This year, the IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) will take place June 4-9 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. Without question, anyone affiliated with the RF/microwave industry knows that IMS is the flagship event of the year. This year’s version has what one would expect to see at IMS, such as the exhibition, technical sessions, panel sessions, and more. IMS 2017 also features some new additions, such as the Exhibitor Workshops, Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, and the Hackathon: 30-Minute Circuits competition. In addition to all of that, the 5G Summit has much in store for attendees.
Plenary Session
The plenary session will consist of an overview of the technical program, introductory remarks, a presentation of the 2017 IEEE Fellow Awards, and two keynote addresses. The first keynote, “5G: Enabled by Technology, With Public Policy Assist,” will be given by Dr. Henning Schulzrinne, and will provide his insight in regard to the future of wireless data and the role of public policy.
The second keynote address, to be delivered by Dr. Wen Tong, is titled, “5G: The New Radio Technology Connecting Everything.” Dr. Tong will discuss the key enabling technologies for 5G new radio technology, the associated proof-of-concept trials, and progress toward industrial standardization. He will also discuss the challenges and new directions associated with 5G radio technology, as well as the timeline for market rollout.
IMS Exhibition
The exhibition, which takes place June 6-8, has over 450 participating companies covering every facet of the industry. It also includes Microwave Applications Seminars (MicroApps), which are 20-minute technical presentations from various IMS exhibitors. More than 40 presentations are set to take place.
The exhibition also includes the first-ever IMS Exhibitor Workshops. These workshops are two-hour presentations from exhibitors held inmeeting rooms and are intended to provide practical, hands-on training to attendees. Participating companies include Keysight Technologies, Cascade Microtech, Empower RF Systems, as well as others.
New Additions
Technical sessions, panel sessions, workshops, and short courses will give attendees the opportunity to take in a ton of information. Furthermore, some new additions have been made to IMS 2017. One is the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which is designed for eligible students and young professionals. Contestants will give a presentation in three minutes or less to a non-specialist audience. The competition takes place Mon., June 5.
The Hackathon competition is another new addition this year. This fast-paced competition will challenge teams to design a circuit in 30 minutes or less without using computer-aided-design (CAD) tools. The IMS 2017 Hackathon circuit will be a microstrip power divider.
To those attending, enjoy the show!
