IMS2012 International Microwave Symposium

 

The IMS2012 will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding in 1952 of the MTT society.  To mark this occasion, the Anniversary celebration at IMS 2012 will include a suite of 3 special sessions, related to the overall history and key interests of the society. 

To mark the occasion of the IMS being held outside of the US, for the second time ever, the theme for the IMS 2012 historical exhibit is the evolution of microwaves in Canada. 

Canada has been the land of much progress in microwaves and RF.  To name a few:

• 111^th anniversary of the first transatlantic wireless communication by Guglielmo Marconi on December 12, 1901, the message was received at Signal Hill in St John's Newfoundland, Canada.
• 50^th anniversary of Alouette 1 launched on September 29, 1962, the world’s first scientific satellite dedicated to atmospheric studies to learn more about the influence of aurora borealis (also called northern lights) on the propagation of radio waves. 
• 40^th anniversary of the ANIK A1 communication satellite, launched on November 9, 1972, then becoming the world's first national domestic satellite.
• Hermes, launched on January 17, 1976, was the first direct-to-home satellite television broadcast; also used for tele-medecine and tele-education.
• 30^th anniversary of the first rescue demonstration of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system.  Only nine days after testing began, on September 9, 1982, SARSAT demonstrated its effectiveness in searching for downed aircraft.

This year the historical exhibit will be conveniently located in the foyer of the session floor thus providing convenient and easy access for all the symposium attendees to enjoy this showcase.

The attendees will be treated to a number of exhibits featuring the numerous achievements accomplished by Canadian establishments including contributions from academia, industry and government laboratories such as the Communication Research Center, winner of three Emmy awards for their work in the field of broadcasting, the Defense R&D Centers, and the David Florida laboratories, the Canadian facility for the integration and testing of satellites of numerous space-faring countries. 

Daniel Gratton