Signal Processing Education Technical Committee ByLaws
This document presents the Bylaws of the Signal Processing Education Technical Committee (SPEd TC) of the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS). The bylaws can be altered by majority vote of the SPEd members.
Purpose and Activities
Membership
Management
Conduct of Business
Elections
Subcommittee Organization
Subcommittees
1.1 Purpose
1.1.1 To promote and foster the advancement of signal processing education and applications of signal processing for education
1.1.2 To enhance interaction with similar organizations within the IEEE and throughout the world.
1.2 Activities
1.2.1 Assist with the review of papers in collaboration with IEEE journal and magazine editors.
1.2.2 Conduct the review of papers submitted to Society conferences.
1.2.3 Organize and operate symposia, seminars, workshops and 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 of such meetings.
1.2.4 Nominate candidates for SPS and IEEE awards and prizes.
1.2.5 Recommend candidates for the editorial staff of SPS publications
2.1 All SPEd TC members must be current IEEE and SPS members of good standing. SPEd TC members are expected to play an active role in the technical and professional activities of the Signal Processing Society. Personal commitment and willingness to serve are expected. They must be willing to review papers within the area of the TC submitted to the Society’s conferences, review papers for workshops owned or co-owned by the Technical Committee, serve in the subcommittees established by the TC, and perform other duties of membership.
2.2 Regular members are elected based on the needs of the SPEd TC and will serve for a three-year term, beginning the following January 1. Newly elected members may be called upon to participate in ICASSP paper reviews before their terms officially commence.
2.3 Membership on the SPEd TC may be terminated by the SPEd TC Chair, with the consent of the Society’s Vice President-Technical Directions, provided that the Chair and Vice Chair concur that the member has been inactive in the sense of little or no participation in SPEd TC responsibilities.
2.4 The Society’s Vice President-Technical Directions shall be an ex-officio member, without vote.
2.5 Associate Members
2.5.1 The SPEd TC Chair can appoint a small number of Associate Members, who are non-voting members of the Technical Committee. These can include past chairs.
2.5.2 Relevant Transactions Editors-in-Chief should be invited as Associate Members. Special effort should be made to coordinate with them for nomination of new members, nomination of best paper awards, EDICS alignment between the periodicals and the Society’s conferences.
2.5.3 The SPEd TC Chair may appoint Associate Members as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.
2.5.4 Associate Members shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.
2.6 Affiliate Members
2.6.1 IEEE student members and all grades of IEEE SPS members interested in the scope of the SPEd TC may freely join as Affiliate Members by signing up in the Society’s website.
2.6.2 Members of some professional organizations in interdisciplinary fields within the SPEd TC’s scope, such as ASEE, are not IEEE members. These individuals may join the SPEd TC as Affiliate Members at the discretion of the SPEd TC Chair.
2.6.3 Affiliate Members are non-elected, unlimited in number, and non-voting members of the SPEd TC.
2.6.4 The Chair may appoint Affiliate Members as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.
2.6.5 Relevant Transactions Associate Editors should be invited as Affiliate Members.
2.6.6 Affiliate Members shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.
3.1 Vice Chair
3.1.1 The Vice Chair position automatically succeeds to the position of Chair then Past Chair. The term for Vice Chair shall be two years.
3.1.2 The Vice Chair is a voting member of the SPEd TC.
3.1.3 The Vice Chair is responsible for recording of minutes of all committee meetings, and assisting the Chair in paper review and session assignment process for ICASSP, maintenance of a roster of the membership, EDICS, and a list of reviewers for the Society’s conferences.
3.1.4 The Vice Chair will assist the Chair in preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting, if requested.
3.2 Chair
3.2.1 The term of office of the Chair shall be two calendar years. A second term as Chair is permitted but may not be consecutive. The Chair automatically succeeds to the position of Past Chair.
3.2.2 The Chair is a voting member of the SPEd TC.
3.2.3 The Chair is a voting member of the Technical Directions Board and must attend meetings and participate in the board’s processes.
3.2.4 The Chair is responsible for organizing the activities of the SPEd TC and maintaining communication with the Vice President-Technical Directions, the Officers of the Society and other similar organizations.
3.2.5 The Chair is responsible for appointing members to the SPEd TC’s subcommittees.
3.2.6 The Chair is responsible for maintaining a roster of the membership.
3.2.7 The Chair shall maintain the EDICS and a list of reviewers for the Society’s conferences. The Chair also oversees the paper review and session assignment process for ICASSP.
3.2.8 The Chair is responsible for preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting.
3.2.9 The Chair is responsible for preparing bi-yearly activity reports.
3.3 Past Chair
3.3.1 The term for Past Chair shall normally be one year, unless the SPEd TC specifically approves a two year term.
3.3.2 The Past Chair is a voting member of the SPEd TC.
3.3.3 The Past Chair is responsible for providing guidance and continuity to the SPEd TC Officers and members of the SPEd TC.
3.3.4 The Past Chair will assist the Chair in preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting, if requested.
4.1 The technical committee will hold a face-to-face meeting at ICASSP each year.
4.2 The technical committee will hold a face-to-face meeting at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.
4.3 The technical committee will hold a face-to-face meeting at the IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop. If space permits, Associate and/or Affiliate Members will be invited to attend this meeting.
4.4 The technical committee may also conduct business via e-mail at the request of the Chair. The results of the vote shall be confirmed promptly in writing or by electronic transmission. The writings and/or electronic transmission shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the committee.
4.5 A majority of votes cast by a quorum of SPEd TC members shall be necessary for the conduct of business. A quorum of the SPEd TC shall be a majority of those members having voting rights.
4.6 The order of business for SPEd TC meetings shall be organized by the Chair and made available to the members prior to the meetings.
4.7 Only elected-Members of the SPEd TC, including the Chair, Vice Chair, and Past Chair, are allowed to vote in matters that come before the SPEd TC. Associate and Affiliate Members of the SPEd TC do not have a vote. Individuals holding more than one position on the SPEd TC shall be limited to one vote on each matter being considered by the SPEd TC.
5.1 Vice Chair
5.1.1 The Vice Chair election shall be organized by the Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee. The Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee shall bring forward one or more candidates for the position of Vice Chair. The Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations, and conducting the balloting.
5.1.2 Nominations for Vice Chair shall be restricted to individuals who are currently serving or have previously served as elected members of the SPEd TC. Vice Chair candidates that are part of the Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee shall withdraw from such subcommittee. Vice Chair nominees are not eligible to vote in Vice Chair elections.
5.1.3 Vice Chair elections will take place every two years and results shall be finalized by October, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).
5.1.4 Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society’s Bylaws and Policies and Procedures if elected. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae to be distributed before the election.
5.1.5 The Vice Chair candidate shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast by the SPEd TC elected-members, provided a quorum of the SPEd TC members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the run-off ballot will include only those candidates who are tied for the lead. In the run-off tally, the candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner.
5.1.6 The election shall be conducted by an e-mail ballot, unless another means is proposed and approved by the Technical Committee.
5.2 Members
5.2.1 The new member election shall be organized by the Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee. New member elections shall be held once each year, so one-third of the SPEd TC’s membership turns over each year.
5.2.2 The Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations in the Society’s e-Newsletters and the website. The Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee shall come up with a slate of candidates representative of the diversity of SPS members in the SPEd TC area, which includes: gender, geographic, academic/industry, junior/senior, etc. The slate shall include at least as many candidates that have never served in the SPEd TC as open slots. The Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee will also conduct the balloting.
5.2.3 Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by SPEd TC members. Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society Bylaws and Policies and Procedures. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae, as determined by the SPEd TC, to be distributed before the election.
5.2.4 Past SPEd TC members are eligible to be nominated for a second term. Current SPEd TC members may also be nominated for a second consecutive term, but are not eligible to vote in that new member election and shall not be part of the Membership and Bylaws Subcommittee for that election. Additional terms are allowed, but at least a 3 year gap in service is required.
5.2.5 Technical Committee members shall be elected by the members of the SPEd TC itself based on the needs of the Technical Committee. Each year the new member election results shall be finalized by October, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).
5.2.6 The new members shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast by SPEd TC elected-members, provided a quorum of the Technical Committee members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the run-off ballot will include only those candidates who are tied for the lead. In the run-off tally, the candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner.
5.2.7 The election will be conducted by e-mail, unless another means is proposed and approved by the SPEd TC.
6.1 The SPEd TC Chair shall appoint SPEd TC members to the subcommittees.
6.2 The SPEd TC Chair may also appoint Associate and Affiliate Members to subcommittees, unless specified otherwise. Such Associate and Affiliate members must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties of the subcommittee, and can be removed from the subcommittee if the SPEd TC Chair and Vice Chair concur they have been inactive.
6.3 The Chairs of each subcommittee must be elected members of the Technical Committee, unless specified otherwise.
7.1 Membership & Bylaws Subcommittee: The Membership & Bylaws Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.1.1 To review the composition of the SPEd TC with respect to current and future activities and maintain a membership composition that is well suited to the activities and responsibilities of the SPEd TC, to solicit nominations, and to detail the rules and procedures of the nomination process.
7.1.2 To govern the election process by identifying the minimum number of open SPEd TC positions, accept nominations for prospective members in those areas, and conduct the anonymous voting process detailed in bylaws 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
7.2 Awards Subcommittee: The Awards Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.2.1 To coordinate the nomination of candidates for Society and IEEE awards and prizes.
7.2.2 To foster nominations for the Society’s Education Award, both from within the SPEd TC and from other TCs.
7.2.3 To coordinate and promote the nomination of Distinguished Lecturers.
7.3 Conference and Workshops Subcommittee: The Conference and Workshop Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.3.1 To coordinate review of papers submitted for conference and workshops.
7.3.2 To promote the continued vitality and growth of workshops sponsored by the SPEd TC, particularly the IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop.
7.4 Publicity Subcommittee: The Publicity Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.4.1 To maintain an up-to-date SPEd TC website.
7.4.2 To provide input as appropriate to IEEE publications regarding SPEd TC activities.
7.4.3 To promote publication of educational topics from conferences in society journals and nominate associate editors for SPED topics to the relevant journals.
7.5 Industrial Relations and Liaison Subcommittee: The Industrial Relations and Liaison Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.5.1 Promote ways of education to industry. Reach out to, and better serve, industry.
7.5.2 Support the Connexions Project
7.5.3 Improve communication with other TCs, with the IEEE Education Society, and with ASEE.
7.6 Innovation and Growth Subcommittee: The Innovation and Growth Subcommittee shall consist of 3-5 members and may include the SPEd TC chair. Subcommittee members are proposed by the SPEd TC chair and approved by the SPEd TC at the annual ICASSP meeting. The subcommittee responsibilities are:
7.6.1 Education of the public at large, in particular decision makers and influencers, about the role of signal processing in society and modern technology.
7.6.2 Sponsor of activities to educate the membership about pressing needs in other fields and related research opportunities that can benefit from the applications of signal processing.
7.6.3 Foster the invention, development and application of signal processing technologies in technical and non-technical education. For example, novel integration and applications of multimedia and speech technologies in the teaching of foreign languages.