IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society


The IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society is an organizational unit and professional society of academic professors and applied engineers with a common interest, affiliated with the IEEE. The -year-old Society has members and chapters in nearly every country throughout the world. As an active entity within the IEEE, benefits are provided to members as detailed below.

Field of interest

The electromagnetic compatibility field of interest is on engineering related to the electromagnetic environmental effects of systems to be compatible with themselves and their intended operating environment.
These areas include: standards, measurement techniques and test procedures, instrumentation, equipment and systems characteristics, interference control techniques and components, education, computational analysis, and spectrum management, along with scientific, technical, industrial, professional or other activities that contribute to this field.

History

Fifty years ago, a small group of electrical engineers and associated technical people realized it would be a prudent step to organize a group of individuals dedicated to Radio Frequency Interference. Two different sets of individuals, one on the West Coast of the United States and the other on the East Coast, began to discuss organizational considerations, generated signed petitions, and met with officials of the in .
These early efforts culminated in a formal petition to the on 3 July 1957, requesting the formation of an Institute of Radio Engineers Professional Group on Radio Frequency Interference. This petition, which included a scope of technical interest, was approved by the IRE on 10 October 1957. The first meeting of the Administrative Committee of the newly formed group was held on 20 November 1957 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Officers were elected and the group was operational.
The Professional Groups on Radio Frequency Interference became the Professional Group on RFI in the in 1963 when the IRE and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers merged. Within five years, the Professional Group became the of the IEEE, a name that has remained constant for 40 years.
In 2007, the IEEE EMC Society celebrated its 50th anniversary at their yearly conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. To help celebrate, the Society’s celebration pin was flown in space shuttle mission, STS-118. This pin is mounted in a frame with a photograph of the astronauts, officers of the EMC Society, and is on display at the IEEE Headquarter office in Piscataway, New Jersey, History Center.

Today’s IEEE EMC Society

The IEEE EMC Society has evolved into an international, professional society within the IEEE. The Society has 65 chapters worldwide and membership of approximately 4,000. The governing body is identified as the Board of Directors consisting of a President, five Vice Presidents, and Directors-at-Large elected by the membership.
Benefits to both members and non-members interested in the IEEE EMC Society includes:
Details on the above programs are found on the society’s web site: www.emcs.org.
The EMC Society is organized into different areas of interest, each with a Vice President who oversees operational aspects under his/her leadership.
There are eleven Technical Committees of the IEEE EMC Society along with several specialized committees. These committees provide technical guidance to the Board of Directors and the general membership. Each of the technical committees provides expertise in a particular technical area while other committees have a focus on Society operations worldwide.