IEEE ISRAEL THE FIRST SECTION IN REGION 8

Dr. Jacob Baal-SchemMember, IEEE History Committee

Past Chair of Israel Section (1977-1981)

IRE Israel – first section in the Eastern Hemisphere

In June 1954, 30 members of I.R.E. residing in Israel met in Haifa and applied “for the formation of an IRE section in conformity with I.R.E. regulations".

The establishment of the "first IRE section in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Israel Section" was approved by the IRE Board of Directors at its October 1954 meeting, and the official date of founding of the Israel Section is 5 October 1954.

ISRAEL SECTION – FROM IRE TO IEEE

• At the merger of IRE and AIEE to form IEEE, on January 1, 1963, Region 8 was formed, including Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

• Thereby IEEE Israel Section became the first Section of IEEE Region 8.

Israel IEEE Section membership

• As of 2012, IEEE Israel Section counts more than 1150 members (including 100 Life Members) and has 18 active Technical Chapters and 2 Affinity Groups (Women in Engineering and Life Members).

• IEEE Israel Section is proud of its 56 IEEE Fellows and of its members who received IEEE Awards and Medals including Prof. Jacob Ziv and Prof. Abraham Lempel, as well as Dov Frohman – Bentchkowsky.

• One of its members – Elya B. Joffe - was 2008/9 President of EMC Society and 2011 President of PSES.

IEEE Israel Section Chairs• 1955-1956 Franz Ollendorf • 1957-1958 E. H. Frei • 1959 I. Cederbaum • 1960 J. Shekel • 1961 R. R. Gamzon • 1962 E. H. Frei • 1963 A. Nathan • 1964 A. Shani • 1965 A. I. Nizan • 1966-1967 Uzia Galil• 1968-1969 Yeshayahu Lavie• 1969-1971 Gurion Meltzer • 1972-1974 Israel Ben Arzi • 1975-1977 Marc Weissenstern

• 1978-1981 Jacob Baal-Schem• 1982-1983 Itzhak Ish-Hurvitz• 1984-1985 David Biran • 1986-1988 Ezra Zeheb• 1989-1990 Uzi Z. Padan • 1991-1992 Ezra Zeheb• 1993-1995 Ady Seidman• 1996-1998 Anthony J. Weiss• 1999-2001 Ady Seidman• 2002-2005 Arie Braunstein• 2006-2010 Sigmond Singer• 2011-2012 Simon Litsyn

IEEE Israel Conventions

• Since 1971 the IEEE Israel Section holds a Technical Conference, every second year.

• For many years, this is the country's major technical conference in Electronics and Computer Engineering

MELECON – a new Region 8 Conference

• Towards the 1981 Conference, IEEE Israel Chair contacted EUREL and proposed to hold EUROCON in Tel-Aviv. As the request was refused, IEEE Section proposed to Region 8 to initiate MELECON – the Mediterranean Electrotechnical Conference

MELECON 1981• This proposal was

accepted and the Israel Section organized the first MELECON in Tel-Aviv on May 1981, with an International attendance of 1200 participants, in presence of Israel President – Itzhak Navon and the President of IEEE – Dick Damon.

IEEE MILESTONES IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

• The IEEE Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing program honors significant technical achievements in all areas associated with IEEE. It is a program of the IEEE History Committee, administered through the IEEE History Center. Milestones recognize the technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity found in unique products, services, seminal papers and patents.

• IEEE Board has approved two Milestones in Israel.

Lempel-Ziv Data Compression Algorithm Milestone dedicated September 2004at the Technion, Haifa

• The data compression algorithm developed at this site in 1977 by Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv became a basis for enabling data transmission via the internet in an efficient way. It contributed significantly in making the internet a global communications medium.

WEIZAC Milestone – dedicated Dec. 2006

• The WEIZAC (Weizmann Automatic Computer) was the first computer in Israel, and one of the first large-scale, stored-program, electronic computers in the world.

• It was built at the Weizmann Institute during 1954-1955, based on the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) architecture developed by John von Neumann. The WEIZAC was operational until December 29, 1963

Actual activities• The section continues to hold a Technical Conference every

second year, with up to 350 attendees.• In 1998 the Section hosted again MELECON, in Tel-Aviv. • The AP/MTT Chapter organizes since 2003 yearly Symposia, which

became since 2008 COMCAS International Conferences (Conference On Microwaves, Communications, Antennas, Solid State Circuits and Electronic systems), with up to 900 participants.

• The Communications Chapter hosted "INFOCOM 2000" in Tel-Aviv.• The Computer Chapter hosted the 2010 IEEE International

Conference on Software – Science, Technology & Engineering.• The Life Members Group organizes since 2009 a series of 3-5

"Technical Friday" events per year with an audience of about 200.• HISTELCON – HISTory of Electrotechnology CONference will be

held in Israel in 2015.

Contributions to technologyby IEEE Israel Section members

• Franz Ollendorff – Faculty of Electrical engineering founder• Uzia Galil – “Father of Israel Hjigh-Tech” (Elron,1962)• Ziv-Lempel – Enablers of fast digital communication (1977)• Zeev Bonen – Founding father of Israel's military industries• Dov Frohman – EPROM invention - impact on computers• Izhak Kidron - Father of Israel's microelectronics industry • Moshe Zakai – Communication/radar operating under noise • Yeshayahu Lavie – IDF/MoC Technological modernization and many more….

Summary

• Israel Engineering Community was always a forerunner

• There is much more to come…..

Thanksfor your attention

(j.baal.schem@ieee.org)