The IEEE Information Theory Society Board of Governors, by unanimous vote at the March 22, 1995 meeting, approved the establishment of the Claude E. Shannon Award. This award replaces the Society's ``Shannon Lecturer." The change was made at the recommendation of the ad-hoc committee on IT awards, chaired by G. David Forney. By direction of the Board of Governors in October 1994, this committee was formed and charged with proposing a mechanism to change/augment/supplement the Society's top award, the Shannon Lecture, in view of a widespread feeling that there are more worthy candidates than slots under the old system.
The Shannon Award winner will be expected to present a plenary Shannon Lecture at the next IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT). The ``idea" of the award (highest career award in information theory, with no field restrictions) would remain unchanged, as would the emoluments ($1000 cash, travel support to ISIT) and the selection process. Previous Shannon Lecturers will be regarded as previous winners of this award (``grandfathered"). Shannon award winners will also receive a suitable plaque.
No new award categories, field segmentations, or other distinctions are introduced. On the current schedule of ISIT's every three years, the effect will be that there will be two Shannon Lectures at every other ISIT. The specific changes are detailed below. Deletions are enclosed in ``[.]", and insertions are italicized. Full versions of the IT Society Constitution and Bylaws are available on the IT Society web home page, which can be reached from the IEEE home page (URL http://www.ieee.org).
Article V. Standing Subcommittees
Section 1. The standing subcommittees of the Board shall include the following:
1. Nominations
2. Constitution and Bylaws
. Claude E. Shannon Award
. Awards
. Membership and Chapters
. Publications
. Fellows
Sections 2-3. No change.
Section 4. The Claude E. Shannon Award Selection Subcommittee shall consist of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and two former Claude E. Shannon Award winners to be named by the First Past-President. The Subcommittee is charged with deciding whether to name a Claude E. Shannon Award winner for the following year, and to select a winner.
Sections 5-8. Same as former sections 3-7, respectively.
Article VI. International Symposia
Section 1. At least once every two years, the Society shall sponsor an International Symposium on Information Theory. The Board will select the site and time for the Symposium. The President, with the advice and consent of the Board, shall appoint the Symposium Chairman or two Co-Chairmen. The Symposium Chairman or Chairmen will have the entire responsibility for planning and executing the Symposium subject only to appropriate IEEE regulations and such guidance as the Board wishes to provide.
[ Section 2. At each International Symposium on Information Theory there should be a lecture designated the ``Claude E. Shannon Lecture". The decision to have a lecture and the choice of speaker will be made by a majority vote of a Selection Committee consisting of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and two former Shannon Lecturers to be named by the First Past-President. The officers participating in this process are those serving one year previous to the conference date at which the Shannon Lecture will be presented. The purpose of the Claude E. Shannon Lecture is to honor consistent and profound contributions to the field of information theory.
An honorarium of $1000, plus travel expenses, is awarded to the Shannon Lecturer.]
Article VII. Claude E. Shannon Award
Section 1. At most one Claude E. Shannon Award winner will be named for each year. The decision to name a winner and the choice of winner will be made the preceding year by a majority vote of a Selection Committee consisting of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and two former Claude E. Shannon Award winners to be named by the First Past-President. The purpose of the Claude E. Shannon Award is to honor consistent and profound contributions to the field of information theory.
An honorarium of $1000 and a suitable memento are awarded to the Claude E. Shannon Award winners. Each Shannon Award winner is expected to present a Shannon Lecture at the first IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory following January 1 of the year of the award. The Information Theory Society will pay the winner's travel expenses, in addition to the honorarium.
Section 2. The Shannon Lecturers in the years preceding the institution of the Shannon Lecturer Award (1973-1994) shall be considered to be Claude E. Shannon Award winners for the years their respective Shannon Lectures were delivered.