Multimedia Signal Processing Technical Committee

Bylaws and Procedures

Revision of September 2000 Bylaws.

Approved February 2008.

Name:
Multimedia Signal Processing Technical Committee (MMSP-TC).
Purpose:
To promote the advancement of multimedia signal processing technology.
Field of Interests:
The field of interests of the MMSP-TC shall be those of the signal processing society with special emphasis on the interaction, coordination, synchronization, and joint processing of multimedia and multi-modality signals.
Scope of Activities:
1. Assist with the review of papers within its scope in cooperation with journal and magazine editors;
  Procedure: TC Chair will keep contact with EICs of SPS Transactions, SP letters, and IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, as well as the editor of IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, to recommend qualified associate editors and reviewers who need not be a current MMSP-TC member.
2. Assist in the review of papers submitted to Society conferences;
  Procedure: TC Chair, upon request of the conference technical program chair, shall coordinate the paper review for ICASSP, ICME and other SPS sponsored conferences within the technical field of interests of MMSP-TC. All current TC members shall participate in paper review.
3. Organize and operate independent symposia, seminars, and workshops, or sessions at technical meetings of the Society or of the IEEE, at all levels, and at meetings of other organizations having cooperative relationships with the Society, in accordance with IEEE rules and procedures and the rules for such meetings;
  Procedure: For IEEE workshops operated by the MMSP-TC, the TC Chair shall appoint a conference subcommittee to prepare a call for workshop proposals, which will be reviewed by the TC and made publicly available. Responses to the call will be evaluated by the TC members, and the final selection of future workshop venues shall be determined by majority vote among TC members. While the active involvement of TC members in the organizing committee is strongly encouraged, those members that are listed as part of the organizing committee shall abstain from voting. For other workshops, the MMSP-TC may consider technical co-sponsorship, which indicates direct and substantial involvement in the organization of the technical program, but no financial involvement. Technical co-sponsorship of a workshop by the MMSP-TC shall require active support from at least one-third of the voting members, which implies a willingness to review papers for the workshop and assist in the organization of the technical program.
4. Endorse nominations in the Society awards and IEEE Fellow processes;
  Procedure: TC Chair shall appoint an awards subcommittee to process nominations for SPS society award, technical achievement award, meritorious service award, and SPS paper awards within the technical field of interests of MMSP-TC. Nomination processing includes calling for nominations from inside and outside the TC, collecting nominations, conducting voting among the TC members, and sending endorsed nominations to the SPS Awards Board. Self-nominations shall not be accepted. Subcommittee and TC members who are the subject of a nomination shall be recused from the process. TC Chair, upon request of IEEE Fellow nominators, may provide endorsement for individuals to the grade of IEEE Fellow on behalf of the TC. This is typically reserved for those that have made notable contributions to the MMSP community through active involvement in the MMSP workshop organization and other MMSP-TC related activities. Support from at least half of the voting members is required for nomination of paper and service awards, as well as IEEE Fellow endorsement.
5. Assist in the development of appropriate IEEE standards within scope, according to the rules and procedures of the IEEE.
  Procedure: Upon request by IEEE or recommendation of TC members, TC Chair shall appoint ad hoc subcommittee to participate in the standard development activities.
Membership:
The technical committee members shall be current SPS members of good standing, and be elected by the members of the technical committee itself. The MMSP-TC shall have no more than 30 regular members. Each member shall serve a 4 year term. Successive terms must be separated by at least 1 year duration in between. Any member that voluntarily resigns from the TC may re-apply to become a TC member again one year after the membership was terminated.
Member election procedure:
1. New member election shall be held once each year, usually towards the end of each calendar year.
2. Nomination of candidates for new TC members must be made to a membership subcommittee appointed by the TC Chair. The membership subcommittee will be responsible to publicizing the rules of nomination in the MMSP-TC home page and other appropriate media.
3. Nominations will be open to all SPS members with good standing. Prospective candidates must submit an application form and a one-page vitae (or URL of his/her home-page) to the membership subcommittee so that their qualification can be verified.
