IEEE GLOBECOM 2009: A conference recognizing communications in the human context

Abstract

20 More than 2000 communications professionals attended the IEEE Communication Society’s Global Communications Conference (IEEE GLOBECOM) in Honolulu, Hawaii, November 30-Decenber 4, 2009. Of the 1104 papers from 55 countries that were presented, roughly 40% were from North America, with the balance mostly from Region 8 (Europe, Africa, Middle East) and Region 10 (AsiaPacific). The overwhelming majority of papers were from students or faculty members, a change from the early decades of the Society when a much larger proportion of papers came from industry. The official theme of the conference, which was chaired by ComSoc’s 2009 President Doug Zuckerman with the help of Vice General Chair Ross Anderson, was “Riding the Wave to Global Connectivity” which was taken as “Communications Technologies that Empower People Worldwide.” Most attendees seemed to be interested in realizing a more powerful and useful communications infrastructure for the benefit of people everywhere. There was a notable increase of interest in environmentally sensitive “green” communications. Keynote speakers, panels, and technical presenters suggested that the next wave of communications technologies will provide more userfriendly, on-demand and location-sensitive services that improve the quality of life and help to solve human problems. A GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) workshop and a Communications History session, both described below, noted the potential to improve life. The Women in Communications Engineering (WICE) panel addressed the special challenges women face for realizing career success and satisfaction. KEYNOTE SPEAKER OBSERVATIONS