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University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
July 14, 1999 |
Contact: Asst. Professor Michael De Lisio, 956-7898 Asst. Professor Wayne Shiroma, 956-7218 |
International Microwave Symposium to be Held in Honolulu Honolulu has been selected to host the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) in 2007. The week-long symposium is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants and 650 exhibitors and is projected to generate $13.9 million in visitor spending and $1.2 million in tax revenue. The success in bringing the symposium to Honolulu is due to a collaborative effort between University of Hawai'i engineering professors and the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau. "Attracting a large technical symposium such as the IMS to our state is another example of how the University of Hawai'i can help boost our economy," commented Hawai'i Governor Ben Cayetano. "The symposium will allow the University to showcase the technical leadership offered by the UH Manoa College of Engineering," added UH President Kenneth P. Mortimer. IMS presents the latest advances in microwave and related technologies, such as broadband wireless and Internet-related telecommunications. The symposium and the associated industrial exhibition and various social events and guest programs will be held in the Hawai'i Convention Center. The annual symposium is sponsored by the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, one of the largest technical organizations in the world. According to MTT-S President Ed Rezek, "Selecting Honolulu as the host city for IMS will for the first time emphasize our society's global base and will draw greater numbers of attendees and exhibitors from the Pacific Rim and the Americas." If the conference is a success, Honolulu could serve as the host city on a revolving basis, he said. Bringing the symposium to Honolulu involved the efforts of UHM Assistant Professors Michael De Lisio and Wayne Shiroma, from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Syd Rivera and Debbie Zimmerman, of the visitors bureau. Reynold Kagiwada, past president of MTT-S and a long-time supporter of the UH College of Engineering, was also instrumental in the site selection. The symposium will be organized by an international steering committee chaired by De Lisio, Shiroma and Associate Dean for the Engineering Research John Owens of Auburn University, who first proposed bringing IMS to Hawai'i. UH Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Jung-Chih Chiao will also serve on the steering committee. |
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