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 I am truly excited to have the honor and privilege to continue serving as President of IEEE Vehicular Technology Society in 2021. IEEE VTS has been my home for the past two decades, and I have seen great things in this Society that are truly unique.
We are starting this year with the memory of one of the truly most challenging years in 2020, where the global pandemic has changed the way we work, travel, and think. I hope that 2021 will be the year to forget all those memories, and restart our new normal way of living for the better of help of humanity and the development of new technologies to support it.
VTS has very special technical interests in mobile radio, land transportation, motor vehicles, propagation, connected and automated vehicles, and related applications from several decades ago that continue to stay on top of the daily needs of people around the world. For this reason, the role of VTS is growing very fast in this decade with autonomous driving and smart land transportations technologies. As a result, VTS should, and will, have a great responsibility in connecting researchers and engineers in those areas.
Within the IEEE and broader professional community, VTS has made and continues to make great contributions to the development and dissemination of knowledge among not just its members, but also to the wider IEEE community and greater international population. I am therefore very proud to be a member of VTS, and I am hoping to lead us toward even more prosperous technical achievements and service to our membership.
VTS organizes an array of services and activities designed to enhance professional development opportunities for our membership. With the roll-out the fifth-generation mobile systems, 5G—with all its promises of ultra-low latency, reliability, and high data rates—the long-awaited connected and autonomous vehicular networks dream is finally coming true. VTS members have made great contributions in both 5G and CAV systems.
VTS has been in a leading position for many technology and standards developments. The Society has been heavily involved in the IEEE 5G Initiative, IEEE IoT Initiative, IEEE Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Initiative, just to mention a few.
At the same time VTS continues to support knowledge exchange and forums for combating malicious cyber-attacks against electronic sensors and onboard systems for ground, marine, and aerial vehicles. The IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, and the new IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology have steadily increased their position in publishing high-quality research content.
With the introduction of the new Board position of Vice President—Standards, VTS will increase its work in the development of technologies and standards related to self-driving cars, connected and autonomous vehicles, rail and the transportation industry. I believe that VTS has the expertise and resources to become the leader for all these activities.
I embark on this journey in 2021 accompanied by an extraordinary group of talented researchers and professionals from universities and industry around the world, in the form of the VTS Board of Governors. I am deeply honored to be working with all these highly motivated volunteers, including:
- James Irvine (Executive Vice President)
- Nick Kirsch (Vice President—Finances)
- J. R. Cruz (Vice President—Conferences)
- Weihua Zhuang (Vice President—Publications)
- Oliver Holland (Vice President—Standards)
- Neeli Prasad (Vice President—Membership Development)
- Jae Hong Lee (Vice President—Mobile Radio)
- Cara Levy (Vice President—Land Transportation)
- Loïc Boulon (Vice President—Motor Vehicles)
- Tom Rubinstein (Treasurer)
I am very excited about the 2021 VTS team, and about my upcoming service to you this year. Vehicular technology has changed markedly over the past decade; we feel it is our duty to provide all members with services to keep them current with the cutting edge in this technology, enabling you all to grow professionally, and to expand your knowledge base in mobile radio, land transportation, electric vehicles, and other areas related to vehicular technology.
As always, I am available to you for any questions, suggestions, ideas, or comments on how VTS can better serve our membership. So, please contact me directly at a.jamalipour@ieee.org. I wish you all a safe and prosperous Happy New Year 2021, and I look forward to serving you all! | 
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