The events surrounding Electro '87, the annual conference and trade show sponsored here in April by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, demonstrate how contentious life can be at the world's largest technical society. Although the attempt to stop a symposium on "Offshore Opportunities to Expand Markets" stemmed from a long-running and bitter controversy between the institute and one of its members, its occurrence signals the strong feelings such issues can evoke. And the results of last fall's election for president—in which that member, Irwin Feerst, came within an eyelash of winning—point to the lack of a consensus within the institute's 282,000 members worldwide on the future of the organization.
Despite Feerst's unrelenting criticism, IEEE is in many ways a leader among scientific societies. Its technical activities, including publications and conferences, are among the most extensive in a field that has gained unparalleled importance in today's high-tech world. Headquartered ...
