DL Program Guidelines

Guidelines for the IEEE Vehicular Technology Distinguished Lecturer Program

  1. The IEEE VTS Distinguished Lecturer (DL) Program provides Vehicular Technology Society (VTS) local chapters throughout the world with presentations by experts on topics of interest and importance to the Vehicular Technology membership community. The experts consist of both Distinguished Lecturers and Distinguished Speakers.

  2. The VTS local chapters incur little or no cost in making use of this program, but the local chapters and the VTS regional chapter coordinators do provide assistance to the Distinguished Lecturer or Distinguished Speaker in making local arrangements, and may pick up small ancillary costs during the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker's visit.

  3. Each VTS local chapter may directly request a maximum of two funded visits per year by our Distinguished Lecturers and two funded visits per year by our Distinguished Speakers. An additional provision of three funded visits will be available for each of the following regional areas, to be distributed on a first-come first-served basis to chapters in these areas: Regions 1-7; Regions 8-9; Region 10.

  4. Requests for Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers shall be made by a local VTS Chapter Chairman or Treasurer using an on-line form submitted to the IEEE VTS DL Program Coordinator. Approval of request for Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers is made by the IEEE VTS DL Program Coordinator. Upon receiving approval of the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker request, the local VTS Chapter may then extend an invitation to a Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker. The precise scheduling shall be arranged between the local VTS Chapter and the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker, and the local VTS Chapter shall also coordinate the visit with the Regional Chapter coordinator. The Regional Chapter coordinator shall work with the local Chapter to comply with IEEE's recommendation that local Chapters coordinate with other local chapters in the same geographic region to allow the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker to visit more than one local chapter during a single trip.

  5. In the area of land transportation, the DL program can be extended to provide presentations to a virtual community (with no less than 10 VTS members) during a technical meeting/workshop/conference.

  6. A VTS Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker may visit places that do not have a VTS Chapter to deliver lectures related to VTS initiatives, upon approval by the steering committee of the initiatives program.

  7. Once approval is received from IEEE VTS DL Program Coordinator, and mutually agreeable scheduling and arrangements are made among the local VTS Chapter, the Regional Chapter coordinator and the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker, the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker may then travel to the local chapter to make the presentation.

  8. The IEEE VT Society shall reimburse approved Distinguished Lecturers up to $1,500 for a single domestic trip. The reimbursements shall be made for customary and standard coach travel and lodging expenses, and shall not include any honorarium.

  9. For approved Distinguished Lecturers traveling outside of their home continent, it is highly desirable that presentations be made to at least two (2) different VTS chapters on a single international trip. Approved Distinguished Lecturers shall be reimbursed up to $3,000 for customary and standard coach travel and lodging expenses, and shall not include any honorarium.

  10. For an approved domestic or international trip, the Distinguished Speaker shall be reimbursed up to $500 for customary and standard local coach travel and lodging expenses, which shall not include any honorarium.

  11. The travel by a Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker requires coordination between different chapters to attempt to provide for multiple presentations during a single trip to a particular geographical area. Because of the strong desire for IEEE to allow different chapters to gain the benefit of Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers, the local VTS Chapter agrees to work with VTS Regional Chapter coordinators to notify other Chapter Chairs and to publicize forthcoming Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers in the e-newsletter, the VTS Website (www.vtsociety.org), and, if enough notice is provided, the IEEE VT Magazine.

  12. When an in-person visit to a local VTS chapter cannot take place, online delivery of Distinguished Lectures is encouraged. An honorarium of $500 shall be provided to the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker for a new online Distinguished Lecture that is recorded and included in the VTS Resource Center for VTS members.

  13. It is anticipated that, on average, a Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker might be expected to travel (nationally plus internationally) 1 or 2 times a year.

  14. For the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker to receive reimbursement for travel to give presentations at local VTS chapters, the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker must submit all original expense receipts with an IEEE expense report to the IEEE VTS DL Program Coordinator, who, after review will forward the submittal to IEEE VTS Treasurer for processing with IEEE. The IEEE expense report form can be downloaded from the IEEE website. Reimbursement shall be processed immediately upon IEEE VTS DL Program Coordinator receiving the expense report and confirmation of the presentation from the VTS chapter(s) which originally requested the Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker.

  15. All Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers are outstanding in their fields of specialty. Distinguished Lecturers may be nominated by any IEEE VTS member, and such nominations may be made to any member of the Distinguished Lecturer Committee, with supporting documentation to demonstrate excellence in a field of specialty of interest to IEEE VTS. The Distinguished Lecturer Selection (DLS) Committee shall convene annually to determine Distinguished Lecturers, who will be appointed for a two (2) year period. All newly-elected IEEE VTS Fellows shall automatically be invited to serve as a Distinguished Lecturer for a two-year term upon their elevation to Fellow. Each appointed Distinguished Lecturer is required to deliver at least one (1) lecture in the two-year period.

  16. At the end of his or her term, a Distinguished Lecturer may be appointed as a Distinguished Speaker by the DLS Committee, for a renewable 3-year term. Each appointed Distinguished Speaker is expected to deliver at least one (1) lecture in the three-year period.

  17. Collectively, the IEEE VTS Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers possess a broad range of expertise within the areas of technical interest to VTS.

  18. All local VTS chapters are strongly encouraged to use the Distinguished Lecturer program as a means to enhance chapter meetings and to make their local VT community aware of the most recent scientific and technological trends.

  19. The list of all current Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers, a Distinguished Lecturer/Speaker request form for chapter use, and rules and guidelines for the IEEE VT DL program are available at the IEEE VT website relating to the Distinguished Lecturer Program. Guidelines and links to the DL program shall also be provided in the IEEE VTS Magazine. The Distinguished Lecturers shall be appointed for a two-year basis, and a list of all current Distinguished Lecturers/Speakers, and their fields of specialization, shall be maintained on the VTS website.



    Version 1.5. Updated May 2021.