World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC)

Eleventh International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems, 23-27 August 1999 at Brunel University, Uxbridge, West London, UK

Dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Frank H. George, Fellow of WOSC and First Professor of Cybernetics at Brunel University.

Noticeboard for the Congress

• 1.

  Norbert Wiener Institute Session: Research into the millenniumPublishing research into the millennium provides great challenges. A panel of speakers/editors/referees, invited by the Norbert Wiener Institute of the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC), will consider some of the problems presented by Journal and Internet Publishing. A "question and answer"session will also be held to enable researchers and those who aim to improve the means of communicating research and development to have the opportunity to interact.

• 2.

  Presentation of an award for an outstanding contribution to the Congress: Frank H. George Research Award An award for an outstanding contribution to the Congress which will challenge contributors, and in particular young scientists to present the results of their current leading-edge research in systems and cybernetics. The award will be decided by a panel of judges chaired by the Director-General of WOSC. The award will be for £250 together with a year's subscription to Kybernetes. The award winning contribution will be published in Kybernetes. It is sponsored by MCB University Press, the publishers of Kybernetes, the official publication of WOSC.

Research Committee on Sociocybernetics

All of you should just have received the announcement of the 11th International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems, the successor to our Bucharest conference. The Eleventh Congress of the World Organisation of Cybernetics and Systems will be held in Brunel University, Uxbridge (West London) during 23-27 August 1999.

The deadline for submission of abstracts of papers (ca. 80 words) for RC51 members was extended from January 15 until January 31. Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor R. Vallae, Director-General WOSC, 2, Rue de Vouille,75015 Paris, France. Tel/Fax: +33.1.45 33 62 46 (unfortunately no e-mail address!).

If you are interested in participating in this congress, and your 80-word abstract to Prof. Vallae was accepted, please also e-mail it to Felix Geyer geyer@xs4aIl.nl, mention "Sociocybernetics Section" and send accepted abridged paper(s) to Prof. VallÅe by 15 May. Whether indeed a Sociocybernetics Section will be organized will depend on how many of you are interested. I will let you know by the end of this month whether there will indeed be a Sociocybernetics section. If not, your paper will be put in one of the other sessions.

The congress fee is £50 if you deliver a paper, £25 if you do not. There will be cheap accommodation in the student dormitories at Brunel University. There is a 15 May deadline for abridged papers of maximum 600 words,which will be published after the congress; the papers themselves will not be published.

For further details see the Website: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AlexAndrew/wosc.htm and particularly the page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AlexAndrew/cngrs99.htm

Notice to authors whose contributions have been accepted

Abridged paper(s): We should have received, by mail, before 15 May 1999, your abridged paper(s), ca. 600 words, which will be published in the Congress Proceedings. The copyright should be assigned to WOSC; Address for the abridged paper(s): Prof. R. Vallae, 2, rue de Vouilla, 75015 Paris, France. Two copies of each paper were requested.

Instructions:

• 1.

  Camera-ready abridged papers should be typewritten on A4 paper, using double spacing, on one side of the pages, allowing generous margins on all sides. The abstract should appear at the beginning.

• 2.

  Figures, in black, should be numbered (Arabic numerals) and also tables(roman numerals), both should have a title.

• 3.

  References in the text should be indicated by superior Arabic numbers,without brackets. References should be listed at the end in numerical order,e.g.: M. Balas, "Flexibility control", J. Flexible Systems, 23, 422-645(1995); B. Jones, Machine Control (Dream Press, London, 1985); S. Reed and R. Townley, "Fast algorithms", Proc. Int. Conference on Flexible Manufacture, Los Angeles, USA, June 23-29, 1996 (1996) pp. 369-382.

Fee: £50 for authors and £75 for people attending the congress without submitting a paper. Organisers of symposia have no fee to pay. The fee entitles one to obtain the Proceedings of the Congress as well as to book rooms at the Halls of Residence Brunel University (see below). The fee may be paid: either by a bankers draft, in pounds sterling, made payable to WOSC and sent to Prof. J. Rose, 5 Margate Road, Lytham-St Annes FY8 3EG, United Kingdom,before 31 May 1999; or cash in pounds sterling, at the registration desk of the Congress.

Accommodation: rooms may be booked at the Halls of Residence of Brunel University (price modest compared to that in London) by writing to Prof. J. Rose(address above, tel. +44 (0) 1253 725 114). Rooms only available from August 22 to 28.

For further details, please contact: Prof. R VallÅe, Dir. Gen. of WOSC, 2,rue de Vouilla, 75015 Paris, France. Tel/Fax: +33 1 45 33 62 46 (home).

For further information about the Congress see the Special Announcements Section of this issue and previous issues of Kybernetes. See also pages: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AlexAndrew/cngrs99.htm