President’s Message/Message du Président 10 Spring / Printemps 2018 that represent the various specializations involving electromagnetic fields and waves. They include: ● Commission A: Electromagnetic Metrology ● Commission B: Fields and Waves ● Commission C: Radiocommunication Sys- tems and Signal Processing ● Commission D: Electronics and Photonics ● Commission E: Electromagnetic Environ- ment and Interference ● Commission F: Wave Propagation and Re- mote Sensing ● Commission G: Ionospheric Radio and Propagation ● Commission H: Waves in Plasmas ● Commission J: Radio Astronomy ● Commission K: Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO URSI URSI was formed in 1919 during the Con- stitutive Assembly of the International Re- search Council, the predecessor to the Inter- national Council for Science (ICSU). One of the four founding members of the ICSU, URSI is currently one of 30 international scientific unions affiliated to it. Other ICSU unions include the International Astro- nomical Union, the International Math- ematics Union, the International Union of Radio Science Canada in by David Michelson ext year, in 2019, the International Union of Radio Science (abbreviat- ed URSI, after its French name, Union Radio- Scientifique Internationale) will celebrate its centennial. The past one hundred years have borne witness to the tremendous impact that the application of electromagnetic fields and waves have had on society, industry and the economy. From wireless communications to microwave ovens to fibre optics to radar to re- mote sensing to radio astronomy, it is difficult to imagine today’s world without the benefits of electromagnetic technology. URSI has a long history of cooperating with IEEE to advance international cooperation in the study of electromagnetic fields and waves. One of the best known examples is, of course, the IEEE AP-S Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC-URSI Radio Science Meeting that is organized each summer by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society and the U.S. National Committee for URSI. With the launch of this regular feature in IEEE Canadian Review, IEEE Canada mem- bers will have an opportunity to learn more about URSI, its organization and activities, and how they can both contribute to and benefit from URSI’s mission. Dave Michelson; dmichelson@ieee.org Pure and Applied Chemistry, and the Inter- national Union of Pure and Applied Physics. URSI’s mission is to stimulate and co-or- dinate, on an international basis, studies, research, applications, scientific exchange, and communication on all aspects of elec- tromagnetic fields and waves. In particular, URSI seeks: ● to encourage and promote internation- al activity in radio science and its applica- tions, for the benefit of humanity; ● to encourage the adoption of common methods of measurement, and the compari- son and standardisation of the measuring instruments used in scientific work; ● to stimulate and coordinate studies of: ● the scientific aspects of telecommuni- cations using electromagnetic waves, guided and unguided; ● the generation, emission, radiation, propagation, reception, and detection of fields and waves, and the processing of the signals embedded in them. ● to represent radio science to the general pub- lic, and to public and private organisations. The URSI Secretariat is based in Brussels, Belgium. The 44 member countries of URSI are each represented by a National Com- mittee. Members of the National Commit- tees are drawn from the ranks of leading researchers in each country and are respon- sible for both representing the interests of researchers in their country to the URSI Secretariat and the ICSU, and informing researchers of URSI activities and oppor- tunities relevant to their interests. In many cases, national committee members are called upon to serve pro bono as “advisers to the nation” on research and policy matters related to electromagnetic fields and waves. The technical activities of URSI are con- ducted through ten scientific commissions URSI Commission J – Radio Astronomy Dr. Lewis Knee Canadian representative to Commission J and Member, Canadian National Committee U RSI Commission J – Radio Astronomy is concerned with observation and interpretation of all radio emissions and reflections from celestial objects. Commission J places emphasis on the technical means for making radio-astronomical obser- vations and data analysis as well as the support for activities to protect radio- astronomical observations from harm- ful interference. FOCUS ON Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile