About Us
Sections are the smallest geographic sub-units of the IEEE, and members are automatically assigned to the section where they live. Under certain circumstances, they can transfer to another section where they work or attend school. The Northern VA Section has about 4500 members in Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Frederick, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester. Just west of the nation’s capital, the area boasts many excellent schools, cultural attractions, and ethnic diversity. Many industries are based or have offices here, especially finance, government, health, and telecommunications.
Northern Virginia is one of the five IEEE sections existing in Virginia, but it is the only one in IEEE Region 2; the rest of the sections are in Region 3.
Sections can join together to form areas. For example, many Northern VA members work in or around the Washington Section, which includes the District of Columbia and nearby parts of Maryland and southeastern West Virginia. Also, many members of their section work in ours; so, together we are, informally, the National Capital Area – sponsoring joint technical chapters, and hosting the Awards Banquet.
Many members commute between the National Capital Area and Baltimore, MD. Together with the Baltimore Section, we form the “South Area” of Region 2. Region 2 also has North, West, and East areas comprising 18 other sections in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. IEEE is a world-wide organization divided into 10 regions. Region 2, along with Regions 1, and 3 through 6, cover the United States. (They also constitute IEEE-USA.) Region 7 covers Canada, 8 covers Europe and Africa, 9 covers South & Central America, and 10 all of Asia.
The diagram below shows the relationship between the Northern VA section and other IEEE geographic groups. Sections have their own local leaders, and the IEEE encourages members within local geographic regions to form smaller groups based on common interests. To see the other types of groups Northern VA Section members work in and with, visit the other options in this About Us pull-down menu.
