IEEE is organized into 39 societies and 5 technical councils representing the wide range of technical interests.
DEIS is the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society whose field of interest includes the study and application of dielectrics from the molecular level, through nano-structured materials, to insulation systems in industrial, commercial, and power system equipment, to emerging applications such as those at high power levels and in biological and other small-scale systems. DEIS supports the entire scope of this field from advancing the basic science, to enhancing the ability of practicing engineers to use emerging dielectric materials, to the development of standards for the prudent application of existing and new insulation systems.
Mission & Vision
DEIS is known as the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).
The objectives of the Society are technical, scientific, literary, and educational. DEIS strives for the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical and electronics engineering and the related arts and sciences, in consonance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE. DEIS provides special attention to the technical areas within its field of interest as follows:
The field of interest of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society shall be the study and application of dielectric phenomena and behavior and the development, characterization and application of all gaseous, liquid and solid electrical insulating materials and systems utilized in electrical and electronic equipment. DEIS is also involved in the creation of voluntary engineering standards and the recommended practices related thereto.
DEIS promotes the close cooperation and exchange of technical information among its members and to this end holds meetings for the presentation of papers and their discussion. Through committees DEIS stimulates research, develops appropriate studies and standards, and sponsor periodic and special publications in the field of dielectrics and electrical insulation.
Diversity & Inclusion
The IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) is committed to providing equal opportunity to students, scientists, engineers, and professionals, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing diverse talents, and inclusion is embracing and welcoming these differences. Our policy is to continually improve our practices in order to build and maintain an environment that reflects the rich diversity of the community in the field of dielectrics and insulation. In support of these ideals, this society will not tolerate harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment or bullying behavior.
President’s Welcome
Dear DEIS Members.
It is my privilege to serve you as DEIS President for 2022. I’d like to thank Paul Gaberson, the now past President for 2020 and 2021, for leading the Society so well during his tenure. I have served under a number of excellent DEIS Presidents during my time on DEIS AdCom. I’ve learned from each one different aspects in relation to how to manage and lead the Society so for that I am very thankful. Consequently, my ambition and vision is to build upon their previous successes to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for the Society.
There are a few things I am keen for AdCom and the DEIS Society to develop and these may be summarised briefly as follows.
Increased Diversity and Inclusion – The Society Membership comes from many IEEE Regions, with personnel from diverse sets of communities, cultures, backgrounds, experiences and skillsets. We want to ensure all Members with an interest in dielectrics and electrical insulation are not excluded from the opportunities of engaging and participating in DEIS activities. To this end we would like to put in place improved diversity and inclusion engagement opportunities across all DEIS committees and activities. Clearly, a healthy, diverse and inclusive strategy can only enrich and benefit the Society.
DEIS Engagement and Communications – We live in different times with a number of different challenges compared to years gone past. The norms and expectations for the way we communicate have completely changed. In this respect we should strive to understand better how the Society can support and enhance communication with its Members not just through the Electrical Insulation Magazine but through other social media. We want particularly to better engage with new Members. In this respect as President, I intend to hold remote video “Meet the President” sessions a few times a year to share details of the Society and what’s happening within the Society. These will primarily be aimed at new DEIS Members, but anyone who wishes can register to join the meetings. Please keep an eye on the DEIS website to sign up for these Sessions when they are advertised. Clearly if many are interested then multiple sessions can be run. We would also like to consider producing an electronic newsletter or suitable news updates on recent DEIS activities on the website so hopefully these can be forthcoming in the months ahead.
Early Career Development – The sustainability of the Society is crucial for its future success. We would like to develop improved processes to encourage early career industrials, researchers and academics to join DEIS and participate more fully in DEIS activities whether it be participating in Technical and Administrative Committees, assisting at DEIS sponsored conferences, creating DEIS educational programmes, or integrating Young Professional developments within the broader Society. Our aim is to assist our early career Members, not only to contribute and develop within the Society, but to mentor and prepare them to take on senior Society positions in the years ahead.
