IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine - Fall 2017 - 129

Randy Rannow and encouragement
of President (then Chapters chair)
Jan van der Spiegel. It was exciting
because Fort Collins did not have a technically vital circuits community despite
extensive circuits development in the
local industry.
I wanted to bring in speakers
and learn more about what we're so
passionate about and share it with
others, something that became a
part of me after studying in Silicon
Valley. What made the experience
so enjoyable and rewarding was the
amazing team of dedicated Chapter
volunteers-my wife Tin Tin Wee, Bob
Barnes, Don McGrath, Bruce Doyle,
and Steve Martin-who genuinely
cared about helping the community.
We never would have imagined that
a humble grassroots effort would be
recognized as the 2005 SSCS Chapter
of the Year.

Eric Vittoz (DL, second from left) was hosted by IEEE Denver Chapter officers (From left): Don
McGrath, Bob Barnes, Tin Tin Wee, and Alvin Loke). March 2004.

How Has SSCS Impacted
Your Career?
SSCS has been the rock in my professional career. I was a very active
officer in the Denver Chapter for ten
years. During this time, our Chapter
organized over 90 seminars, many
by famous and prolific experts in
our global community. When you
host experts for visits and talks,
their wisdom rubs off on you. They
tell you things and offer advice-not
just technical insights but career
and life mentoring. Many high-tech
companies today are too focused
on a quick return on investment
without investing much in mentoring relatively new and impressionable new grads. Thankfully, we are
blessed to belong to a community

The IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society
(SSCS) recently introduced its new feature in the "People" column. The "Why
I'm an SSCS Member" feature highlights
the importance and benefits of Society membership, and what it means to
be a member of IEEE. Tell us why you're
an SSCS member; e-mail abira.sengupta@
ieee.org to be featured.

The September 2013 DL tour in Porto Alegre, Brazil (from left): Alvin Loke, Sergio Bampi, and
Jake Baker).

full of technical powerhouses, many
of whom are genuine and generous individuals.
My SSCS Chapter involvement became the foundation for building
many new friendships as well as personal confidence. The connections gave
me the opportunity to publish my work,
which led to participating in the Custom
Integrated Circuits Conference technical committee. It also led to a twoyear stint as a Distinguished Lecturer,
where I had the opportunity to travel

the world and see how different Chapters ran. SSCS has given me a lot, and I
feel obligated to spend time helping the
Society in whatever small way I can.

Why Should Someone
Become an SSCS Member?
There are many facets to being an
SSCS member. The Society truly gives
you a sense of community. Being a part
of the SSCS family has unquestionably
become a part of my professional and
personal identity. The SSCS membership

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine - Fall 2017