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Standards Profiles

François Martzloff, Chair of the Standards Coordinating Committee 22 (SCC22) on Power Quality, is an IEEE Life Fellow member and a long-time member of the Surge-Protective Devices Committee. Martzloff works as an electronics engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD.
Q: What was your first standards project?
A:
In the 1970s, I worked on IEEE Std C62.41, formerly known as IEEE Std 587 [IEEE Recommended Practice for Surge Voltages in Low-Voltage AC Power Circuits]. I also was instrumental in the chartering of SCC22 in 1990 when Bob Smith was the Chair.
Q: What is your most frequently used standard?
A:
IEEE Std 100 [The IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms]. Although it is periodically updated, I own four different versions as resources, which gives me some historical perspective.
Q: What is your favorite standard?
A:
IEEE Std C62.41. I spent many heartbeats on this standard. I chaired the working group committee through two subsequent versions starting in the 1970s and resigned as Chair in 1993.
Q: What is the easiest aspect of standards work?
A:
Criticizing the work of others. One tries to give constructive criticism.
Q: What is the most difficult aspect of standards work?
A:
Reconciling, honest, strong vested interests without weakening the standard to the lowest common denominator.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of standards work?
A:
The interaction between the working group members around a table. The challenge and the quest to formulate accurate and concise statements.
Q: What is your least favorite aspect of standards work?
A:
Dealing with politically or commercially entrenched positions.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue standards work in IEEE?
A:
As seen by an electronics engineer, IEEE is still the prominent standards-developing organization in the US. I also work with the electromagnetic compatibility committee of the IEC.
Q: Why have you chosen to work in SCC22?
A:
It is a natural expression of 30 years in the surge-protection field. One aspect of power quality is the absence of nasty surges.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
A:
Gardening as opposed to watching grass grow. I am trying to convert a backyard lawn into a wildflower meadow.
Q: What is your most frequently read magazine or journal?
A:
L'Express, the French version of Time magazine.
Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
A:
The Sound of Music. I also like the movies from French playwright Marcel Pagnol, celebrating his heritage and the culture of southeastern France.
Q: What is your favorite type of food?
A:
My wife Madeleine's food. I'm spoiled by her. I particularly like red meat in many forms even though it is not politically correct.
Q: When I'm doing standards, I like to...
A:
Walk the tight edge of improving without forever recycling.
Q: What lessons have you learned from your participation in standards?
A:
You must allocate your heartbeats. Pace yourself and keep a sense of perspective. If you think you have reached an impasse and are losing hope, think of Bosnia.
Mani Soma, Past Chair of IEEE P1149.4 [Mixed-Signal Test Bus Standard], is also the current Chair of the Test Education Activities Group, IEEE Test Technology Technical Committee of the Computer Society, among many other prominent positions in the Computer Society. Soma is a professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
Q: What was the first standards project on which you worked?
A:
The first standards project I worked on was P1149.4 [Mixed-Signal Test Bus Standard].
Q: What is your favorite standard?
A:
My favorite standard is of course P1149.4 since it has the promise of being the next breakthrough in reducing test costs at board and system levels. It is also an exciting technical challenge.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
A:
It is difficult to pick my "favorite" hobby. I like gardening, reading, cooking, and folk dancing equally.
Q: What is your most recently read book in the profession?
A:
Engineering Quality by Design, by Thomas Barker.
Q: What is your most recently read non-professional book?
A:
Talking Zen, by Alan Watts.
Q: What is your favorite meeting place?
A:
San Francisco, Washington, DC, London, small cities overseas such as Lausanne or Grenoble, and Seattle, of course. In general, places where there are great restaurants and interesting things like great bookstores, gardens, forests, or mountains for hiking.
Q: When I am not doing standards...
A:
I am busy enough with my teaching and research activities. Whatever free time I have is used for reading, cooking, gardening, dancing, and occasional travel.
Q: When I am doing standards, I like to...
A:
Interact with people. Besides being technically very good, standards developers are fascinating individuals to work with and learn from.
Q: What was the most memorable standards meeting you ever attended?
A:
The most memorable standards meeting I ever participated in was the P1149.4 Working Group meeting at ITC in 1994. We had informal and very encouraging results on how this proposed standard would compare to IEEE Std 1149.1 based on a case study of a customer's product. We also had a memorable discussion on legal aspects of standard development, which will prove to be historic as an impetus for the IEEE to have a better guideline or policy in this matter.
Q: What are some of the lessons you have learned from standards work?
A:
The lessons I have learned are too many to list. The technical ones are easy to identify, but the more significant lessons are in working with individuals and organizations. People are intriguing, and organizations are, well, frequently a pain in the neck. The best way to get things done is to work with people, then find ways to navigate through the maze of organizational structures and their peculiar idiosyncrasies. It can be done; it is fun, but you have to be patient and it helps to have a sense of humor when being frustrated by obstacles.