NECEC 2024

The 33rd Annual Newfoundland Electrical and Computer Engineering Conference

November 14, 2024
Holiday Inn St. John's Conference Centre
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

The NECEC Technical Committee solicits submissions to be considered for the following paper and poster awards:

  1. Wally Read Best Student Paper and Best Young Professionals Paper Awards
    NECEC’s Best Student Paper and Best Young Professional Paper are named after the former President of the IEEE and Canadian Electrical Association, Wallace S. Read.

    Wallace Stanley Read (1930-2011) was for many years the face of the IEEE in Newfoundland and Labrador, even has he was providing leadership nationally and worldwide, latterly as the President of IEEE. Affectionately known as Wally, in his own inimitable fashion, he worked tirelessly to instill the notion that electrical engineering innovations needed to be brought to the masses of humanity. He was very much an encourager of young engineers and recognized the importance of developing their potential. Wally served as vice president of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and, subsequently, as president of the Canadian Electrical Association. He was a member of the Order of Canada, held two honorary doctorates, and was a fellow of the IEEE, the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineers. IEEE Canada named its highest service honour the “Wallace S. Read Outstanding Service Award” and appointed him as its first Director Emeritus.

  2. Women in Engineering (WIE) Best Paper Award

  3. T. David Collett Best Industry Paper Award
    NECEC’s Best Industry Paper Award is named after the receiver of the IEEE McNaughton Medal and the PEGNL Award of Merit, Thomas David Collet.

    Thomas David Collett (1942-2005) had a stellar career in many high-profile positions within the NL power engineering community. Among his other titles, he was President, Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation, President, Twin Falls Power Corporation Limited and Executive Vice-President, Production, at Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. He was a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of the Governing Board of the IEEE Power Engineering Society and past Chair of IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section. For his outstanding contributions to electrical engineering in NL, David became the 1996 recipient of the “Award of Merit” from what is now the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland & Labrador (PEGNL) and, in 1997, was recognized nationally for his “leadership and creative planning in engineering,” being awarded the IEEE’s McNaughton Medal.

  4. Byron Dawe Best Poster Award
    NECEC’s Best Poster Award is named after one of the founders of Rutter Technologies, former Vice-President of Operations of the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications, and former Chair of the IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section, Byron Dawe.

    Byron Dawe (1951-2011) was a pioneer in the Ocean Technology Sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, and was a valued member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology & Innovation (NATI) and OceansAdvance, promoting the provincial Ocean Technology Innovation Cluster. He was a Senior Member of the IEEE and, in the early days of the local IEEE Section, provided much appreciated leadership in his role as Section Chair in 1980 and 1985. A graduate of Memorial University’s Engineering program, Byron was one of the founders of the original Rutter Technologies. From 1998, he worked as president of Rutter Technologies Inc. Products Division, where he was instrumental in developing the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR), the marine industry’s equivalent of an aircraft’s black box.

For the awards in (1) principal authors must be IEEE Student Member or Young Professionals Member, respectively. Authors must indicate their IEEE numbers during the submission process.

Criteria for NECEC Paper Awards

The following are guidelines that the judging panel will use in determining the awards for NECEC submissions:

  1. Simplest things first: The paper must be well written and all components (including equations and figures) must be neat and clear. The ideas should flow well. The problem that is being addressed must be clearly identified.
  2. The content of the paper must focus on a subject matter that falls within the technical scope of the IEEE.
  3. The technical content should be original and novel. Judges will consider whether the content of the paper has already been presented or received recognition elsewhere. If this is the case, it is unlikely that the selection committee would look at it as an original submission.
  4. The depth of the technical content will be considered and, if necessary, the judging panel may seek the advice of experts outside of the NECEC organizing committee.
  5. The paper will be judged finally on its timeliness and the promise it holds for further development.

Note: Determination of the best poster award will follow the same basic guidelines. Late papers will not be considered for awards.