Test Technology Newsletter
April - June, 1998
The Newsletter of the Test Technology Technical Committee of the IEEE Computer Society
In this message, my first to the membership as 1998 chair, I am pleased to report that 1997 was a great year for our community. We added many new activities and services, including a set of new technical workshops, standardization efforts, and new technical activity committees on emerging test technology topics.
We also launched a membership campaign. Among other programs that we ran to increase membership, we presented TTTC's goals and activities to test professionals who attended many of the technical meetings that we sponsor. Due to this campaign TTTC membership tripled during the second half of 1997. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the technical meeting chairs who invited TTTC to make presentations at their general sessions, such as the chairs of ITC, VTS, European Test Workshop, On-Line Test Workshop, MCM Test Workshop, Therminic Workshop and TECS. Also, I would like to extend my thanks to the 1997 TTTC Membership chair, Ned Kornfield and Secretary, Ed Thomas, for their continuous efforts to explain the benefits of TTTC membership to both current and potential members.
The 1997 membership drive also stimulated a number of new members to contact me directly and volunteer their help to TTTC. In our 1998 leadership assignments several of these volunteer have assumed key responsibilities in different TTTC Groups. You can see their names and positions in the TTTC officers' list that appears in this issue. I sincerely welcome them as TTTC volunteer leaders.
TTTC continues working diligently to help you keep ahead of the state-of-the-art by providing you with the information and tools you need to grow professionally. 1998 is brimming with new activities. The newly elected TTTC Vice Chairs, Michael Nicolaidis and Paolo Prinetto, have planned a wide range of extensions in their corresponding domains, respectively tutorials and technical meetings. Michael has laid a plan for expanding and reorganizing the Tutorials Group to include new tutorial initiatives, university educational activities, industry courses and speakers' bureau, while Paolo has expanded the depth and breadth of our sponsored meetings. At the time of this writing, TTTC is offering ten new symposia and workshops, in addition to the many prestigious technical meetings that we sponsored in 1997. A list of 1998 technical meetings starts on page 3 of this newsletter. A monthly planner that Paolo and the Technical Meetings Group will soon publish will feature schedules of all TTTC-sponsored meetings: I am sure you will find it very useful. Also, if you are interested in specific meetings, you should check out the details and latest plans on the TTTC web site.
Two other active TTTC groups have new chairs for 1998. These are the Technical Activities Group, chaired by Tony Ambler of the University of Texas, and the European Group, chaired by Christian Landrault of LIRMM. Tony and Christian both have been volunteer leaders and active contributors for a number of years. Also, Ramamurti Chandramouli of Synopsys has assumed the position of TTTC Secretary. All three of our new officers have impressive backgrounds and I welcome them to their new TTTC positions.
One more key transition in the operation of TTTC took place as we started 1998. That is the retirement of Doris Thomas as the head of TTTC office and Ed Thomas as the TTTC Secretary. After many, many years of service to our community Doris and Ed decided to retire and to help transfer the TTTC office function to a new team. They are leaving behind a solid TTTC operation. Like many of you, I had the chance to work closely with Ed and Doris during the last several years. During this fulfilling experience, I had the chance to observe and benefit from their dedication, organization and understanding. I would like to join the rest of TTTC in thanking them for the excellent support and guidance that they have provided and wish them happy retirement.
I would also like to welcome the new TTTC office headed by Maddie Harwood (tttc@computer.org), who is strongly committed to a smooth transition and continuous professional support to TTTC. I am sure you will find it beneficial and enjoyable to work with Maddie and her partner, Alex Harwood, in the years to come. For your information, Fred Liguori, our Past Chair, is working very closely with the new office to help ensure a seamless transition.
Your feedback on any of the above items or any other TTTC-related issues is critical to us. It helps us serve you and all of our members better, I look forward to hearing from you.
Yervant Zorian, TTTC Chair
Professor files suit and asks for independent audit
>From the Houston Chronicle News and an AP Wire Report
Attorneys for Texas A&M University's highest-paid engineering professor filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking a judge to let them interview 18 school officials about an internal audit that prompted the teacher's suspension. Gaines West, one of Dhiraj Pradhan's attorneys in Bryan, said the rarely used legal tactic was used so they could develop further information into the university's investigation, which accuses Pradhan of depositing $100,000 in research money into a private bank account. In an interview with Associated Press, Pradhan says he has requested Texas A&M university for an independent audit by a CPA firm in collaboration with experts from other major universities. He has offered to resign if this investigation proves any misuse of University funds.
