June 5, 2020

Dear members of the Information Theory family,

We once again find ourselves in trying times, in addition to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.  Our thoughts remain with individuals impacted by the recent events, as we grieve with the victims, their families, and the community.

We are a professional family in which intellectual merit is the main currency.  As such, it does not matter what we look like, what gender we are, or how we choose to live our lives. What matters is that we are all committed to delivering the best science that shall continue to have broader societal impact. That is as important today as it was during 1940s when Shannon conducted his landmark work that founded our discipline.

Let us remember that our discipline is the driving force that led to the digital revolution. The ability to share multimedia information so ubiquitously has become a powerful tool. Let us remember that responsible use of technology can help enable societal changes. Let us also remember that knowledge is the ultimate equalizer, and in that spirit, let us continue our effort in taking foundational science to new limits.

We want to iterate that we are a community dedicated to inclusion, equity and fairness. Our beacon remains to be scientific principles that shape foundational engineering principles. Our diversity and inclusion committee remains hard at work to ensure that all our society activities are commensurate with our principles.

Sincerely,

Officers of the IEEE Information Theory Society
Aylin Yener, President
Elza Erkip, Senior Past President
Emina Soljanin, Junior Past President
Wei Yu, Vice President
Christina Fragouli, Second Vice President