Welcome to 2016 CING Annual Meeting, May 25 -29 in Dallas, Texas (Memorial Day weekend)!
Ericsson Americas HQ in Plano
We have ~90 alumni in TX, where 10 are at Ericsson Americas HQ in Plano, a northern Dallas area. Part of our program naturally consisted of a a visit to the big new corporate campus, where the most recent expansion was inaugurated in 2013. There are more than 3,500 people working in this HQ spread out in several buildings. And there are several more Ericsson centers in greater Dallas!
The Ericsson US operation has been very successful in communication infrastructure and wireless. When you call on cellphone or use the internet, you are riding through such infrastructures. But that is magically invisible to you. This is despite the number of users, traffic intensity and speed demands keep growing very fast. That is where Ericsson has achieved an edge. As an example, Ericsson has now captured 50% of the whole world’s traffic in 4G mobile networks!
But watching bits and bytes traveling fast through air or fibers may not give you a very memorable adrenaline kick. So, much of the program will be about what you can do with extremely fast, reliable, safe, and low latency communication. How about this: real time remote control of an excavator digging a hole on the other side of the world! Or smart cars keeping you safe! Etc.!
Southfork – JR Ewing “Dallas”
Some of us had the pleasure to watch the Dallas TV series with JR Ewing & Co at the Southfork Ranch. This started in the late 1970s running into the 80’s, and a new run in the 90’s. The place is now open to the public, serving Texas grilled food, entertainment, and TV memorabilia. This was a nostalgic and unforgettable evening that included genuine Texas ranch dining!
Thursday, May 26:
7:00 PM – Club Emil
- Pea soup with Pancakes, and Punschen Kommer Ljuv och Sval – a cozy charity dinner arranged by Per Treven (E90), one of our fine alumni Ericsson. Contributions went directly to the noble goal of funding scholarships at Chalmers in Göteborg for top talented U.S. students.
Friday, May 27:
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
- Registration and lunch (said hello to old and new friends, got name badges, ate a light lunch, and perhaps had a little wine or a beer…)
1:00 PM
- Welcome to CING 2016
- Åke Hellström, Chair CING USA-Canada
1:05 PM
- Ericsson keynote presentation
- Glenn Laxdal, CTO and Head of Strategy for Ericsson North America
1:25 PM
- Evolution to a networked society
- Presentations on leading technology and business drivers at Ericsson
- Products and services for international and U.S. markets
- Technical, business, and user aspects of 5G
- Chalmers alumni at Ericsson
2:50 PM
- Refreshment break
3:00 PM
- Chalmers news
- Stefan Bengtsson, President and CEO, Chalmers
- Chalmers role in advancing technology
- What is happening in Göteborg
- Presentation of U.S. Friends of Chalmers Scholarship Award to top U.S. student
3:15 PM
- Ericsson technologists and facility tour guides
- Demo of advanced real world applications
– Remote control excavator, future TV, new communication structures
– A peek into Ericsson systems and hardware
- State-of-the-art office concepts and green building design in the new Ericsson HQ
4:50 PM – 5:00 PM
- Ericsson wrap-up
7:00 PM
- Dinner and program at Southfork Ranch (yes, the “real” Dallas / JR Ewing mansion, ~ 4 miles NE from Plano).
– Genuine Texas style grill party, entertainment, building tours, and land memorabilia from the “Dallas” TV series.
Saturday, May 28:
10:30 AM
- University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) visit (~ 5 miles SE from Plano)
- UDT Erik Johnson school of Engineering and Computer Science… hear the great story about Erik!
- Innovation and upstart round table.
- Presentations of UTD research; a few examples:
– Biological networks – the communication systems in our body.
– Millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelength devices for next generation communication.
– RF energy interaction with humans.
– Electromechanical nanotubes, efficient light generation.
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Historic downtown
- Things to do in Plano: strolled around a bit outdoors, strengthening our bodies before the Gasque. Lunch/TexMex, Main Event Entertainment, Interurban railway museum, etc…
7:00 PM
- Gasque
– Enjoyed food, drink, and song in genuine Chalmers style, a most memorable evening! We offered Herring and other Nordic appetizers (buffet style), main course, and Prinsesstårta. Enjoyed raising a Skål, giving a speech, and spexing around. We offered all the traditional Gasque beverages, including our secret CING brew, Vin Avancez. And there was plenty of loud singing until our voices were just a faint whistle. We gave out a special Dallas edition of our song book, starting with Livet är härligt and, for some, ending with Va’ tusan la’ ja’ sångboka (hick)?
Sunday, May 29:
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
- CING Annual Meeting at Hilton Plano Granite Park
– Took a coffee or cold water to come back to life after Gasque. Discussed CING USA-Canada events, memberships, board member selection, and future activities).
7:00 PM
- Dinner (TexMex casual eating in the inner city. The event included presenting awards for Chalmers Classic Golf).