I extend you a personal and warm welcome to the 2011 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS2011), the largest and most prestigious IEEE microwave conference in the world, bringing together international experts to showcase the most advanced research, development and innovation in RF, microwave, millimeter-wave and terahertz technologies. The core technical program, which forms the heart and soul of the symposium, has expanded more than ten-fold in over half a century in the number of papers presented. In addition to technical sessions, both podium and poster, several distinct components supplement the week's program: Special Sessions, Focus Sessions, the Student Paper Competition, Panel/Rump Sessions, Workshops, Short Courses, Applications Seminars (Micro Apps), and several Student Design Competitions sponsored by various MTT-S Technical Committees. We will showcase original RF, microwave and millimeter-wave research, developments and applications that continue to benefit and enrich the lives of people around the globe, as declared in our symposium theme, Microwaves for the World, which celebrates the diversity within global MTT-S Community.

The IMS2011 TPC has worked hard to create an innovative and exciting technical program that will surpass the excellent legacy from IMS symposia hosted in Baltimore in 1986 and 1998. We have increased the number of IMS2011 topic areas from 31 to 35, with division into four focus tracks: i) Microwave Fields and Circuit Techniques; ii) Passive RF and Microwave Components; iii) Active RF Components and Systems; and iv) RF Microwave Systems and Applications. New topics include current technical areas like RFID Technologies, Industrial Applications of High Power Microwaves, and RF Nanotechnologies, and Emerging Technologies and Applications. The Technical Paper Review Committee met in Glendale, Arizona and selected 444 papers out of 841 submitted, with 348 podium presented papers and 96 Interactive Forum papers. In addition the program will be supplemented by 33 workshops, 6 short courses, 4 panel sessions, 1 rump session and 7 student design competitions plus a graduate student challenge.

We have improved the scope of the IMS2011 to make it more inclusive and interactive and also to reflect a global technology perspective. The technical program should appeal to novices, undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners as well as researchers in the microwave and millimeter-wave fields. IMS2011 will be the centerpiece of Microwave Week which is comprised of many other technical activities including the 2011 RFIC symposium and the ARFTG conference collocated with IMS2011 during the week of Sunday, June 5 – 10, 2011. We sincerely hope that your experience in Baltimore is a memorable one and is both personally and professionally rewarding.

Welcome to IMS2011!
Ramesh K. Gupta