E Komo Mai (Welcome) to Honolulu, HI, this year’s host city of what is widely regarded as the most prestigious microwave industry gathering in the world: the 2007 International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2007). IMS 2007 is the largest international conference devoted to the research, development, and application of RF and microwave theory and techniques, with approximately 10,000 participants and 400 exhibiting companies from around the world. This conference is sponsored by the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). IMS 2007 (www.ims2007.org) is the centerpiece of Microwave Week 2007, which also includes the Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) Symposium (www.rfic2007.org) and the Automatic Radio Frequency Techniques Group (ARFTG) Conference (www.arftg.org).

Sun… Surf… and Microwaves?

Although one typically associates Hawaii with sun and surf, our state’s historical role in radio waves is also recognized by the IEEE. The Opana Radar Site, located on the north shore of Oahu, is designated as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing with the following citation: “On December 7, 1941, an SCR-270B radar located at this site tracked incoming Japanese aircraft for over 30 minutes until they were obscured by the island ground clutter. This was the first wartime use of radar by the United States Military, and led to the successful application throughout the theater.”

Hawaii’s strategic location at the Crossroads of the Pacific is no less important today than it was half a century ago. But instead of dividing east and west, today Hawaii is the perfect venue for bridging it, especially considering that the biggest microwave market growth is currently in Asia.


Fifty Years of the IMS

While it’s pure coincidence that the 50th state of the US is hosting the 50th occurrence of the International Microwave Symposium, there’s no denying that this is the first time that this symposium is being held off of the North American continent. Perhaps this is why IMS 2007 received 1069 manuscripts, the second-highest number of submissions in IMS history. RFIC 2007 received an all-time record of 350 manuscripts, a 30 percent increase over last year. Under the leadership of Tatsuo Itoh, the IMS 2007 Technical Program Committee has assembled a top-notch technical program that includes workshops, panel sessions, oral sessions and student competitions. For the first time in recent IMS history, we are offering eight short courses from world-class experts that allow participants to earn IEEE continuing education units. Also new this year is an expanded interactive forum during the morning and afternoon of Wednesday and Thursday.

Go for the GOLD

The MTT-S is going the extra mile in assimilating Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD), that is, IEEE members who graduated with their first professional electrical engineering degree within the past 10 years. The MTT-S GOLD Committee is sponsoring a Thursday panel session on “Career Development: Giving Your Career a Never-ending Boost.” A reception and luau will be held on Thursday evening for all GOLD members who fill out a short survey at the MTT-S Membership Booth or GOLD panel session.

Go Holoholo (Excursions)

Hawaii’s reputation as a visitor destination allows us to offer an exciting array of tours that appeals to all ages: Polynesian Cultural Center, Sea Life Park Luau, Doris Duke Estate (Shangri-La), Star Sunset Cruise, Tropical Ocean Fun Cruise, A Day on the Bay, Cirque Hawaii, Dolphin Adventures Program, Grand Circle Island Tour, Hole in the Wall Lunch Tour, Kualoa Ranch, and the Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri and City Tour. In addition to these exciting Oahu-based tours are one-day neighbor-island getaways and three-day pre- and post-conference vacation packages to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

To round out the week, sign up for the IMS 2007 Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 9. Once recognized as one of Golf Digest’s “Top 75 Golf Resorts in the US,” the Ko Olina Golf Resort is the perfect venue to entertain your client or relax with friends after the symposium. Co-sponsored by Anritsu, Ansoft, AWR and the IMS 2007 Steering Committee, this shotgun tournament promises to be a fun event for all.

Go Kama’aina (Native)

Hawaii’s tropical climate lends itself to a more relaxed lifestyle, so we encourage attendees and exhibitors alike to leave their coats and ties at home. Conservative and tasteful aloha wear is accepted business attire in Hawaii, and is perfectly suitable for presenting a paper, attending a workshop, or visiting the exhibition hall. Beachwear, of course, is not considered acceptable. IMS 2007 has partnered with Hilo Hattie, the largest retailer of aloha wear in Hawaii, to have a Hawaiian Hut in the Hawaii Convention Center lobby. Conference attendees and exhibitors can purchase aloha wear at a 20 percent discount valid only at the IMS 2007 Hawaiian Hut.

Aloha

All in all, Microwave Week is sure to be the blockbuster microwave event of the year, and possibly a family vacation you will long remember. All of us on the IMS 2007 Steering Committee extend to you a warm aloha!


Wayne A. Shiroma received his BS degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, his MEng degree from Cornell University and his PhD degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, all in electrical engineering. In 1996, he joined the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa, where he is now an associate professor of electrical engineering and co-director of the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory. Through the UH Small-satellite Program that he established in 2001, he advised over 100 engineering students in the design and construction of nanosatellites for launch into low earth orbit. Prior to joining UH, he was with Hughes Space and Communications (El Segundo, CA), developing solid-state power amplifiers for commercial and military satellites. He has over 50 publications, with approximately half related to retrodirective antennas and nanosatellites, and has one patent and one patent pending in these areas. He is one of the founders of Pipeline Communications and Technology (Honolulu, HI), which is commercializing aspects of this technology. His research team consists of students ranging from PhD to undergraduate level. In the past six years, three of his students won the Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Award (presented by the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu), identifying them as the top electrical engineering students in the nation. He is the recipient of the 2003 UH Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching, UH’s highest teaching award. He served as IEEE MTT-S AdCom Secretary in 2001 and has been an Elected Member since 2002.