IEEE Industry Applications Society

IEEE Industry Applications Society
Name	IEEE Industry Applications Society
Abbreviation	IAS
Formation	1957
Headquarters	Piscataway, New Jersey
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	Professional engineers, researchers, industry practitioners
Leader title	President
Parent organization	IEEE

IEEE Industry Applications Society

The IEEE Industry Applications Society advances industrial engineering applications across power generation, electric motors, renewable energy, manufacturing, and automation through technical programs, publications, and standards. It connects practitioners from General Electric, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, and Eaton Corporation with academic contributors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, and ETH Zurich. The Society collaborates with organizations such as International Electrotechnical Commission, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers–Power & Energy Society, and International Council on Large Electric Systems to influence industrial practices and technology transfer.

History

Founded during a period of rapid industrial electrification, the Society emerged in the same milieu as Electrotechnical Society movements and alongside organizations like Institute of Radio Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers before their consolidation into IEEE. Early activities paralleled milestones at Baldwin Locomotive Works, Westinghouse Electric Company, General Electric test labs, and Bell Labs research, addressing challenges from hydroelectric power projects at Hoover Dam to steel mill modernization at U.S. Steel. During the energy transitions of the 1970s and 1980s, the Society engaged with stakeholders from Shell Oil Company, ExxonMobil, BP, and Soviet Academy of Sciences researchers to confront issues evident in events like the 1973 oil crisis and the Three Mile Island accident. In later decades, the Society expanded its reach to include contributors from Toyota, Siemens Gamesa, Vestas, Danfoss, and universities involved in smart grid research such as University of California, Berkeley and Imperial College London.

Organization and Governance

Governance follows structures similar to other IEEE societies with an elected presidential line, administrative board, and regional directors representing Region 1 (IEEE), Region 2 (IEEE), Region 3 (IEEE), Region 4 (IEEE), and international regions encompassing chapters in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa. The Society's bylaws align with procedures used by IEEE Standards Association and coordinate with committees modeled on those of American National Standards Institute and International Organization for Standardization delegates. Leadership has historically included industry figures affiliated with General Motors, Honeywell International, Motorola Solutions, Rockwell Automation, and academic leaders tied to Princeton University and California Institute of Technology.

Technical Committees and Councils

Technical committees mirror domains found in industrial practice: rotating machinery, power electronics, energy storage, electric drives, industrial automation, and systems engineering, often collaborating with committees at IEEE Power Electronics Society, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, IEEE Power & Energy Society, IEEE Control Systems Society, and IEEE Transportation Electrification Community. Councils and working groups have produced research agendas paralleling projects at Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and international labs such as Fraunhofer Society and Korea Electric Power Research Institute. Joint task forces with Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE), CIGRÉ, and IEC Technical Committee 22 address topics spanning variable frequency drives to electric vehicle integration programs championed by Nissan, Tesla, Inc., BYD Auto, and BMW.

Publications and Conferences

The Society publishes journals, magazines, and conference proceedings comparable to outlets like IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, and special issues that have paralleled themes from Proceedings of the IEEE and conference series similar to IEEE PES General Meeting and IEEE International Electric Machines & Drives Conference. Major conferences attract participants from Hannover Messe, CIGRÉ Session, ACM/IEEE Supercomputing Conference, International Conference on Power Electronics and Motion Control, and regional symposia in cities such as Chicago, Frankfurt am Main, Shanghai, New Delhi, and São Paulo. Proceedings have featured collaborative research with institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Seoul National University, University of Tokyo, and McGill University.

Membership and Awards

Membership spans engineers, managers, researchers, and students from corporations including Bosch, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, RWE, and EDF as well as academic affiliates from Columbia University and McMaster University. The Society confers awards and recognitions akin to honors from IEEE Fellow grades, named awards reflecting contributions to industrial automation and electric machinery, and travel grants similar to those provided by Fulbright Program and Rhodes Trust for early-career researchers. Awards ceremonies are held at flagship events historically frequented by delegates from United Nations Industrial Development Organization and national labs.

Standards and Industry Impact

Through liaison with IEEE Standards Association, the Society contributes to standards impacting IEC 60034 rotating electrical machines, IEEE 519 voltage distortion, IEC 61800 drives, and interoperability frameworks used by OPC Foundation and ISA. Its technical influence appears in industrial deployments at utilities like Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Électricité de France, State Grid Corporation of China, Eskom, and manufacturers such as Caterpillar Inc. and John Deere. The Society's guidance shapes procurement practices observed in projects like Crossrail, Three Gorges Dam, London Underground upgrades, and renewable rollouts led by Iberdrola and NextEra Energy.

Category:IEEE societies