The International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012), the annual conference and exhibition of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S), this year received a record number of technical paper submissions with 1,225 papers submitted.
The previous record of more than 1,000 papers was set ahead of the 2003 IMS conference in Philadelphia. Since 2004, the symposium has received an average of 825 submissions, including 841 in 2011.
“We’re thrilled at the level of enthusiasm for this year’s conference and the high quality of papers we’ve received,” said Raafat Mansour, chair of the symposium’s technical program. “We attribute the record-breaking number of submissions to both the shortened three-page limit and the glamour of having the conference in Montreal, an international city known for its European flair.”
The symposium received papers from 49 countries, including Portugal, Tunisia and Macau. The United States led the world with 324 submissions, a 20 percent increase over 2011. Behind the U.S. was Canada, at 134 papers, and China, which more than tripled its submissions, growing from 27 papers in 2011 to 125 in 2012. Iran also tripled the number of papers submitted over 2011, while Sweden and France more than doubled their submissions.
Each of the three-page papers details original work in one of more than 38 technical areas, including radio-frequency, microwave, millimeter-wave, and terahertz (THz) theory and techniques. This year’s most popular topic was passive circuit elements with 95 papers, while millimeter-wave and THz components and technologies received 74 submissions and power amplifier devices and circuits received 72 submissions.
In a double-blind process, the Technical Paper Review Committee will evaluate the papers for inclusion in the conference on the basis of originality, content, clarity and relevance. Authors of accepted papers can then submit an extended version of their symposium papers for possible publication in the IMS2012 special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.
Of this year’s submissions, 351 papers, nearly 29 percent, came from students; these will be evaluated on the same criteria as part of a separate student competition. In an effort to encourage the professional growth of its future leaders, IMS2012 will also host a student reception, student volunteer opportunities and design competitions geared exclusively toward students.
IMS2012, with a theme of “Microwaves without Borders,” will be held June 17-22, 2012, in Montréal as the centerpiece of Microwave Week 2012. The conference offers technical sessions, interactive forums, plenary and panel sessions, workshops, short courses, industrial exhibits, application seminars, historical exhibits and a wide array of other technical and social activities including a guest program.
The exhibition is showing its best year ever to date with a record 460 exhibiting companies and more than 80,000 square feet of exhibit space committed. With six months to go until the show, the remaining booths are going fast and IMS could see its first ever sold-out show floor.
Co-located with IMS2012 are the RFIC symposium and the ARFTG conference, constitute the Microwave Week 2012 technical program. With more than 12,000 attendees and more than 800 industrial exhibits of the latest state-of-the-art microwave products, Microwave Week is the world’s largest gathering of RF and microwave professionals and the most important forum for the latest and most advanced research in the field.