Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria

Citation

Vallée, R. (2003), "Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria", Kybernetes, Vol. 32 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2003.06732cab.003

Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria

Kybernetes was represented at numerous meetings, conferences and congresses during 2002/3 by members of the Editorial Team and the Editorial Advisory Board. Journal displays were organised in these events and our representatives enjoyed their discussions with participants who were particularly interested in the coverage of the many facets of our interdisciplinary fields.

The World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC) has sponsored and been closely involved with the organisation of many of the world's most important events and in consequence, Kybernetes, its official journal, has been given great prominance. Reports from some of these events, where the journal was both on display and representatives discussed its current endeavours are included as follows:

Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria

The 16th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research (EMCSR 2002) was held, from April 2 to 5, 2002, in Austria at the University of Vienna. It was organized by the Österreichische Studiengesellschaft für Kybernetik (ÖSK) in cooperation with the University of Vienna and the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR). The Chairman omit was Professor Robert Trappl President of ÖSK.

After an informal reception at the offices of ÖSK on the evening of Monday April 1st, the conference was opened on Tuesday by the Rector of Universität Wien, the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Culture, and Professor R. Trappl. This ceremony ended with a plenary address by Professor Massimo Egidi, Rector of Università di Trento (Italy).

Another plenary address was given on Wednesday by Professor Y. Rav (Université Paris-Sud, France) on Perspectives on the history of the cybernetics movement: the path to current research through the contributions of Norbert Wiener, Warren McCulloch and John von Neumann. The Ross Ashby Memorial Lecture of IFSR was given by Professor A. Espinosa (Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Columbia; WOSC) on Cybernetic criteria for designing the education and information technology policy and programs for an underdeveloped country.

There were many Symposia: Systems Science (G. Klir, USA, P. Vysoky, Czech Republic), Mathematical Methods in Cybernetics and Systems Theory (Y. Rav, France), Systemic aspects of component-based system development (G. Chroust, Austria, F. Stallinger, Austria), Foundation of information science (G.Ossimitz, Austria, B.A. Banathy, USA), Designing and systems (W. Gasparski, Poland), Biocybernetics and mathematical biology (L.M. Ricciardi, Italy), Systems science in medicine (F. Tretter, Germany, G. Porenta, Austria), Cultural systems (P. Ballonoff, USA, l. Ezhkova, Belgium, M. Fisher, UK, P. Jorion, USA, D. Read, USA), Management and organizational changes (S. Umpleby, USA), Soft computing and knowledgebased systems (C. Carlson, Finland, K.-P. Adlassnig, Austria), Artificial neural networks and adaptive systems (S. Collias, Greece, G. Dorffner. Austria), From agent theory to agent implementation (J.P. Müller, Germany, P. Petta, Austria), Agent construction and emotions (C. Pinto-Ferreira, Portugal, R. Ventura, Portugal, P. Petta, Austria), Bayesian techniques for mining data and texts and the discovery of surprising knowledge (Y. Kodratoff, France), Theory and applications of artificial intelligence (V. Marik, Czech Republic, E. Buchberger, Austria), Communication and computers (A. Tjoa, Austria), History of cybernetics and information technology (F. Pichler, Austria, E.-G. Woschni).

Let us quote a few communications: Theory of incursive synchronisation of delayed systems and anticipatory computing of chaos (D. Dubois), Systems science, is it necessary? (J. Elohim), The quantum theory of evolution (G. Farre), Uncertainty optimisation for belief revision systems (A. Ramer), Integrated science general education (L. Troncale), A software as an innovation (M. Mulej, Z. Zenko, V. Potocan), The Five-leveled cybiosemiotic model of FIS (S. Brier), System properties under composition (G. Chroust), Exploring the unknown needs organized integrity-Exercise, experience and expertise (M. Kalaidjieva), Research ethics in action: cybernetic, praxiological and systemic perspectives in an evaluation system (A. Collen), Should knowledge of management be organized as theories or as methods? (S. Umpleby), Musical knowledge and elective affinities: get the former to actualise the latter (F. Rousseaux), A study of the effect of noisy data in rule extraction systems (J. Aze), Control system theory of evolution: the role of IFAC (P. Albertos, S. Kahne), Fifty years of information theory – Solved and unsolved problems (E.-G. Woschni), The many roots of cybernetics (R. Vallée; WOSC), Historical trends in systems theory (M. Locke), Historical' comments regarding Norbert Wiener's discussion of Newtonian and Bergsonian time, (E. Selzer), Transdisciplinarity in management education and research: some evidence on the contribution of system theory and cybernetics (M. Schwaninger), On the development of the Lieben vacuum tube (LRS-Relais) (F. Pichler)...

The congress ended on Friday evening with an invitation from the Mayor of Vienna and ÖSK to a Heurigen.

Robert Vallée