IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society, is commemorating its 125th Anniversary this year with a variety of activities surrounding the theme of "Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future." Major anniversary events include the first IEEE Presidents' Change the World Competition for college and university students worldwide; a global media roundtable and Webcast addressing emerging, world changing technologies; a series of celebrations in major world cities throughout the year; and IEEE Engineering the Future Day on 13 May 2009.

IEEE traces its roots to the founding of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers by early industry giants, including Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. Today's global IEEE has become a trusted source for fostering technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity as well as the profession.

"For the last 125 years, IEEE has fostered technological innovations that have helped improve the quality of life," said 2009 IEEE President Dr. John Vig. "We are proud of our heritage and our community where the best in engineering, technology and applied sciences continue to learn, discover and develop new knowledge for the benefit of humanity worldwide."

IEEE kicked off its celebration on 1 September 2008 with the launch of its first Presidents' Change the World Competition. The goal of the contest is to recognize and reward individual college and university students or teams of students who identify a real-world problem and apply engineering, science, computing and leadership skills to solve it. Submissions will be accepted through 28 February, and winners will be announced in June at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

To ensure that IEEE members, media, members of the technology industry and the general public have a one-stop resource for everything related to the 125th Anniversary, IEEE has launched an anniversary Web site, www. ieee125.org. The Web site provides up-to-date information on anniversary activities and includes a calendar of events; a press room and multimedia center with videos, photos and message boards; a viral video contest; and a toolkit to help IEEE members plan their own anniversary events.

On 10 March 2009, IEEE will hold a media roundtable in New York City, USA. Notable researchers in human technology interactions will highlight emerging technologies that have world-changing implications. The goal of the event is to celebrate IEEE's 125th Anniversary, and to facilitate an open dialogue among media and respected names in the engineering and technology sectors.

The event will also provide a platform to promote IEEE's Engineering the Future Day, on 13 May, the actual anniversary date of IEEE. Through events and activities, this occasion will help increase awareness of technology advancements around the world.

These are just a few of the anniversary events planned globally throughout 2009.