SPS: Forging Ahead with New Innovations for Its Members [President's Message]

I had the good fortune to join some 1,200 attendees from around the world by participating in the recordsetting 2009 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing in Cairo, Egypt. I congratulate General Chair Prof. Magdy Bayoumi and his conference organizing committee for a terrific program and a superb venue. The outstanding technical program was complemented by Egyptian hospitality fit for the pharaohs and the opportunity for attendees to experience transcendent historical and cultural treasures. As the first major event for the Society on the African continent, the conference underscored the IEEE Signal Processing Society's (SPS's) re newed emphasis on regional member development and engagement, reflected most visibly by the planned addition of four elected regional directors to its Board of Governors (BoG).