BEM 20-20th World Conference

BEM 20-20th World Conference (19-21 August 1998)

Readers of Kybernetes will be particularly interested in the content of a conference where computational techniques were featured in a most comprehensive presentation by the BEM community.

The Annual International Conference on Boundary Elements took place in Orlando, USA, celebrating 20 years of research into the technique. The meeting was highly successful, attracting many scientists from different countries.

BEM 20 was organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT) from Southampton, UK and the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, USA. The meeting took place from 19-21 August 1998 at the UCF, which has expanded rapidly in the last few years and is testimony to the success of the university.

The BEM 20 Conference programme was intensive with a large number of papers and two parallel sessions. The topics discussed were Computational Techniques, Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics,Corrosion, Acoustics, Inelastic and Non-Linear Problems, Thermal Problems and Diffusion, Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue, Elastodynamics, Contact Mechanics,Electromagnetics and Inverse Problems. A special session on the applications of BEM codes for the solution of practical engineering problems was also held.

BEM 20 has accomplished a great deal from the scientific point of view, as it demonstrated the continuous strength of the boundary element method and the range of new research that is taking place. This conference has developed into a meeting place for the BEM community with discussions on research, collaboration, proposal preparation and other meetings being arranged during the conference.

From an industrial point of view,nobody could have predicted 20 years ago that the BEM scientific community would be able to solve so many industrial problems as well as continuing to expand the range of applications of the method. BEM has now become a well established and powerful alternative to other techniques for a wide range of applications. These advances would not be possible without the combined efforts of the BEM community and the many members present at BEM 20.

Conference dinner

The conference dinner took place at"Arabian Nights Entertainment Centre", which presents a unique show featuring excellent feats of horsemanship. After a delicious meal, delegates visited Pleasure Island, which is part of Disney World. Here a large variety of musical shows were presented ­ anything from Country and Western to Jazz. The delegates complimented the hosts for a highly enjoyable evening.

Special visit

A special visit to NASA facilities at Cape Kennedy was arranged during the last day of the conference. Participants were able to visit areas not usually open to visitors. The guide, a NASA engineer, was particularly knowledgeable, conveying the sense of adventure and discovery of the space programme.

BEM 21 will take place at Oxford University, UK from 25-27 August 1999. If you wish to participate please contact Professor Carlos Brebbia, as soon as possible, at the address below.

The conference book is available from WIT Press (formerly Computational Mechanics Publications), contact: Wessex Institute of Technology, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton SO40 7AA, UK; Tel:. 44 (0) 1703 293223; Fax: 44 (0) 1703 29285; E-mail:wit@wessex.ac.uk

Karen Savage