IEEE-USA is sponsoring a great opportunity for members who are interested in discussing technology policy issues with their Congressional representatives.

The Science, Engineering and Technology Congressional Visits Day (SET CVD) is an annual two-day event that brings scientists, engineers, mathematicians, researchers, educators, and technology executives to Washington to raise visibility of the long-term importance of science, engineering and technology to the nation through face-to-face meetings with Members of Congress, congressional staff, key Administration officials and other decision-makers.

The core messages we will deliver are:

•        Balanced federal investment in Science, Engineering and Technology is fundamental to the future of our Nation’s prosperity.

•        Science, Engineering and Technology partnerships between government, universities, and industries mean progress, economic growth and jobs for our Nation.

•        Federal investments in basic research must be maintained, even in a tight fiscal environment.

SET-CVD 2019 will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-3 April, in Washington, D.C.  The program consists of training and meetings on the first day and a full day of visits with your Congressional delegates on the second day.  You can find more information and a link for registration at https://ieeeusa.org/advocacy/cvd/.

Section News

The NoVA Section is continuing to plan events and activities for 2019.  This will be the topic of the March 13th AdCom Meeting.  You are welcome to attend and to assist with this planning.  If you are not able to join us but have ideas for events, you can send them to me or any AdCom member.

Please visit the section’s website (https://r2.ieee.org/nova/) for information on local IEEE and related activities.  We want to make the website a useful tool for you.

Volunteering

IEEE NoVA always welcomes new volunteers.  We have a number of one-time events for which help is needed and longer-term roles that need to be filled.  Let me know if you wish to explore ways to work with your fellow IEEE members.

I have been asked to let you know that organizers of DC and Maryland Science and Engineering Fairs need volunteers to help with judging.  Perhaps it might be more convenient for you to help at one of these instead of a Northern Virginia event.  You can find out how you can help at https://r2.ieee.org/nova/calendar/local-non-ieee-events/.

Upcoming Events

The best way to stay informed of local activities is to visit the NoVA website’s pages https://r2.ieee.org/nova/events/that lets you search for events of interest, orhttps://r2.ieee.org/nova/calendar/that provides a list of the next 2 months events.

Note that if you have trouble getting to events that interest you (and who doesn’t have trouble commuting in the DC area!), many events are broadcasted via WebEx and you can attend virtually.  You must register and under Special Instructions request WebEx login information.

The events currently scheduled for next few months include:

Special Forums, Seminars, and Conferences

Title	Date	Section	Chapter	Location	Virtual
IEEE NoVA AdCom Meeting	13 Mar 2019 06:30	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	N/A	Fairfax, Virginia	Yes
Washington Union Station 2nd Century Plan	12 Mar 2019 11:30	WASHINGTON	VTS	Washington, District of Columbia	No
Neuroweapons: The Real and Present Threat of New Neuroactive Drugs, Bugs, Toxins and Devices	07 Mar 2019 06:30	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	SSIT	McLean, Virginia	Yes
IEEE-USA Congressional Visits: Orientation Session	02 Apr 2019 12:00	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	IEEE-USA	Washington, District of Columbia	No
IEEE-USA Congressional Visits Day	03 Apr 2019 08:00	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	IEEE-USA	Washington, District of Columbia	No
Swiss Railways	09 Apr 2019 11:30	WASHINGTON	VTS	Washington, District of Columbia	No
Garbage In, Garbage Out: The Predictable and Unpredictable Challenges of Regulating Machine Learning Systems	11 Apr 2019 06:30	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	SSIT	Washington, District of Columbia	No
IEEE NoVA AdCom Meeting	10 Apr 2019 06:30	NORTHERN VIRGINIA	N/A	Fairfax, Virginia	Yes
Air Brakes State-of-the-Art	14 May 2019 11:30	WASHINGTON	VTS	Washington, District of Columbia	No

The IEEE Conference on Communication and Network Security (CNS), which is one of COMSOC’s portfolio events, is going to be held in Washington DC, June 10-12, 2019.  The conference organizers are hoping for local participation in the conference. They have an upcoming March 5 deadline for poster (https://cns2019.ieee-cns.org/authors/call-posters)and workshop (https://cns2019.ieee-cns.org/program/workshops) submissions.  They also be posting registration and student travel grant info soon.

Best wishes,

Michael Olex

Chair, IEEE Northern Virginia Section