PECAS Bylaws
Bylaws of the Power and Energy Circuits and Systems
Technical Committee of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society
The Power and Energy Circuits and Systems Technical Committee (PECAS-TC) is a Technical Committee of the IEEE Circuits and Systems (CAS) Society. The PECAS-TC is a subsidiary organization of the CAS Society and is governed by the rules and regulations of the IEEE and by the constitution of the CAS Society, which take precedence over these bylaws in case of conflict.
I. Purpose
The goal of the PECAS-TC is to foster research, development, education and industrial dissemination of knowledge relating to the analysis and design of power systems and power electronic circuits. The TC serves as a bridge between the CAS Society and other IEEE societies, including the Power and Energy Society, the Power Electronics Society, the Industrial Electronics Society, and the Control Systems Society.
II. Technical Committee Activities
The Committee organizes special sessions, tutorial sessions and/or workshops at CAS Society conferences. The Committee also assists in organizing special issues and sections of CAS Transactions.
The Committee recommends Associate Editors to the Editorial Board of the CAS Society, and chairs for PECAS track at CAS conferences. The Committee will accept nominations for these positions, and review them in a timely manner.
The Committee is responsible for nominating individuals for the various CAS Society awards, and for nominating deserving PECAS-related papers for CAS Society best paper awards. The Secretary will solicit names of potential nominees from Committee members. The Officers will decide the names to be forwarded to the CAS Award Committees from those names submitted by members.
The PECAS TC members will assist in reviewing papers for ISCAS, CAS conferences and CAS Society journal publications.
III. Membership
PECAS-TC membership is open to any member of the IEEE CAS Society who expresses interest in the Committee’s field and activities. Membership is achieved by submitting a request to the Chair or to the Secretary, who shall maintain a record of members.
The PECAS TC has two types of membership: Full Member and Corresponding Member. A Full Member is also said Voting Member.
Joining as a Full Member requires nomination by a current Full member and is approved, after at least one-week notice, by a majority of Full Members, either at the Committee's Annual Meeting or by internet ballot of Voting Members.
A Full Member has rights to vote, propose motions, and make statements at the annual meeting.
A Full Member has the following duties:
- attending the annual TC meeting organized during ISCAS;
- submitting a write-up for inclusion in the TC’s annual report;
- serving as Review Committee Member (RCM) or Reviewer for papers related to the PECAS area submitted to ISCAS or CAS Society journals and conferences, or serving on the editorial board of a CAS Society journal as expert in the PECAS area;
- actively contributing to another activities set out in the TC Activities section, including the organization of the CAS Society conferences.
A Full Member’s status is inactive if none of these four conditions applies. The Secretary will email all inactive members to encourage them to become active. Members who do not respond or give sufficient cause for a two-year absence, yet fail to contribute for a third consecutive year, will automatically be removed from the Committee.
Joining as a Corresponding Member is by attending the annual meeting of the committee, or by nomination by an existing Corresponding Member or Full Member. Corresponding Members may attend the annual meeting of the Committee with voice but without the right to vote. Elevation of a Corresponding Members to Full Member follows the normal aforementioned process for joining as a Voting Member.
IEEE and IEEE CASS memberships are both mandatory requirements to remain active member of PECAS-TC.
The TC will maintain and publish annually the TC Roll of Members, including email addresses, a record of attendance at the Annual Meeting, participation in activities, and class of membership. In particular, the IEEE and IEEE CASS memberships will be yearly checked (e.g., in occasion of ISCAS conferences), in order to keep up-to-date TC list of participants. The procedure to be implemented includes the following steps:
- the TC, in the person of the Secretary and on behalf of the Chair, is required to send membership reminders to all PECAS members during months prior ISCAS;
- on demand, PECAS members are required to provide updates on their membership status;
- at the date of ISCAS, non-active Full Members and/or Full Members who have not yet renewed IEEE/IEEE CASS membership will become Corresponding Members for the rest of the year, thus avoiding their immediate leave from the TC;
- at the date of ISCAS, Corresponding Members who have not renewed IEEE/IEEE CASS membership will leave the TC;
- the TC will inform all members about any change in their current position.
