Sembiam Rengarajan, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at California State University, Northridge, has been elected to the United States National Committee of the International Union for Radio Science (USNC-URSI).

Sembiam Rengarajan

He will serve as secretary and chair-elect for the organization’s 2015 to 2017 term, and as the chair during the 2018 to 2020 term.

Rengarajan said, having served for many years in different roles, he was honored to have been selected for his new position.

“In my opinion, the USNC-URSI is perhaps the most scholarly and scientifically enriching community,” he said.

“The USNC-URSI sponsors national meetings, disseminates information about national and international radio science activities, and advises the National Academy of Sciences in all matters pertaining to the International Union of Radio Science.”

“The USNC-URSI also represents U.S. radio scientists to support cooperative international studies that advance radio science research and standardization and affect appropriate participation in the Union. As part of the international activities at the NRC, the USNC-URSI will be encouraged to look at issues not only specific to radio science, but also relevant across several disciplines,” said the USNC-URSI in an official statement.

Rengarajan said he is looking forward to his new responsibilities.

“I am excited about my election and the possibility of contributing to the URSI activities,” Rengarajan said. “Though my election means a nine-year commitment on my part, requiring a lot of effort, it is a pleasure to work with other officers, and members of USNC-URSI on all technical and business activities of the organization.”

Rengarajan pointed out that The officers of USNC-URSI (chair, secretary, past-chair and accounts manager) provide the leadership to USNC-URSI and are responsible for all activities of USNC-URSI such as organizing the annual National Radio Science Meeting in Boulder, Colorado every January. “The annual joint summer meetings with IEEE Antennas and Propagation Symposium in North America. In addition, we work with the International URSI in scientific activities, and work with the National Academies,” said Rengarajan.

For more information on the department of electrical and computer engineering, please visit their website at http://www.csun.edu/engineering-computer-science/electrical-computer-engineering.

To learn more about USNC-URSI, visit their website at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/biso/URSI/index.htm.