The petition could pave the way for Pradhan's lawyers to obtain information before filing a lawsuit against the university to reinstate Pradhan and pay him for damages and legal fees, according to court documents.
University spokeswoman Mary Jo Powell said officials couldn't comment on the issue because it's against university policy to discuss pending litigation.
The petition, which was filed in Austin because Pradhan's lawyers said it was a convenient forum, was taken to the district clerk's office in Austin one day before a Brazos County grand jury was scheduled to hear additional evidence against Pradhan in matters unrelated to the research money.
The lawsuit was filed after the university refused to rescind the suspension. In an email to Texas A&M faculty senate, Prof. Pradhan wrote before the mediation failed, "It is my intention to renew my request for rescinding the administrative leave. Though Dean Haden promised months ago a careful review of all mitigating factors, he still hasn't gotten around to actually doing it. Whatever his intentions when he entered into mediation last week, I suspect he would be a different man when he comes out. I do not expect any dramatic conversion. Texas A&M history is an infinitely more gradual accretion of attitudes, ideas, and behavior that spring from seeds that at first seem so insubstantial that they may pass almost unnoticed. But eventually they do bear fruit."
The grand jury indicted Pradhan in late February, charging the 49-year old with two state jail felonies, both of which are punishable by up to five years probation. He's accused of spending state dollars to benefit his private businesses. This prolonged investigation apparently cost in excess of an estimated $500,000 lasting over a period of sixteen months. Many on the Texas A&M campus have speculated on a possible connection with Pradhan's public opposition to the post-tenure review approved by the Board of Regents in the Fall of 1996 and this investigation.
While another of Pradhan's attorneys, Travis Bryan, will be helping Pradhan with the criminal charges, West and Charles C. Orsburn will be working on the civil litigation.
A hearing on the petition filed Wednesday is scheduled at 2 p.m. April 14 in a Travis County courtroom.
If the petition turns out in Pradhan's favor, his lawyers will be allowed to take depositions from some of the university's top officials, including system Chancellor Barry Thompson, A&M President Ray Bowen and C. Roland Haden, director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station.
"Such a petition is not used often, but it is helpful in a situation like the one before us now, "West said. "The lawsuit seeks information from Texas A&M but isn't against anyone. This type of action will aid us in further determining the causes of action brought on behalf of Dr. Pradhan."
Orsburn, a Houston attorney, said he believes the university has failed to fulfill its commitment to Pradhan, costing him 'great damage.' "We believe that the only explanation for the behavior of those acting on behalf of Texas A&M is that they believe they can assert the doctrine of sovereign immunity and governmental immunity and get away with violating his civil rights," Orsburn said.
The petition states that Pradhan was recruited to A&M in 1991 when he accepted a distinguished endowed-chair professorship, which gave him "unbridled discretion as to the use of endowment funds and lifetime tenure without review."
Pradhan was given a low-teaching load to enable him to lead the "former Agriculture and Mechanical College to a new status in the computer science academic community by continuing his research and writing," the lawsuit states.
The internal audit of Pradhan, he believes, was prompted by his vocal opposition against tenure review. His petition also accuses some faculty members and administrators of not approving of a foreign-born scholar having a choice professorship in the engineering department at A&M.
Pradhan's suit states that the investigation came right after he sent out a memo criticizing post-tenure review. In a memo to the faculty he wrote recently, "Texas A&M is a paradoxical institution. Although it is a grand public institution it affects most powerfully the ineffable realm of private conscience. Texas A&M subtly alters the consciousness of everyone. However, any great institution should not stifle private individual consciousness. Diversity of values and views without partisan acrimony and insult, is essential for the future of this campus."
This newsletter is the informal publication of the IEEE Computer Society Test Technology Technical Committee. We will publish all appropriate material although editing may be necessary to meet space or typographical constraints. Articles are not refereed unless so noted. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily the opinions or positions of TTTC, the IEEE, or the IEEE Computer Society.
Contributors who wish to have their employers name included with their byline must specifically request it with their contribution. Contributors bear responsibility for any issues that may arise with their employer as a result of their contribution.
Editor and Publisher: Ed Thomas
Associate Editor - Mike Keller
Associate Editor, D&T magazine - Don Lenhert
Associate Editor - Europe: Ian Dear
Associate Editor - Asia: Teruhiko Yamada
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