EMC Fest 2025
EMC Fest '2025
May 8, 2025
Topics: See Agenda Below
Important Registration Information - Please read First!
Location: Embassy Suites 19525 Victor Parkway, Livonia, Michigan, 48152, USA
| FEE SCHEDULE. NO REFUNDS AFTER April 15 | |
| IEEE Members Registered Before April 15 | $75 |
| Non-Members Registered Before April 15 | $100 |
| Member and Non-Members After April 15 | $100 |
| Retired / Unemployed / Life / Student IEEE Members | $50 |
| *CEU Units | $25 |
| Vendor Table | $500 |
| Vendor Table Lunch Sponsor | $600 |
| Vendor Table Reception Sponsor | $700 |
| Extra Vendor Staff | $100 |
| All At the Door | $150 |
| * Requires additional use of registration system. | |
Southeastern Michigan IEEE EMC Chapter 2025 EMC Fest: EMC Aspects of Cables, Connectors, and Enclosures for Shielding
This year’s EMC Fest is focused on the theory and real-world EMC aspects of cabling and enclosures. Throughout the day, speakers Ms. Karen Burnham and Dr. Robert (Bob) Scully will lead interactive sessions (along with practical demonstrations) that illustrate key principles and challenges in EMC with regards to these often-overlooked aspects.
Agenda:
Hour 1 – Dr. Scully: Electromagnetic Fields and Shielding Requirements
Dr. Scully will begin with a discussion of electromagnetic fields, covering the differences between near field and far field, and the implications for designing effective magnetic and electric field shielding. Attendees will gain insights into the importance of selecting the appropriate shielding techniques based on field characteristics. This session will provide technical background that will help the attendees to understand the content of
the CISPR 36 and CISPR 12 standards.
Hour 2 – Ms. Burnham: When Shielding and Cabling Act as Antennas
Ms. Burnham will explore how shielding in both cabling and enclosures can inadvertently act as antennas, influencing EMC performance. She will guide the attendees through practical examples and provide a demonstration that visually illustrates how these shielding components can interact with electromagnetic fields and radiated emissions.
Hour 3 – Dr. Scully: Electrical Grounding and Bonding
In this session, Dr. Scully will delve into the crucial topics of electrical grounding and bonding, which play a foundational role in mitigating electromagnetic interference. Dr. Scully will discuss best practices for establishing proper grounding systems and explain how bonding techniques can reduce noise and improve overall system EMC.
Hour 4 – Ms. Burnham: Transfer Impedance, Skin Depth, and Cable Terminations
The final session of the day will focus on transfer impedance and skin depth, with Karen discussing their roles in determining EMC performance. She will conclude the day with a demonstration that compares different cable terminations. This hands-on demonstration will solidify key concepts and their practical applications in real-world EMC challenges.
Chapter website: http://www.emcsociety.org
To be added or removed from the Southeastern Michigan IEEE EMC email list, please send an email to scott@emcsociety.org with ADD or REMOVE as the subject. If this email was forwarded to you, please reply with REMOVE as the subject
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 08 May 2025
- Time: 11:30 AM UTC to 09:00 PM UTC
-
Add Event to Calendar
- Embassy Suites
- 19525 Victor Parkway
- Livonia, Michigan
- United States 48152
- Contact Event Hosts
-
Scott Lytle - Registrar. scott@emcsociety.org
Steve Tomba - Vendor Tables steve@emcsociety.org
- Starts 08 February 2025 05:00 AM UTC
- Ends 08 May 2025 04:00 AM UTC
- Admission fee ?
- Menu: Regular, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan
Speakers
Karen Burnham
See Agenda
Biography:
Ms. Karen Burnham holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, with a focus on electromagnetics and signal processing, and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Northern Arizona University. She is an IEEE Senior Member, a licensed amateur radio operator (KE8GVH), and an iNARTE certified EMC engineer.
Karen has held leadership roles in the IEEE EMC Society, including Vice President of Standards, Chair of Technical Committees 3 and 4, and Distinguished Lecturer (2022-2023). She is also a columnist for InCompliance magazine and participates in standards committees for IEEE, ANSI, and SAE.
Since July 2024, Karen is the President and Chief Engineer of EMC United, providing consulting services to the automotive, aerospace/defense, and consumer electronics industries. Her work includes troubleshooting EMC issues and evaluating spacecraft for ESD and space charging risks.
From 2020 to 2024, Karen was a Principal Scientist at Electro Magnetic Applications, leading RF/EMC projects and managing a team. She was also a Principal Investigator for a US Navy STTR project, collaborating with the University of Illinois to develop algorithms for predicting vehicle-level interference.
