Section History

Our Section was established on April 5, 1957, as the Idaho Section. It was nearly disbanded in 1985 when local interest waned, but was saved by the yeoman efforts of one very active volunteer.  The arrival and active participation of two new Section members in 1989 revitalized the Section, and it was subsequently renamed the Eastern Idaho Section (affectionally referred to as the palindromic “IEEEEI”) in 2002. IEEEEI is co-headquartered in Pocatello, ID, and Idaho Falls, ID, and currently thrives with over 200 active members in the 16 counties of Eastern Idaho.

Meetings

  • Executive Committee meetings are on the third Wednesday of odd-numbered months (except July), and are conducted in Blackfoot, ID, which is centrally located (25 miles from both Pocatello and Idaho Falls).
  • Section meetings are conducted at random, usually during lunch or dinner, and are rotated among the cities of Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and Blackfoot.  Many are conducted jointly with other area technical societies.
  • Section ExCom members regularly attend IEEE Region 6 OpCom and Northeast Area meetings.

Professional Activities

  • We continue to support the local MathCounts competition through advertising and providing volunteers.
  • We are also actively involved in the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network.
  • Other Professional Activities have included:
    • writing workshops focused on technical presentations and resumes,
    • tours of area sites of interest to members, and
    • regular technical presentations for Section members.

Membership Development

  • The Section recruits new members at Section meetings, and provides forms and information to prospective members.
  • The Section conducts a continuing campaign to elevate Members to Senior Member level.

PES Chapter

We are proud to announce the recent establishment of a local chapter of the IEEE Power Engineering Society.

IEEEEI is:

Electrical Engineering Milestone

IEEEEI is proud to have been the nominating and sponsoring entity for establishment of the EBR-1 reactor facility, near Arco, as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing.  This is the facility where electricity was first generated by a nuclear reactor.

Where Do We Fit In?

IEEE divides the world into 10 “Regions” for administrative purposes, as shown on the map below.

We live in Region 6, which encompasses all or part of 12 states in the western US – from Alaska to New Mexico, and Montana to Hawaii.


Within Region 6, there are 5 “Areas” – Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southern, and Southwest, roughly defined as shown below. We are in the “Northeast Area.”

Within the Northeast Area are six “Sections” – Boise (violet), Eastern Idaho (orange), Western Montana (yellow), Central Montana (blue), Eastern Montana (green), and Utah (pink), as shown below. Our Section is the “Eastern Idaho Section.”

Within the Section’s scope of responsibility are two “Student Branches,” – the Idaho State University Student Branch (formed on June 22, 1996) in Pocatello, and the Brigham Young University-Idaho Student Branch (formed on March 26, 2004) in Rexburg. Locations of student branches within the Northeast Area are indicated by black dots on the map below. White dots show the location of schools with EE-related programs but, as of yet, no chartered Student Branch.