Distinguished Lecturer Program
The Distinguished Lecturer program is aimed at promoting the research areas of the Robotics and Automation Society as identified by its Technical Committees. There are two ways in which Distinguished Lecturer requests can be made.
Requests by Chapters for DL Visits
A chapter can make a request for a Distinguished Lecturer on a particular technical topic to the Vice President of Member Activities VPMA), who after approval will transmit this request to the Vice President for Technical Activities (VPTA). The VPTA will then send the request to the appropriate Technical Committee, who will then suggest a particular Distinguished Lecturer. If the chapter has a particular researcher in mind, this preference can be transmitted as well. The Distinguished Lecturer mechanism could be especially desirable for locations where people do not usually have the opportunity to invite international speakers or to travel to conferences.
Requests by RAS Technical Committees
A Technical Committee can identify one of its members to speak at a particular event or location in order to promote its activities, and transmit this request to the VPTA. There is no restriction on the type of speaking activity other than to be justifiable. Routine attendance at conferences would ordinarily not be considered, as the intent is to do outreach to non-RAS organizations in order to enhance a Technical Committee's scope.
The identification of Distinguished Lecturers will be done on a case-by-case basis, and there will not be a fixed pool of Distinguished Lecturers. Once chosen, the Technical Committee will support the Distinguished Lecturer with materials and technical preparation for the visit. A Distinguished Lecturer request can be made at any time, and such requests will be attended to promptly and granted based on the merits of the request and the availability of funds.
Financial Support for Distinguished Lecturer Visits
The total cost of a Distinguished Lecturer's travel will be supported up to $3,000. There is no requirement for matching funds in the case of chapter travel. A request should be made either to the VPMA or to the VPTA as appropriate, and should contain the following information:
1. A one-page justification for the request.
2. An approximate budget for travel expenses.
After the travel, the Distinguished Lecturer will provide a one-page report to the VPTA on the results of the visit, and will submit a reimbursement form along with original travel receipts to the RAS Treasurer.
