In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S), the IEEE MTT-S 2012 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012) will include three historical sessions, a panel session with prominent MTT-S members, a retrospective movie, and an enhanced historical exhibit during the symposium June 17-22 in Montréal.

“It’s important we honor MTT-S as one of the major foundations of IMS and reflect on the history that’s brought us to where we are today,” said Christophe Caloz, chair of the 60th anniversary celebrations at IMS2012. “The festivities will spur discussion around the society’s next 60 years and should be an exciting time for all IMS attendees as we look to the future of the microwave and RF technology.”

The symposium’s special historical sessions will address topics pertaining to the theory, techniques and educational aspects of MTT-S activities and will discuss future horizons for the next generations of MTT-S members. The sessions include “A Retrospective of Field Theory in Microwave Engineering,” “The Evolution of Some Key Active and Passive Microwave Components,” and “Globalization of Engineering Education and Research: Opportunities and Challenges.”

MTT-S was founded in 1952 as a smaller professional group spun off of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) and focused on microwave electronics. The group was a byproduct of early microwave technology developments started in World War II and of early microwave publications that followed.

With the founding of MTT-S, the industry centered on technologies such as long distance communications, microwave field and network theories, and the development of radar systems. Current industry trends like wireless local and personal communications, RF nanotechnologies, photonics, millimeter-waves and THz will take center stage at IMS2012. Additional information on the 60th anniversary of MTT-S, including a timeline of milestones, historical photos and anecdotes, are available on the IMS2012 website and Facebook page.

IMS2012, with a theme of “Microwaves without Borders,” will be held June 17-22, 2012 in Palais des Congrès de Montréal as the centerpiece of Microwave Week 2012. IMS2012 offers technical sessions, interactive forums, plenary and panel sessions, workshops, short courses, industrial exhibits, application seminars, and a wide array of other technical and social activities, including a guest program. In addition to IMS2012, Microwave Week includes the collocated RFIC Symposium and the ARFTG Conference.

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 Radio Frequency (RF) and microwave professionals and the most important forum for the latest and most advanced research in the field.