Society Briefs
Moufid Harb, Larus Technologies Corp., CANADA Bruno Di Stefano, Nuptek Systems Ltd., CANADA and Pablo A. Estevez University of Chile, CHILE
IEEE CIS Webinars Activities and Future Plan
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he IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) – Members Activities committee (MAC) disseminates advanced knowledge on hot topics in computational intelligence (CI) seminars around the world through its Webinars Sub-Committee (WSC). The WSC invites speakers, organizes seminars and distributes them through the web. This service is free of charge to IEEE-CIS members. The 2011 - WSC is chaired by Dr. Moufid Harb, and vice chaired by Mr. Bruno Di Stefano (First chair of WSC in 2009 & 2010). This sub-Committee has seven other members: Mrs. Deana Delp, Dr. Jong-Hwan Kim, Dr. Albert Y.S. Lam, Dr. Bin Li, Dr. Xiaodong Li, Dr. Vincenzo Loia, and Dr. Simon M. Lucas. The WSC falls under the CIS Members Activities Committee led by the Vice President of Members Activities, Dr. Pablo A. Estevez. The very first webinar offered by the IEEE CIS WSC was broadcast from Toronto (Canada) on Wednesday, November 26, 2008, and was used as a proof of concept for the IEEE CIS webinars program, which was actually started on January 2009. During 2010, the WSC successfully organized nine webinars. Three of them were originated in Chile, one in UK, four in Canada (two included material prerecorded in the USA), and one in Italy.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MCI.2011.941581 Date of publication: 14 July 2011
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Topics covered different aspects of CI. They are as follows: “Soft Computing for Sensor and Algorithm Fusion”, “Computational Intelligence Applied to Data Visualization and Time Series Analysis”, “Introduction to Pattern Recognition, Fuzzy Models and Cluster Analysis, with selected applications to medical image processing”, “Representation in Evolutionary Computation”, “Playing Games with N-Tuple Systems”, “The Use of General Neuron Functions within Neural Networks”, “An Open Integrated Environment for Transparent Fuzzy Agents Design: the
Transparent Fuzzy Agents Design: the Fuzzy Markup Language”, was instrumental in starting a new IEEE CIS Standard group that is now moving towards becoming an IEEE Standard. Some hardware compatibility issue was faced during the run of some of these webinars. Therefore, when advertising any webinars event, the WSC will provide instructions to war n speakers and attendees of problems that could be issued by any hardware incompatibilities among different computers used for broadcasting or receiving the webinar. These instructions
Announcing IEEE–Computational intelligence (CI) Society Webinars Program that disseminates advanced knowledge on hot topics in CI through the web showing 2 years history of this program. Fuzzy Markup Language”, “Computational Intelligence: Natural Information Processing”, “Biometrics: Solutions for Security and Authentication”. Five webinars were organized and successfully run in 2009, four from Canada (two from Toronto and two from Ottawa) and one from Australia (Canberra). While most webinars were attended by 120–150 members, the attendance record was 208 members spread over North and South America, Europe and North Africa, and Asia. One webinar broadcast from Italy, “An Open Integrated Environment for
IEEE COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2011
shall include: the minimum hardware requirements, and system setup instructions to master the technology for having a better and broader use of webinars. Advertising is the most important issue that helps to provide a significant number of attendees. We will formally advertise our webinars using the “CIS EMaC event map and calendar”, “IEEE CIS mailing list” respecting rules and regulations and its timeline, the electronic newsletters of the IEEE CIS, the newsletter of the sponsoring IEEE Section, the newsletter of the Region of the sponsoring section, IEEE CIS
webinar program mailing List, IEEE Exploring future plan of this program highlighting 2011 CIS Repository, our WSC private contacts mailing lists. activities, holding webinars, technical issues, duration, This year (2011) webinars will be questioning methodology, webinars materials, speakers originating in different locations around and attendees responsibilities, location, recording and the world respecting the geographical balance. Therefore, to run a number of CIS repository. webinars and schedule them around 2011, the WSC members have selected topics and speakers from what has been asked, and then, the their respective research areas. In speaker provides the answer for all addition, the WSC is arranging with to hear. Unfortunately, for the time the IEEE- CIS Women in CI Subbeing, we do not provide real-time Committee to organize their video of the speaker’s face, as that planned webinars. Furthermore, requires the speaker to have nonCIS-GOLD Sub-Committee was tr ivial knowledge; this feature invited to run a webinar about might be available in the near CIS GOLD. future. Speakers, ideally, should use The WSC will try to have one a f ast computer minimum of or two CIS chapters co-sponsoring 1 GHz CPU with at least 2 GB, a webinar events meant to cover their good microphone and a good region. Since the time zone differspeaker system. An earphone and ence has slight implications, thereseparate microphone are best utifore, we will try to synchronize To the right Prof. Jim Bezdek is preparing for his webinar lized to avoid echo. More details with the speaker at least a couple of seminar during the 2010 CI Summer School EVIC10 held about system requirements for both times before the actual broadcast is in Chile, assisted by Dr. Marcos Orchard. speakers and attendees are available conducted. However, trying to run at: www.gotomeeting.com/fec/ the webinar in a time, that is, prime webinar/webinar_support time in the region where the webiOur transmitted webinars will nar originates and to ask the speakbe recorded and uploaded to the er to adapt to the time of the IEEE-CIS Repository at http:// location the webinar is meant for. sites.google.com/site/ciseducationFor example, if the webinar is site/home/webinars or at other site meant for Washington and the as it may become available for the speaker is from Europe, then the repository. These recorded ones European speaker has to accommowill be available to CIS members date for the best “viewing time” in free of charge. There is still an issue Washington. with the available server space. Our webinar duration is not When IEEE CIS get the repository preferred to go above 60 minutes server, the archived webinars will (45 to 60 is preferable), as it be stored. becomes tiring soon after. During For our new events, you may this time, speakers typically present Prof. Pablo Estevez gives his webinar seminar during the visit our webpage, and every one is whatever is prepared for their talk 2010 CI Summer School EVIC10 held in Chile. encouraged to register in the WSC such as power point slides, portable private contacts mailing list, in order document format (PDF) documents, webinar. Links for the webinar and its to guaranty that you will be informed of and associated audio and video files, etc. registration are always posted on the any new webinar event. Subscription is Additionally, speakers can run the webiWSC webpage at the end of the performed at the bottom of the CISnar from their preferred location, as announcement dedicated for that parWSC webpage at: http://ieee-cis.org/ long as they have access to broadband ticular webinar. Our webinars allow members/webinars/. Internet as well as a room that is relaattendees to ask questions, and speakers Finally, if you have an intention to tively noise-free. The webinar audience to respond to them. The speaker give a webinar in a hot topic related to can attend using a specific website if responds by repeating the question to CI, please, contact the chair of the CISthey have formally registered for said allow all attendees to pay attention to WSC at
[email protected].
AUGUST 2011 | IEEE COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE
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