4. The maximum number of new TC members of each year shall not cause the MMSP-TC to exceed the upper bound of 30 voting members. Candidates must receive majority (1/2) votes at the meeting to be qualified as new TC members. If there are more candidates qualifying for new member than the quota allowed, their votes shall be ranked, and any tie will be broken by the TC Chair.
5. The election will be conducted by e-mail, unless another means is proposed and approved by the TC.
6. The membership of newly elected members will be based on calendar year and effective from the next January 1st.
Management:
1. The Chair of each Technical Committee shall be nominated by the Technical Committee itself and appointed by the Society Executive Committee (See 203.6). The term of office of the TC Chair shall be no more than two calendar years, unless otherwise designated by the Board of Governors.
2. The members of the Technical Committee shall elect, from among their members, a Vice-Chair, who is also the Chair-Elect and Secretary, approximately one year before the TC Chairs term expires; the Vice-Chair will assist with major TC activities and communication to the Society before the new term begins.
3. As a voting TC member, the term of the TC Chair shall be three years after being elected (two years as TC Chair, one year as the Past Chair).
4. The Past Chair shall overlap during the first year of the TC Chairs term, while the Vice-Chair shall overlap with the second year of the Chairs term. The Chair should consult with the Past Chair or Vice-Chair on all major TC activities and communications with IEEE or IEEE Signal Processing Society to ensure seamless transition between terms.
TC Chair and Vice-Chair election procedure:
1. Election of new Chair takes place approximately one year before the term expires, preferably before the end of a year.
2. The election is organized by a Chair-election subcommittee consisting of former and present Chairs and TC members appointed by the TC Chair.
3. Any member of the TC who volunteers or is nominated by other members and agrees to serve becomes a candidate. A candidate will submit a one-page position statement and a one-page vitae (or URL of his/her home-page) to be distributed before election.
4. The election is by secret ballot during the committee meeting; the absent members may send their ballots to the committee before the meeting.
5. If none of the candidates receives more than 50% of votes, the vote is repeated for the top two candidates.
6. For the election to be valid, at least half of the committee members have to vote.
7. If an election result is deemed void, a new election must be held within three months.
8. The TC membership of the Chair and Vice Chair shall automatically be renewed until the term expires.
Technical Committee Meetings:
1. The technical committee meeting will meet twice a year: once during ICASSP, once during either the MMSP workshop organized by the TC or during ICME.
2. A quorum of the technical committee meeting shall be a majority of those members having voting rights.
3. A majority of legal votes cast by those members of the technical committee present at a regularly convened meeting shall be necessary for the conduct of business, except as otherwise provided in the bylaws.
Amendment:
1. Suitable bylaws and amendments thereto may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the member of the technical committee present at a regularly convened meeting of the committee provided that a quorum is present. Bylaws and amendments may also be adopted by an email vote receiving approval by 2/3 of the members of the TC.
2. Following the adoption by the technical committee members, the proposed bylaws or amendments shall become effective after it is approved by the SPS Board of Governors.
Member Discipline:
A member of the MMSP-TC is subject to the rules and procedures of the TC for any action that is determined to constitute a material violation of the bylaws, or other conduct which is seriously prejudicial to the TC. Such discipline may take the form of expulsion, suspension, or censure for cause by the TC. Each current member of MMSP-TC is expected to carry the following major duties:
- To attend TC meetings during annual ICASSP meeting and MMSP workshop.
- To assist in reviewing papers submitted to ICASSP, the MMSP workshop, and other Society conferences.
- To participate in election of new members and Chair, voting on the nominations for Society awards and selection of MMSP workshop venues.
If a member is unable to carry out any of these duties due to other commitment, he or she should contact the TC Chair in writing (email) requesting to be excused for that duty.

If a member fails to carry out most of the major duties for a period of one year, the case shall be brought to the attention of the next TC meeting by the TC Chair. Appropriate disciplinary actions, including immediate termination of the TC membership may be taken subject to a majority vote of the TC meeting and approval of the President-elect of the IEEE Signal Processing Society.