Milestones:Milestone Guidelines and How to Propose a Milestone

See List of current IEEE Milestones

Milestone Submission and Evaluation Process: Proposed milestones may be submitted through the IEEE History Center to the IEEE History Committee. A member of the IEEE History Committee is assigned as an advocate for each proposed milestone. The advocate is available to guide the proposers/nominators in preparing the documentation supporting the authenticity of the proposed milestone. The IEEE History Committee is responsible for evaluating the proposed milestone, and if appropriate, recommending approval by the IEEE Board of Directors.

Submission of a milestone is a two-step process: a milestone proposal, followed by a nomination. The time for the submission and evaluation process depends on the completeness of the documentation supporting the authentication of the proposed milestone. Typically the time from submission of the initial proposal to the dedication of the milestone is between nine and fifteen months.

1. Submission of milestone proposal: IEEE Organizational Units, such as Sections, Societies, or Chapters, are encouraged to submit proposals for a milestones. The first step is to submit an initial proposal using the tab in the left navigation margin of this page.

2. Review of Proposal: Within one month of receiving the proposal, the Milestones Coordinator of the IEEE History Committee will appoint a member of the History Committee as the advocate of the proposed milestone. The milestone coordinator and the advocate will review the initial proposal to determine the potential significance of the proposed milestone. The milestones administrator [an IEEE staff member] shall convey to the proposers the decision of the Milestones Coordinator and the Advocate either to invite the submission of a detailed nomination with documentation supporting the Milestone, or the decision to decline the proposed Milestone.

3. Submission of Nomination: If the review of the proposal results in the decision to invite the proposing OU(s) to submit a detailed nomination, the milestones administrator will send a letter or e-mail to the proposer(s) inviting the full nomination, and will enclose the nomination form. The advocate and the milestone administrator shall assist the sponsoring OU(s) in the completion of the nomination.

Material supporting the nomination must be submitted in electronic form, either in English, or must be accompanied by an English translation. The materials shall be detailed, with appropriate references. If the nomination is approved, the documentation shall be preserved in a database available to a broad range of potentially interested scholars, historians, and other parties.

The Milestone Nomination Form will request the submission of a draft citation of not more than seventy-five words describing the achievement to be recognized. The advocate or IEEE History Committee may choose to modify the citation. If the IEEE History Committee modifies the citation, the new version of the citation shall be sent to the nominators for comment on the changes. The History Committee has the final decision on the wording of the citation to be recommended for approval to the IEEE Board of Directors. The approved citation will be inscribed on the bronze plaque.

4. Time Limit for Submission: The nomination for a milestone must be submitted to the IEEE History Center within six months of the issue of the invitation.

5. Review of the Nomination: Within three months of receipt of the milestone nomination the advocate shall complete an initial evaluation of the detailed documentation and present a recommendation whether to accept or reject the nomination — including a draft of the final wording of the citation — to the IEEE History Committee for review and approval. This review process may require the submission of additional documentation that may extend the period for the review of the proposed milestone. The advocate shall coordinate the preparation of a draft citation with the nominators prior to the submission of a recommendation to the IEEE History Committee.

6. Approval of Board of Directors: The IEEE History Committee is responsible for receiving the report of the advocate and for the final review and evaluation of the authenticity of the proposed milestone to determine whether to recommend approval by the IEEE Board of Directors.

Citations approved by the IEEE Board of Directors shall be understood as final. Any changes requested to the citation by the OU subsequent to IEEE Board of Directors approval – with the exception of minor grammatical changes – shall require the changed Milestone Nomination to be resubmitted to the IEEE History Committee and to undergo the approval process again.

7. Notification of Approval: The milestones administrator shall notify the nominating OU(s) when the IEEE History Committee recommends approval of the milestone to the IEEE Board of Directors and also notify the respective OU(s) when the IEEE Board of Directors has determined the final action regarding the proposed milestone.

If the milestone is approved, the milestone administrator will complete the arrangements for the payment for the plaque and suggest guidelines for the successful completion of the milestone dedication events.

8. Casting of the Plaque(s): A plaque or plaques will be cast and delivered to the OU(s) within two months of payment received by the History Center (currently about US$600 per plaque). Payment must be received by the History Center before the order can be placed with the foundry. Each milestone plaque is 45cm X 30cm X 3cm [18" X 12" X 1-1/4”], is made of bronze and weighs about 8 kg [20 lbs].  Plaque mounting details. The Milestone Plaque must be placed in an appropriate location that is secure and accessible to the public. English is the official language of the citation as it appears on the plaque and elsewhere (for example, IEEE website). The OU may, at its own expense, have the citation translated and provide an additional plaque(s) cast and mounted. Typically, IEEE milestone plaques are in landscape (horizontal) orientation. However, in cases where the dimensions of the site require it (e.g. an existing building) the plaque may be cast in portrait (vertical) orientation.

In cases where a corporation or other non-IEEE sponsor has agreed to pay for the plaque(s), it is the IEEE OU’s responsibility to obtain payment from the sponsor and for the OU(s) to reimburse the History Center. The IEEE History Center may not invoice the non-IEEE sponsor.

9. Dedication Ceremony: The OU(s) are encouraged to develop and plan the dedication ceremony. Experience has shown that a successful dedication ceremony requires several months advance planning. The schedule of the dedication ceremony should include at least eight weeks for delivery of the plaque, as well as advance notice to interested officials and leaders from the community and industry. The OU(s) should notify the office of the President of IEEE if a major IEEE Officer is requested to participate in the dedication ceremony.

If a Milestone dedication is intended to coincide with a specific event or date, the OU should keep in mind that the review and evaluation process may require between nine and fifteen months, depending on the period required to prepare and document the nomination of the milestone. Some of this timing is determined by the meeting dates of the IEEE Board of Directors, which meets three times per year. Information on the Board of Directors, including dates of upcoming meetings may be found at: www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/corporate/board/board.html