UH Manoa engineering professor receives prestigious volunteer award
University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaContact:
Posted: Dec 7, 2009
Wayne Shiroma, eighth from left, with a portion of his 96-member IMS 2007 steering committee
University of Hawai`i at Mānoa electrical engineering Professor Wayne Shiroma was named the 2009 recipient of the N. Walter Cox Award, in recognition of his service to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S). IEEE is the world’s largest professional association with more than 375,000 members in more than 160 countries.
The N. Walter Cox Award, established in 1989, recognizes an individual who has given “exemplary service to the IEEE MTT-S in a spirit of selfless dedication and cooperation,” and is given in memory of N. Walter Cox, a longstanding MTT-S volunteer.
Shiroma has been a member of IEEE for 24 years, serving in various technical and administrative volunteer capacities. He was the general chair of the 2007 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2007), held in Honolulu. This was the state’s largest convention in 2007, drawing 7000 participants and generating $34 million in visitor spending. IMS is the fifth largest conference within IEEE and the flagship event of the MTT-S.
According to Shiroma, his greatest passion is mentoring students and young professionals. In the past eight years, he mentored three UH Mānoa undergraduates that were recognized as the most outstanding electrical engineering students in the nation by the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu. He helped nurture the formation of the IEEE MTT-S Hawaiʻi chapter, whose officers are former members of his research group. Following the completion of IMS 2007, he supported the successful bid to bring IMS back to Honolulu in 2017, which will be spearheaded by four executive committee members that were IEEE student or GOLD (graduates of the last decade) members of the IMS 2007 steering committee.
The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa College of Engineering has launched thousands of successful careers in Hawai`i and throughout the world. Graduates occupy key roles with engineering firms, government agencies, defense contractors, and as entrepreneurs. Many of its 9000 alumni have made significant engineering contributions to the state’s infrastructure and are now set on accomplishing similar tasks abroad. The College’s respect for the Hawaiian culture is reflected in its successful mentoring program for under-represented science and engineering students. As the College celebrates its 100-year history, it is focused on becoming a major contributor to Hawai`i’s renewable energy and sustainable future.