to share.
Late in 2012, the then President of the SMC Society, Dr. Phillip Chen requested IEEE Strategic
Research to conduct a survey of society members to measure respondents' interest in the new
Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) Magazine. Society members were surveyed using a self-
administered online questionnaire. Participants indicated that the Magazine would be
intellectually interesting and they would likely read it. Participants indicated the subject matter
covered by the Magazine is a growing field that is personally interesting to them. An
overwhelming majority of respondents stated that they were likely to submit an article for
publication within the five years following the survey. The volunteer leaders of SMC then had a
strong mandate to proceed with seeking approval for the new magazine. As SMC Vice President
for Publications, Dr. Ljiljana Trajkovic took the lead in subsequent preparations for the Magazine.
I was tasked to work with Dr. Trajkovic to prepare submissions to IEEE Technical Activities
Board seeking approval of the Magazine.
In October 2013, Dr. Trajkovic was elected 2014-2015 President of SMC, and Dr. Dimitar Filev to
succeed her as Vice President for Publications. The preparations for the magazine took the best
part of 2013, culminating in early February 2014 with IEEE Technical Activities Board approving
the publication of the IEEE SMC Magazine beginning in 2015.
I look forward to working with you on issues and notes of interest to you. Please let me hear from
you on your technical committee activities, new publications and theses, conferences, technical
features, and major events in your community.
With best wishes for a happy 2015.
M. E. El-Hawary, Ph.D. P. Eng.
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dalhousie University
1360 Barrington Street
Box 15000, Halifax, N.S. B3H 4R2
Phone: (902) 494-6198
Email: [email protected]
