The IMS2024 program highlights the symposium’s focus on “Capitalizing Across the Spectrum”
By Sanjay Raman and Scott Barker, Co-General Chairs.
It is our great honor to welcome attendees to the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), which will be held 16-21 June 2024 in Washington, D.C.
The last time the IMS was held in the U.S. capital was 1980! Much has changed since then for both the IMS and D.C. In 1980 there were ~1,500 attendees, 160 papers, and 123 exhibitors; today the IMS has grown to ~10,000 attendees, ~350 papers, and ~550 exhibitors.
Both the Automatic Radio Frequency Techniques Group (ARFTG—first co-located with IMS in 1979) and the Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC—initially launched as the IEEE Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Monolithic Circuit Symposium in 1982) are still vibrant components of Microwave Week. The Washington, D.C., region is home to many high technology companies, major aerospace and defense firms, government science & technology agencies, and national laboratories, including the U.S. Army and Navy Research Labs, and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology.
The area around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, including Penn Quarter, Chinatown, and the Shaw district, is one of the most dynamic
parts of the city with a phenomenal restaurant and bar scene, and within 10 blocks of the White House and the National Mall. And Washington, D.C., boasts the greatest number of completely free museums—there are over 40 museums and attractions in Washington, D.C. that can be visited without charge, including the 17 museums and galleries that together comprise the Smithsonian Institution. It is convenient to get around the city and the region using The District’s extensive Metro system, which also connects directly to Reagan National Airport (DCA) and Dulles International Airport (IAD).
The IMS2024 program is built around thematic areas that highlight the symposium’s focus on “Capitalizing Across the Spectrum.” In addition to showcasing a broad spectrum of engaging technical topics, IMS2024 will celebrate the diversity of contributions, talents, and accomplishments across our community’s “human spectrum” throughout the week. Moreover, the major technical themes of the conference will emphasize the role our host city of Washington, D.C., has played in supporting the use and management of the RF-to-THz spectrum, including Systems and Applications, Aerospace and Security, Spectrum Coexistence and Sustainability, each as thematic days, and Emerging Technologies and Directions.
The Future Directions theme for this year’s IMS is Wireless Power Transfer, with a boot camp, workshops, and collection of special, focus and panel sessions on this emerging topic area. On Wednesday, we will also be co- locating with the industry focused FutureG Summit, which we are jointly sponsoring with the IEEE MTT, Antennas & Propagation, Communications, and Photonics Societies.
We are also continuing forward several industry engagement efforts introduced in recent years, including the industry showcase session immediately before the Monday plenary session, best industry paper awards, and session keynotes. Also back this year is the Startup Pavilion on the exhibit floor, featuring 12+ early-stage RF/microwave companies, mentoring and networking opportunities, and a pitch competition.
In addition, we are emphasizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, cutting across all aspects of the symposium. This effort starts with the creation of a new Executive Committee level position— the Outreach and Inclusion Chair. We have also started collecting additional optional demographic information from our attendees so that we are able to understand and appreciate the great diversity that already exists within our community as well as identify those areas where we need to be more inclusive.
In addition, we have updated our selection processes to ensure that our conference events are representative of the diversity of our community. We hope that this effort will continue into the future, and that the IMS will continue to lead the way as the premier international microwave conference!
Finally, in addition to welcoming you to this year’s IMS, we’d like to let you know that you will have another opportunity to experience IMS in the capital of the U.S. as IMS will return to Washington, D.C., in 2029!