News, notes, and comments

At its January 12 meeting, the IEEE Executive Committee approved the formation of a Society on the Social Implications of Technology (SSIT), subject to several conditions. These are: (a) that a constitution satisfactory to IEEE´s main boards be submitted for approval within six months, (b) that the field of interest statement and operating procedures of SSIT be checked to ensure against conflicts with the roles of other IEEE entities, and (c) that the history of the societal aspects of electrotechnology be added to the field of interest statement. None of these conditions are expected to pose any significant problems, since a draft constitution has already been developed by an AdHoc committee of TAB, the history of technology would fit well into the field of the new Society, and there do not appear to be any conflicts with the activities of other IEEE entities.