The grade of Fellow is the highest membership grade in the IEEE. The Information Theory Society has many distinguished members who are potential candidates for this honor. Of those members who are evaluated by the IT Society, a good percentage are usually elected.
However, in recent years the number of such nominations has been declining. This year the IT Board of Governors has supported an especially vigorous call for nominations of qualified IT Society members. Fellow elections reflect honor not only on the individuals elected but also on the Society as a whole. The Society also has an interest in uncovering qualified candidates from historically underrepresented subfields, regions and/or institutions.
The basic qualification for election to Fellow is "unusual distinction in the profession." About 250 IEEE members are elected each year. For example, this past year 17 IT Society members were elected, including Lalit Bahl, Aubrey Bush, John Cioffi, Changxin Fan, Thomas Fischer and 12 others (see March 1996 Newsletter). Beyond this basic qualification, nominees must be Senior Members, and must have been IEEE members in good standing for the five previous years.
Preparation of the nomination form is important. Any person may serve as nominator (except IEEE staff or volunteers involved in the Fellow selection process). The basic responsibility of the nominator is to prepare a complete and accurate four-page nomination form that clearly identifies the unique contributions of the candidate. The other principal task of the nominator is to obtain the agreement of five to eight IEEE Fellows who are qualified to judge the candidate's work to serve as references.
Detailed instructions and forms may be found in the IEEE Fellow Nomination Kit, which may be obtained from Ms. Sandy Schumacher, IEEE Fellow Committee, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 (Tel: (908) 562-3889; Fax: (908) 981-9019; e-mail: s.schumacher@ieee.org). Joann Kilyk (Tel: (908) 562-3843; Fax: (908) 981-9019; e-mail: j.kilyk@ieee.org) is Director of the IEEE Fellow Program and will be happy to answer any questions. Dave Forney (Tel: (508) 261-5347; Fax: (508) 337-7173; e-mail: luse27@email. mot.com) is Chair of the IT Fellow Evaluation Committee and is also available for help, particularly in identifying potential references.
The deadline for the nomination form and all reference letters is March 15, 1997. Your society asks you to:
* Think about identifying a qualified candidate; * Ask for a Fellow nomination kit; * Get started early!