IEEE Spectrum - Retrospect and prospect

When a comprehensive merger proposal was submitted in 1962 to the AIEE and IRE memberships, it was accepted by an overwhelmingly favorable vote. Now we, the membership of the older societies, are The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. With broad coverage of the entire electrical and electronics field within our scope, it is appropriate that IEEE should select as its unifying and "core" publication, reaching all its members, a new journal born this monthfittingly termed IEEE SPECTRUM. Its novel designation was wisely and felicitously suggested by E.K. Gannett, in charge of IEEE Editorial Operations, and W.R. Crone, Consultant to the IEEE STUDENT JOURNAL. It is anticipated that IEEE SPECTRUM will contain review and tutorial articles, and occasionally articles of broad and fundamental import. It will include articles of application and of economic significance. It will present news of the profession and of IEEE, announcements and reports of conferences and conventions, news of education, and letters to the editor on topics of broad concern as well as of general interest. Also included will be news of scientific and engineering advancement, items of political and social interest to the profession, and abstracts of or references to material in other IEEE publications. The technical level of IEEE SPECTRUM will be such that it will be a positive force in upgrading the level of membership ability and in fostering the development and expansion of the field encompassed by IEEE. It will inherently aim to be an agent for human progress through enhanced professional capabilities. The title IEEE SPECTRUM is particularly appropriate in view of the unusually wide range of topics falling within the scope of IEEE. Serving as a source of dependable and timely information on matters within the scope of IEEE, and thus keeping the membership of the Institute up to date in its fields, is only one of the purposes of IEEE SPECTRUM. Another primary aim of IEEE and its publications is to foster and strengthen the professional standing of its members and to promote and emphasize their professional accomplishments. The author briefly considers the nature of professionalism and the personal value and significance of the professional attitude among engineers.