Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/25698-staying-engaged

Staying Engaged

January 14, 2016

This holiday season, I found myself reflecting on my good fortune; of good friends, family and health. I also recognized, and certainly not for the first time, how much I enjoy this industry. I love that the technology is transformative. I love that we’re such a close-knit community and I love the people in it.  My favorite part of this job is when I’m able to interact with the knowledgeable, interesting and friendly people that comprise our community and these days, there are more opportunities to engage than ever before.      

We shot the 50th edition of “Frequency Matters” last month, the bi-weekly video series in which MWJ editors discuss the latest industry news and highlight the features of the current issue of the magazine. The editors allowed me a brief cameo in this special edition, and in it, I mentioned how the series provides us with yet another way to interact and engage with the industry. I’ve found it to be informative and entertaining, and I’m glad to see that a growing number of our readers are tuning in to this program and to our new video channel. We launched the “Microwave Media” video platform last year and it now hosts hundreds of educational videos, product demos and webinars, along with the archive of 50-plus episodes of “Frequency Matters.” I encourage you to check it out on our website at mwjournal.com.

Our webinar program continues to grow every year, with more than 75 events produced and delivered in 2015. Some of these webinars are presented by companies who are looking to share their latest design and manufacturing solutions. Others are presented by experts from Besser Associates, as well as industry experts Liam Devlin, John McNeil and Henry Lau, to name a few. This year, we’re teaming with the RF Energy Alliance on a series of webinars addressing applications in solid-state RF power for consumer and industrial products. You’ll also see a series on GaN applications moderated by Ray Pengelly, radar applications presented by Dr. Eli Brookner as well as 5G and IoT related events. These webinars are reasonably short and informative and provide the opportunity to interact with presenters during the Q&A portion. You can find hundreds of archived webinars on our site available for on-demand viewing.

The “RF and Microwave Community” on LinkedIn continues to grow, with nearly 30,000 members. This resource provides an excellent platform for dialogue and interchange. It’s an active forum that allows members to share content and network with other industry professionals. If you haven’t yet joined, I highly recommend it.

While the Internet has provided us with many new ways to connect, live events remain perhaps the most effective way to learn about new developments and to network with our peers. I attend numerous events each year and come away from each one with new ideas, new contacts and renewed friendships.

2016 will be a banner year for events. There are excellent conferences that address nearly every technical aspect of our industry and exhibitions that allow us to preview the latest solutions from a wide range of providers.  Microwave Journal supports many industry events and, as you may know, we organize some of the world’s leading RF and microwave events.

We launched the Electronic Design Innovation Conference (EDI CON) in China in 2013 and are preparing now for the fourth annual event in Beijing on April 19-21. This year’s event has expanded to include the China Electrotechnical Society’s EMC conference and the China Radar Industry Association (CRIA) Conference. Dr. Wai Chen, chief scientist and general manager of IoT for China Mobile will be the chairman for 2016, so delegates will find increased content in this important and growing arena. I have truly enjoyed the opportunity that this show has provided me to learn more about the growing technology base in China, to become more familiar with the culture and to meet many new colleagues.

We organize European Microwave Week for the European Microwave Association (EuMA) every fall, and this year, the event takes place in London on October 3-7 at the ExCel Center. London hasn’t hosted EuMW in 15 years, so this one’s particularly noteworthy. The call for papers is happening now, for those interested in participating.        

Carl Sheffres

The big news, and hopefully you’ve seen our promotions already, is the debut of EDI CON USA, which will take place on September 20-22 in Boston, at the Hynes Convention Center. Our goal is to bring the successful model we deployed in China to North America. That model aims to deliver practical, hands-on training and the opportunity to engage and network with your peers. Many leading companies are participating, along with some of the industry’s most recognized experts.  I hope to see you there.     

Last, but hardly least, we’re proud to bring you this publication, now in its 59th year. Whether you’re reading it in print, digital, online or on our mobile app, I hope that you find its content beneficial to your work. Our advertisers make it possible to deliver your monthly edition at no cost to you. All we ask is that you renew yearly, so please do so at mwjournal.com/subscribe.

I look forward to another year of engagement, whether it’s virtual or in-person. On behalf of the entire MWJ team, we wish all of our readers a prosperous and healthy New Year