As I finish my second year as your Conference Committee Chair, I believe that we have achieved some outstanding results.
The Spring 07 SIW in Norfolk, VA, 25-30 March 2007, was again collocated with the SCS SpringSim 07 conference. For the first time the Behavior Representation in M&S (BRIMS) 2007 was collocated here also. The three organizations meeting at the same time was a challenge to schedule and deconflict. Your Executive-Director (Workshop and Conference Affairs) Dr. Duncan Miller was up to the task. The Virginia Modeling and Simulation Consortium (VMASC) hosted this joint event. The Spring 07 SIW can boast several firsts. The first M&S in Education night was organized to provide a showcase for student research in M&S. The BRIMS reception and poster session on Tuesday evening allowed for informal interaction with some very interesting authors.
Many thanks to the many VMASC volunteers for all their efforts. Special thanks to Mike Robinson and Cathy Banks for their long hours. And to Andreas Tolk and Priscilla Elfrey for organizing the Joint plenary an M&S in Education Special Session. The Euro 07 SIW was SISOs first visit to Italy. Where better to go on our first visit that to the Italian Riviera? An enthusiastic crew of Italian volunteers, headed by Professor Augustino Bruzzoni, provided a wonderful experience for all who attend. The workshop was held at the historic Miramare Conference Center and Hotel in Santa Margherita, Ligure, approximately 15 miles east of Genoa, on the Mediterranean. Beginning with a selection of topical tutorials on Sunday; through a gala dinner on Monday; to the opportunity for travel in this beautiful and historic region; the Euro SIW provided all the attendees with an experience they won't soon forget.
For the Fall 07 SIW, we will return to the Holiday Inn Resort on International Drive, Orlando FL, in September. This will be the final visit to the International Drive venue. The theme is Homeland/Societal Security. This will be our last visit to the Holiday Inn International Drive Resort for a while. Beginning in September 2008, we will meet in the newly remodeled Florida Hotel and Conference Center in the Florida Mall, at Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Blvd. in Orlando.
Spring 08 will be in Providence, RI at the Providence Westin Hotel. In 2008, for the second time, we will be collocating with the Behavior Representation In Modeling and Simulation (BRIMS) conference! The theme will be "Simulation for Biotechnology and Pharmacology". The Spring 08 SIW in being hosted by the New England Modeling and Simulation Consortium (NEMSC). The NEMSC promises to bring new audiences to M&S like Bio-medical and Chemistry. We look forward to a great time in New England.
Looking ahead, we will be returning to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Euro 08 SIW. There we will have a joint workshop and conference with the SCS. Then in Spring 2009, we will be traveling to the West Coast for our second San Diego-based SIW.
If you want suggest locations for future workshops or let us know what you want included (or excluded) in the future, please send them to us at SISO-CC@discussions.sisostds.org.
A new effort for your Conference Committee is a special subcommittee charged with following up on comments and suggestions that Forum, PDG and SG leaders have made through the workshop Outbrief or directly to the CC. We have cleverly named it the "Follow up Subcommittee". It will be led by the CC Secretary. So, keep those good ideas coming.
Ralph Weber
Conference Committee Chair