IEEE History Committee and the IEEE History Center
Dates: Wednesday, 5 August through Friday, 7 August
Locations: University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, with excursions to the ENIAC Museum and the American Philosophical Society
For details and to register online, see the conference web site.
Co-sponsors for the conference include the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Drexel University, the Department of the History and Sociology of Science of the University of Pennsylvania, and the IEEE Philadelphia Section.
In August 2009 the IEEE History Committee and the IEEE History Center will hold the eighth in a series of historical conferences. The 2009 IEEE Conference on the History of Technical Societies will take place in Philadelphia from Wednesday 5 August through Friday 7 August 2009. The theme of the conference will be the history of professional technical associations, a theme chosen because 2009 is the 125th anniversary of the IEEE. The location is appropriate because the IEEE, then the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), held its first technical meeting in Philadelphia in October 1884.
The history of the engineering profession, particularly the role of professional societies in engineering, will be the subject of historical papers presented over the three days of the conference. Emphasis will be on the technical areas served by the IEEE. In connection with the conference there will be an IEEE anniversary celebration on the evening of Thursday 6 August at the Down Town Club, adjacent to Independence Hall in the historic district of Philadelphia. In addition, there will be an excursion to the ENIAC Museum and to the American Philosophical Society, also a workshop on oral-history interviewing. The historical sessions will take place at the University of Pennsylvania on the first day of the conference and at Drexel University on the second and third days.
Additional information is available on the conference web site.