IV. Conduct of Business and Meetings
Business relevant to this Charter may be conducted at meetings or by ballot via the internet. Meetings may be held in-person, typically at a conference, or by electronic means. All business requiring Committee approval will be conducted by the Chair at the annual meeting, or by email vote arranged by the Chair. Only Full Member has the right to vote.
The annual meeting of the PECAS-TC will be held in conjunction with the International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS). Any CAS Society or IEEE member is allowed to attend this Annual Meeting as an observer. The Chair may invite other observers to attend and speak.
At the annual meeting, an agenda is circulated prior to the meeting. The PECAS TC Chair will present an annual report on memberships, activities and progress on achieving the TC vision and mission. TC members will vote to elect new members and new Officers, if any. The members may discuss any other business relevant to the TC Charter. The members may vote on motions provided the required notice periods are met. A quorum is needed to resolve any motions at the meeting.
V. Duties and Election of Officers
The Committee has four officers: a Chair-Elect, a Chair, a Past-Chair, and a Secretary. Each will serve a two-year term.
The Chair-Elect will assist the Chair with TC business. Responsibilities include long-term planning of Committee activities.
The Chair-Elect is elected by a majority vote of the Voting Members present at the annual Committee meeting, falling just prior to the end of the term of the current Chair-Elect. The Chair-Elect must be a Voting Member of the Committee.
The Chair-Elect can assume the role of Chair if the current Chair resigns before his/her term expires. The Chair-Elect assumes the position of Chair immediately after the ISCAS following his/her two-year term.
The Chair - supported by the Chair-Elect - is responsible for:
- ensuring that the purpose of the TC is well achieved through timely and diligent execution of the activities;
- ensuring that the TC operates according to all other aspects of its Charter;
- establishing the TC Chair as a well-known channel of communication between the TC and the CASS Board of Governors.
The Chair will preside over Committee meetings and will be responsible for all interactions with the Society. The Chair will report on Committee activities to the CASS Board of Governors, through the CASS Vice President for Technical Activities, at least once a year, before ISCAS.
The Chair is a member of the CASS Technical Activities Division (TAD) and will attend the Annual Meeting of the TAD, normally held at the ISCAS site during or shortly before the symposium.
The Chair is not directly elected and is filled by transition of the Chair-Elect at the end of their two-year term. An out-of-sequence election for the Chair can be held, should the Chair-Elect be unable to assume the role of Chair.
The Past-Chair will represent the Committee on the Awards Committee of the CAS Society. S/he will also represent the Committee on the ISCAS Technical Program Committee. The Past-Chair shall assist the Chair with Committee business.
The Past-Chair is not directly elected but assumes the position immediately after the ISCAS following his/her two-year term as Chair.
The Secretary, who will also act as Treasurer for the TC, will record the minutes of the annual meeting and maintain the TC membership list. The Secretary will be the contact point for Committee nominations for CAS Society awards, and for Committee nominations for Best Paper Awards. S/he will be responsible for the Committee website.
The Secretary will be elected by a majority vote of the Voting Members present at the annual Committee meeting, falling just prior to the end of the term of the current Secretary. S/he will serve a two-year term commencing immediately after the ISCAS of his/her election.
VI. Amendments
Future amendments to these bylaws will be by a majority vote of the Committee members present at an annual Committee meeting, or by majority vote of members who respond through an email ballot.
Any member of the Committee may introduce prospective amendments. The process is initiated by notifying the Chair, who shall advise Committee members of the amendment. In scheduling the vote, the Chair must allow members at least one month to consider the amendment. An approved amendment will take effect the day following the vote where it was approved.
Motions to Amend the Charter and to Close (i.e., shut down) the TC have special conditions to be consistent with CASS and IEEE rules. The conditions for such ballots at a meeting and by internet ballot differ:
- Internet Ballot: voting by a minimum of one half of the TC members is a valid ballot; a two-thirds majority is required to pass the Motion;
- Ballot at TC Meeting: a Special Quorum of the Ceiling function of one-half of the TC members at the meeting is required; a two-thirds majority is required to pass the Motion.