WSC

The 2002 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) continues a thirty-five year tradition as the premier event in discrete-event and combined discrete-continuous simulation. The conference theme, Exploring New Frontiers, invites you to push the boundaries and blaze new trails to where simulation technology will lead in the future. Advances in high performance computing, clever algorithms, and the availability of real-time information are forever transforming every aspect of our business and personal lives in exciting and unprecedented ways. The coupling and integration of computer-based simulation from multiple disciplines offers novel opportunities for major advances and discoveries at all scales. On the molecular scale, simulation helps researchers to understand protein folding and nanotechnology holds promise for breakthroughs in new material design. Simulation-based modeling and computing are also playing a role in creating advanced engines for military aircraft and special effects for the entertainment industry through movies and games. On the grand scale, simulation is used to develop environmental ecosystems and to investigate planetary systems and galaxies.

WSC '02 is tied with WSC '00 as the largest ever, in terms of number of papers, with a total of 281 papers organized into 14 tracks. Eleven tracks and mini-tracks spotlight simulation applications in areas as diverse as: manufacturing; military; logistics, transportation, and distribution; business processes; construction engineering and project management; semiconductor manufacturing; simulation education; web-based simulation; and general applications. New this year are a full track featuring risk analysis and a mini-track devoted to simulation-based scheduling. The future of simulation mini-track offers exciting topics such as simulation standards, virtual simulation, and real-time control. A stimulating panel discussion focuses on future directions for research and software development in the supply chain area. Recent research in modeling and analysis is described in three methodology tracks. An additional three tutorial tracks present the fundamentals of simulation, provide an indepth exploration of advanced simulation methodologies, and demonstrate the capabilities and new features of simulation software. The Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference is published in both hardcopy and CD-ROM formats, a practice that started in 1997.

The Winter Simulation Conference is a nonprofit event, organized by eight sponsoring organizations. The Society for Modeling and Simulation International (SCS), one of the sponsoring organizations, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. WSC '02 congratulates the half-century of service SCS has made to the modeling and simulation community.

A conference of this size and scope requires the work of many dedicated volunteers whose efforts span several years of planning and preparation. It all starts about five years before each conference, when the WSC Board of Directors appoints the General Chair and Program Chair. The General Chair, Jane Snowdon, selected the site and the conference committee, and then directed the committee's activities in the years leading up to the conference. Each member of the committee has done an exemplary job in organizing, publicizing, and running a successful conference. It has been an incredible honor and pleasure to work with such an extraordinary group of talented individuals. The Program Chair, John Charnes, handled the Call for Papers and developed a truly outstanding program that provides a theme and direction for the conference as a whole. Chun-Hung Chen and Enver Yucesan, the Proceedings Co-Editors, had their hands full reviewing papers and working with authors to produce a high-quality final version. The Proceedings includes an exciting new feature in 2002: enabled hyperlinks in papers on the CD-ROM. Many thanks to Randy Gibson, the Business Chair, who created and tracked the budget and cash flow to allow us to wisely manage every dollar. Dave Ferrin, the Exhibits Chair, arranged for a full complement of vendor exhibits to provide WSC attendees with the maximum exposure to the latest products and trends. The Publicity Chair, Catherine Harmonosky, not only proactively continued our efforts to bring the word of WSC to more people in more areas using every technology possible, but also contributed many creative ideas to give the Preliminary Program a new and improved format. Ann Dunkin, the Publications Chair, designed new WSC stationery that can be used by current and future conferences and handled the numerous publications that make the conference complete. The Corporate Sponsorship Chair, Thomas Jefferson and his committee members Miland Datar, Joe Hugan, Cindy Schiess, Marvin Seppanen, and Eric Zahn, developed innovative ways to reach both industrial and academic organizations to improve WSC while providing opportunities for visibility. Suzanne Charnes took the reins as Family Program Chair to gather and distribute information on the many sights and activities in San Diego.