Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 | |
| Type: | Association |
| Industry: | Electrical, Electronic and Computing Industries |
| Founded: | 1884 |
| Founder(s): | Norvin Green Thomas Edison Alexander Graham Bell |
| Headquarters: | 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor New York, NY 10016-5997 |
| Country: | USA |
| Website: | IEEE.org |
| Facebook: | IEEE |
| LinkedIn: | IEEE |
| Twitter: |  @IEEEorg
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| Key People | |
| Dr. Moshe Kam, President and CEO Gordon Day, President-Elect James Prendergast, Executive Director | |
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a global association of professionals dedicated in the pursuit of advancement and technological innovations for the benefit of humanity. It has 38 societies and 7 technical councils representing a wide range of IEEE technical expertise with more than 400,000 members from 160 countries all over the world. The organization provides publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional & educational activities.[1]
History
The beginnings of IEEE can be traced back during the 1880s after the invention of electrical power and light which became an important part of people's lives and the society as a whole.
Norvin Green from the telegraphy industry, Thomas Edison from the power industry and Alexander Graham Bell representing the telephone industry founded the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) in 1884. AIEE was formally incorporated as a non profit organization on March 16, 1896.[2] The organization led the development of the electrical engineering profession through technical meetings, publications and promotion of standards in the industry.[3]
In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi invented the wireless telegraph. In 1902, he proved to the world that world that wireless communication is possible by sending the first successful translantic radio telegraph message from England to New Foundland.[4] Meanwhile during the 1900's Lee Deforest invented the space telegraphy.He combined the triode amplifier and the Audion with John Ambrose Flemings diode valve to detect electromagnetic radiation. He was successful in amplifying the radio frequency signal picked up by the antenna before application to the receiver. His work led to the invention of amplitude-modulated (AM) radio. This developments paved the way to the establishment of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) on August 23, 1913. The Institute focused on the development and enhancement of the radio industry profession, products and services.[5]
On January 2, 1963, AIEE and IRE merged to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).[6] During the merger, the organization had 150,000 members. Majority of the members are from the United States.