Broadening DEIS Interests – Dielectrics and electrical insulation pervade nearly all aspects of life e.g. power systems, electronic circuits, sensors, materials, aerospace, electrification of transport, biomedical, superconductivity etc. As a society we would like to attract new industrial, research and academic Members from these thematic areas as we believe DEIS has a valuable and key role to play in advances and understanding better the application of dielectrics and insulation in these disciplines. We will therefore be looking at ways to improve DEIS engagement with other IEEE Societies and IEEE Councils to understand better future collaborations and joint activities.
In closing, Paul Gaberson, our past DEIS President, summarised the DEIS strategic goals last year and put them on the website. These are very helpful, so are reproduced again below. These gaols express our general aspirations and vision, and we look forward to engaging with all DEIS Members to improve, expand and enjoy the workings and contributions of the Society to benefit the worldwide community.
Best wishes
Brian G. Stewart
IEEE DEIS President 2022
brian.stewart.100@strath.ac.uk
DEIS Strategic Goals
(I) Within the Society’s Field of Interest, DEIS will be the prime source for dielectricians worldwide and will be internationally recognized as the world’s leading learned/technical authority.
(II) Within the IEEE, DEIS will be seen as the primary center of excellence for all activities directly related to our Field of Interest.
(III) DEIS will respond rapidly and effectively to the latest developments in areas encompassed in our Field of Interest.
(IV) DEIS will continually improve the quality of services and offers to our members and to the world-wide community of dielectricians.
(V) DEIS will maintain its commitment to diversity and inclusion with all its aspects, and to professional ethics standards of the highest level.
Actions Supporting Our Strategic Goals
- We will seek relationships with technical groups and learned societies all over the world with similar fields of interest.
- We will offer conferences, workshops, schools, discussion sessions, and other events worldwide within our Field of Interest.
- We will publish peer-reviewed original papers and survey articles of high quality and of significant interest to our worldwide community.
- We will remain embedded in the IEEE with a unique identity and will interact with other IEEE Organizational Units for mutual benefit.
- We will acknowledge and reward volunteers who actively participate in ensuring that the Society achieves its goals, as well as dielectricians who made seminal and significant contributions to our Field of Interest.
So, where do we want to go in the future and how does this goal statement guide us? What can you do to help the Society achieve these goals? Let’s examine each point separately.
(I) Becoming “internationally recognized as the world’s leading learned/technical authority” in the field of dielectrics is an admirable goal but it can only be achieved by supporting our members who do the work, publish the results in our Transactions, and present at our conferences. By serving the next generation of technical experts, we ensure our survival and relevance. We need to be inclusive and reach out to anyone who can be considered a dielectrician (engineers, physicists, chemists, etc.). You help us achieve this goal by actively participating in Society activities so I encourage you to take an active role. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you are looking for volunteer opportunities.
(II) Being seen as a center of excellence within IEEE can be accomplished by actively interacting with other Societies and Councils to address their needs related to our field of interest. We already do much of this work through participation in our Sister Society group and membership in several Councils (Nanotechnology, Sensors, Superconductivity and Transportation Electrification). We are always looking for volunteers who want to more actively participate in Council activities. Let me know if you are interested.
(III) Keeping up-to-date on “the latest developments in areas encompassed in our Field of Interest” is a job that requires constant vigilance by everyone. Our Technical Committees have the primary responsibility to follow new work, but we do not have committees covering all aspects of dielectrics. We need to be made aware when something new comes to light that requires our attention. Then we can form new Technical Committees as needed. If you discover a topic within our Field of Interest that is not being adequately addressed, please let me or our VP-Technical, Akiko Kumada, (kumada@hvg.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) know so that we can take action.
(IV) Our society exists to serve our membership and humanity in general. Therefore, continually improving “the quality of services and offers to our members and to the worldwide community” is an obvious goal. We include this in the Strategic Goal statement because we want to be constantly reminded that providing these services is an ongoing process. We need to evolve because our constituents’ needs are constantly changing. Methods of communication and dissemination of information available today were unheard of only a few decades ago. What we do today may be totally inadequate tomorrow. When we are not meeting the needs of our members, we need you to let us know.
(V) The final goal item relates to diversity, inclusion, and ethics. These are areas where the IEEE has insisted that its organizational units adhere to a high set of standards that are posted on the IEEE website. Our Society will fully support these standards and I expect all of our members to enthusiastically support them. It is simply the right thing to do.