The International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), founded in September 1957, is a multinational federation of 49 national member organizations (NMO), each one representing the
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
and
scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
societies concerned with
automatic control
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
in its own country.
The aim of the Federation is to promote the science and technology of control in the broadest sense in all systems, whether, for example,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
, physical,
biological,
social
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
or
economic
An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
, in both
theory
A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...
and application. IFAC is also concerned with the impact of control technology on society.
IFAC pursues its purpose by organizing technical meetings, by publications, and by any other means consistent with its
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
and which will enhance the interchange and circulation of information on automatic control activities.
International World Congresses are held every three years. Between congresses, IFAC sponsors many symposia, conferences and workshops covering particular aspects of automatic control.
The official journals of IFAC are ''Automatica'', ''Control Engineering Practice'', ''Annual Reviews in Control'', ''Journal of Process Control'', ''Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence'', the ''Journal of Mechatronics, Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems'', and the ''IFAC Journal of Systems and Control''.
Awards
IFAC Fellows
Major Medals
*
Giorgio Quazza Medal The Giorgio Quazza Medal is an award given by the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) to a distinguished control engineer, presented at each IFAC Triennial International World Congress. It was established in 1979, as a memorial to t ...
* Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal
* Industrial Achievement Award
* Manfred Thoma Medal
High Impact Paper Award
* Automatica Prize Paper Award
* Control Engineering Practice Prize Paper Award
* Journal of Process Control Prize Paper Award
* Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence Prize Paper Award
* Mechatronics Journal Prize Paper Award
* Congress Applications Paper Prize
* IFAC Congress Young Author Prize
* Control Engineering Textbook Prize
* Congress Poster Paper Prize
Outstanding Service Award
See also
*
American Automatic Control Council
The American Automatic Control Council (AACC) is an organization founded in 1957 for research in control theory. AACC is a member of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and is an association of the control systems divisions of ...
*
Harold Chestnut
Harold (Hall) Chestnut (November 25, 1917 – August 29, 2001) was an American electrical engineer, control engineer and manager at General Electric and author, who helped establish the fields of control theory and systems engineering.
Biograp ...
*
Israel Association for Automatic Control
The Israel Association for Automatic Control (IAAC) is a national member organization of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). IAAC was one of the first member organizations of IFAC, and was founded in the early sixties by cont ...
*
Karl Reinisch :''Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at :de:Karl Reinisch; see its history for attribution.''
Karl Reinisch (21 August 1921 – 24 January 2007) was a German electrical engineer and professor for contr ...
*
Li Huatian
Professor Li Huatian (1922–2007) was one of the first few computer scientists in China and was well known for his early contributions to the areas of computer science and computer networks.
Life and work
He was born on Jan 29, 1922 in So ...
*
John C. Lozier
John C. Lozier is a noted American control engineer. He was responsible for the control of the Telstar ground-tracking antenna installed near Andover, Maine, and the Brittany Peninsula in France. This equipment, involving real-time computer contro ...
External links
Elsevier publishers
{{Authority control
Engineering organizations
Control engineering
Supraorganizations