Founded in 1884, IEEE, also known as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is one of the world's leading nonprofit, professional associations for the advancement of technology. The agency has more than 375,000 members in over 160 countries. It is also one of the leading authorities on a variety of areas, including aerospace systems, computers, telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. IEEE publishes literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields. The agency has developed nearly 900 active industry standards. It annually sponsors approximately 850 conferences worldwide. IEEE also publishes more than 140 transactions, journals and magazines. The agency has over 1,600 student branches and nearly 400 student branch chapters at colleges and universities in approximately 80 countries.