Before that, Karen was a Senior EMC Engineer at Ford Motor Company, overseeing multiple vehicle lines and troubleshooting PHEVs and ICE vehicles. She also chaired Ford's EMC Technical Review Board.
Karen has extensive aerospace experience, having been a Test Director at Northrop Grumman, working on F-35 components, and Lead EMC Engineer for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spacecraft. She started her career at NASA Johnson Space Center, working with Dr. Bob Scully on the Orion spacecraft EMC control plan and other research.
Earlier in her career, Karen also worked at Northrop Grumman in radar signal processing for missile defense.
Address:Denver, Colorado, United States
Bob Scully
See Agenda
Biography:
Dr. Robert (Bob) Scully holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, with a focus on electromagnetics. He is an IEEE Fellow, a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, and holds multiple certifications in EMC. Bob has been involved with the IEEE EMC Society in various leadership roles, including President, VP of Technical Services, and Chair of several technical committees. He’s also served as an Associate Editor for the EMC Society Transactions and currently contributes to Letters on Electromagnetic Compatibility Practice and Applications. Additionally, Bob founded and chaired the Galveston Bay/Houston EMC Chapter until 2019.
Since February 2024, Bob has been consulting as an EMC Specialist for NASA's Engineering Safety Center at Langley Research Center, focusing on issues like GPS anomalies and electrostatic vehicle charging in military aircraft.
Before that, Bob retired from the federal civil service in 2019, after serving as Principal EMC Engineer at JPL, where he led projects for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), SPHERE-X satellite, and COVID ventilator design. He also contributed to the Europa project.
From 2000 to 2019, Bob was the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Group Lead Engineer at Johnson Space Center, shaping EMC requirements for major space programs like the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Orion Crew Vehicle. He specialized in EMC specifications, interference control testing, ESD, spacecraft charging, and other critical areas.
Earlier in his career, Bob spent 12 years at Bell Helicopter/TEXTRON as a Senior Engineer Specialist, focusing on EMC for military programs. He led efforts to mitigate electromagnetic interference in avionics, electrical systems, and other mission-critical platforms.
Agenda
Program Outline: Thursday May 8, 2025
| 6:00 | Vendor Table Setup (till 8:30) | |
| 8:00 | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS |
|
| 8:00 | CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST |
|
9:00 |
Session 1 - Bob: EM fields, near field vs. far field, the implications for needed magnetic vs. electric field shielding, possibly a discussion of CISPR 36 vs. 12 and why they're different but both important; with accompanying demonstration |
|
| 10:00 | Break & Exhibits |
|
11:00 |
Session 2 – Karen: Ways that shield, both cabling and enclosures, can act as antennas-- |
|
| 12:00 |
LUNCH Vendors eat from 11:00 to 11:30 |
|
1:00 |
Session 3 – Bob: Electrical grounding and bonding, with accompanying demonstration |
|
| 2:00 | Break & Exhibits | |
3:00 |
Session 4 – Karen: Transfer impedance and skin depth, which would lead nicely to finishing up with the demonstration I showed you of different cable terminations and the effect on CM currents on the cabling vs. radiated fields picked up (in the near field) by an antenna |
|
| 4:00 | Reception |
|
| 5:00 | Close of EMC Fest |
NOTE: breaks will be scheduled at the speaker’s discretion. Table-top displays (exhibits) will be open during registration, lunch, all breaks, and the reception. Access to the table-top displays is available during the technical sessions, but the displays may not be manned during those times.
Tentative Lunch Menu:
Roma Buffet
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
Caesar Salad
Warm Garlic Bread Sticks
Penne Pasta
Creamy Alfredo & Tangy Marinara Sauce
Roasted Vegetables with Italian Seasoning
Meatballs
Grilled Chicken
Coffee, Soft Drinks & Iced Tea
If you have special dietary requirements, please add then in the "comments" field and we will try to accommodate!
Hotel Information: Embassy Suites is offering a limited number of reduced rate King rooms using this EMC Fest 2025 hotel link for $139 which includes Internet, Pool, Cocktail Reception and breakfast buffet are included . You can get this special rate if you reserve your room by April 15, . After which rooms and rates are subject to availability. The Embassy Suites Hotel is located 22 miles from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. From I-275 take the 7 Mile Road - East. Travel approximately 1/4 of a mile to Victory Parkway. Turn left on proceed approximately 1/4 mile. Embassy Suites will be on the left . Contact (734) 462-6000 to make arrangements. Airport shuttle is not available so plan a taxi , Uber or car to travel to the hotel.
IEEE SEM Chapter 8 (EMC)
SEM IEEE EMC Society Home Page: www.emcsociety.org