Preface

Citation

Rudall, B.H. (2008), "Preface", Kybernetes, Vol. 37 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2008.06737eaa.001

Preface

Article Type: Preface From: Kybernetes, Volume 37, Issue 5

We are very grateful to Professor Jerzy Józefczyk of Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland for accepting the invitation of the Editorial Advisory Board of this journal to compile an “in memoriam” tribute to Professor Zdzislaw Bubnicki (1938-2006).

This special issue is devoted to the memory of Professor Bubnicki and to the series of International Conferences “Systems Science” that he initiated and for which he acted as long-term chairman.

The resulting compilation contains a unique collection of contributions that introduce new and exciting systems as well as one that advances the studies of established ones. It is introduced by Dr Józefczyk who provides a history of the “Systems Science” conferences and a brief professional biography of Professor Bubnicki. The contributors to this issue are the authors of seven papers that have been carefully selected and refereed from those presented at the last conference of the series “Systems Science” held at Wroclaw in September 2007. They provide and excellent profile of the research and development that marks the advances and achievements in this field since the conferences were initiated.

Professor Bubnicki is already well known to Kybernetes readers and to those involved with the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics. His contributions were not only recognised in Poland but also worldwide and especially in the community of systems and cybernetics.

This special memorial issue is but one of the many tributes that have been paid to Dr Bubnicki that praise and recognise his considerable influence on systems science and on the wider worlds of education and science.

Brian H. RudallEditor-in-Chief