IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society (AESS) members have elected William Dale Blair, principal research scientist with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), to the society’s board of governors. He will serve from 2012 to 2014.

Blair, who joined GTRI in 1997, conducts research for the Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL). A recognized expert in the area of multiplatform-multisensor-multitarget benchmarks to both air defense and ballistic defense, Blair also is fulfilling a multi-year assignment as the technical director of the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) for the Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency in Hunstville, Ala.

He previously served on the IEEE AESS’ board of governors from 1998 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2010. As an AESS member, Blair served as associate vice president for Publications from 2007 to 2010 and chair of the Strategic Planning Committee from 2009 to 2010. In his present role, he will work to make significant communications enhancements to the society via the IEEE AESS Magazine.

He developed and coordinated four short courses on target tracking concepts for Georgia Tech’s Defense Technology Professional Education Program. In addition to authoring more than 200 articles, Blair also is co-author and co-editor of the book Multitarget-Multisensor Tracking: Advances and Applications III, and the author of chapter 19 and co-author of chapter 18 of the new edition of Principles of Modern Radar. He is a recipient of the 2001 IEEE Nathanson Award for Outstanding Young Radar Engineer.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for humanity. AESS offers members the opportunity to become more connected with the Aerospace, Electronic and Defense sector.