IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine - Q1 2021 - 4

From
the Editor
Yiran Chen, Ph.D.
The Editor in Chief of IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine

2021: The Greatest Reset
2020 is Certainly a Special Year
ne year ago, I framed the exciting challenges and
opportunities we were facing in my greeting note
on the first issue of the IEEE Circuits and Systems
Magazine (CAS-M) in 2020. We were ambitious, but we
had many reasons to be so optimistic: investment in new
technologies, demand for strong talent, and active international collaboration were all at their historical peaks.

COVID-19 Suddenly Hit the " Pause " button
I do not want to use " unprecedented " to describe the
COVID-19 pandemic as such pandemics did happen
many times throughout the history of humankind. But
there is one thing truly " unprecedented " this year-we
have never had so many new weapons to combat the virus: cloth masks were produced to prevent transmission
of the virus, no-contact Infrared Thermometers and
oximeters were manufactured to monitor body temperature and blood oxygen level, smartphone apps were
designed to record the symptoms and track potential
exposure to COVID-19, and most importantly, multiple
vaccines were and are still being developed to create
lasting immunity to the virus. Researchers all over the
world are united, never before, to focus so urgently on a
single goal: defeating the virus.
The pandemic uniquely stages IEEE CAS-M as the
nexus connecting the members of the IEEE CAS Society,
especially when everyone is forced to stay at home. Envisioning the changes and challenges that we will face
after the pandemic, IEEE CAS-M forms the first ever advisory board, which is composed of legendary researchers and society leaders-including eight former IEEE
CAS Presidents-to provide guidance and support to the
magazine. Prof. Sanjit K. Mitra, the IEEE CAS President
of 1986, will serve as the founding chair of the advisory
board. We also invite 15 new editors from various countries to join the editorial board. These editors will be
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MCAS.2020.3046386
Date of current version: 11 February 2021

IEEE CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS MAGAZINE

in charge of the news, reports, and special columns of
the IEEE CAS-M. I strongly encourage our members to
contact these editors if you have any news or opinions
to share with the society.
In the last issue of IEEE CAS-M in 2020, we published
an interview with Prof. David C. L. Liu, a legendary computer scientist and educator. Unfortunately, Prof. Liu
passed away before the issue was published. We include
a short note written by Prof. Sung-Mo " Steve " Kang in
memory of Prof. Liu. Prof. Liu's wisdom and humor will
stay with us forever.
Also included in this issue are two feature articles
about non-conventional arithmetic computing and vital
signs detection using radar techniques, as well as reports about how to organize a virtual IEEE ISCAS 2020,
and the 16th International School on the Effects of
Radiation on Embedded Systems for Space Applications (SERESSA2020).
We congratulate the society members who received
awards from the IEEE CAS Society and were elected to
IEEE Fellows in 2021, all for their exceptional academic
accomplishment and outstanding work. We also want
to draw our readers' attention to the message from the
IEEE CAS President, Prof. Amara Amara, as the tradition
of IEEE CAS-M.
2021 is the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese
zodiac. As the second in the zodiac cycle, the Ox represents strength, persistence, and confidence. Let's maintain our confidence in fighting with COVID-19 and keeping our persistence and strength developed by modern
science and technology.
We wish everybody a joyous, healthy, and prospective 2021!

Yiran Chen, Ph.D.
The Editor in Chief of IEEE
Circuits and Systems Magazine

FIRST QUARTER 2021

IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine - Q1 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine - Q1 2021