IMPORTANT DATES January 25, 2003: Paper submission site www.paperplaza.net opens. Paper submission deadline extended to March 8, 2003. July 2003: Notification of Acceptance/Rejection. September 1, 2003: Final papers due at publisher.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM: The 2003 CDC will feature contributed and invited papers, as well as tutorial sessions and workshops. In addition to the standard oral presentations, the 2003 CDC will also feature poster/interactive (P/I) papers in order to encourage exchange of information with the audience. Papers in the P/I sessions will benefit from the time for interaction and discussion that may not be available in a typical oral session, and authors are encouraged to make creative use of poster boards as well as hands-on computer simulations and video demonstrations. Computer projectors, video equipment, and wireless Internet will be available for P/I sessions. The conference will cover a broad range of topics relevant to all aspects of the theory and practice of control and automation. Topics include but are not limited to: decision-making, optimization, automation, robotics, guidance and flight control, power systems, process control, identification and estimation, signal processing, modeling and advanced simulation, model validation, fault detection, multivariable control, adaptive control, robust control, intelligent control, expert systems, neural networks, MEMs in control, computer networks control and networked control systems, biomedical applications of control systems, industrial applications of advanced control, control engineering education, and computer-aided design, and manufacturing. All registrants will receive the conference proceedings on CD-ROM. Extra CD-ROM copies and paper proceedings, which will be available after the conference, can be purchased separately. A Student Best Paper competetion will be held at the 2003 CDC. All primary, first-listed authors of a regular contributed paper who were students at the time of submission are eligible.

PAPER SUBMISSION: The submission procedure for all Contributed Papers and Invited Sessions is on-line via the Internet to the new CSS conference electronic submission site: http://www.paperplaza.net. All submissions are due March 8, 2003. The paper submission site will be open around January 25, 2003. No paper or electronic versions should be sent to any Conference Committee Member. Instructions for preparation of accepted manuscripts for the Proceedings will be posted on the conference site. Authors should limit their final manuscripts to six Proceedings pages (approximately 6000 words) for regular papers, or two Proceedings pages (approximately 2000 words) for short papers. There will be a mandatory page charge for each additional page. With the acceptance material, a firm date around September 1, 2003 will be determined for manuscripts or electronic copy to arrive at the publisher. Authors of accepted papers are expected to attend the CDC to present their work. The IEEE CDC will include contributed, invited sessions, and poster/interactive papers. All accepted papers will be published on CDROM proceedings.

CONTRIBUTED PAPERS: The Program Committee is soliciting both Regular and Short contributed papers for presentation at the conference and publication in the Proceedings. Regular papers describe completed work in some detail. Short papers describe important recent or preliminary results. Short papers may be submitted for review as a 4-6 page detailed summary, with references. Papers must be submitted electronically through the new CSS conference electronic submission site: http://www.paperplaza.net.

INVITED SESSIONS: The Program Committee is soliciting proposals for invited sessions. Cohesive sessions focusing on new and emerging topics will be encouraged, though thematic sessions on strong existing work are acceptable. The usual number of papers in a session is six. Papers submitted as part of an invited session may be submitted as Invited-Regular or Invited-Short papers, and in each case contributions should be described to a level of detail consistent with the corresponding Contributed Paper categories. In particular, 4-6 page detailed summaries will only be considered for short papers and only full papers will be considered for regular papers. While each proposal will be evaluated as a whole, individual papers submitted as part of an invited session will be automatically considered as contributed papers should the invited session not be accepted as an entity. Invited sessions and all associated papers must be submitted electronically through the new CSS conference electronic submission site: http://www.paperplaza.net. Detailed instructions are below.

Please note that at the discretion of the Technical Program Committee, individual papers may be removed from proposed sessions and replaced by an appropriate contributed paper. Likewise, selected papers from rejected Invited Sessions may be placed into the regular program.

POSTER/INTERACTIVE PAPERS: This year the IEEE CDC is also soliciting Poster/Interactive session papers. Many areas in modern systems and control, including internet-based control, industrial and military applications, education, and design/FEA/testing in areas such as MEMS, are effectively discussed and viewed in a poster and interactive PC or video environment. This interactive format is not available in a typical oral presentation session. Therefore, CDC 2003 will host a number of Poster/Interactive (P/I) Sessions. P/I sessions will be allotted 2 hours and each paper will be displayed the full duration. Invited Sessions that utilize the P/I format are strongly encouraged. Awards will be offered for the Best Invited P/I Session, Best P/I Paper, and Best P/I Student Paper. All submitted P/I papers should have a sufficient level of technical content to successfully negotiate the review process. P/I papers will appear in the Proceedings in exactly the same fashion as oral session papers. Papers must be submitted electronically through the new CSS conference electronic submission site: http://www.paperplaza.net.

CONFERENCE VENUE: The 42nd IEEE CDC will be held at the Hyatt Regency Maui, Hawaii on December 9-12, 2003. For more information about the hotel, visit the website: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.

The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is a 40-acre beach front oasis of endless sun and sea on Ka'anapali Beach with landscaped grounds featuring exotic birds, wildlife and an extensive Asia/Pacific art collection; championship golf, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, tennis and windsurfing. All of the units will sleep up to 4 people and are equipped with a refrigerator. Kids of all ages will enjoy the pool and the waterslide. Children ages 3 to 12 can participate in Camp Hyatt. There are 4 different restaurants on property as well as 6 lounges. A health club is available to all guests as well. The property also hosts 19 shops, a travel desk, a library and a game room. Many of the conference receptions will be held outdoors in the beautiful Hyatt gardens. A beachside dinner event is planned for the conference banquet. The historic town of Lahaina a few miles south of the Hyatt features beachfront pubs, restaurants, shops, and activities in a small town setting. Its history as a fishing community is preserved in historic buildings and hotels, and a pervasive feeling of nostalgia for past events and cultures. There, one may take various cruising excursions including snorkeling and scuba diving outings and visits to other nearby islands in the Maui Nui group such as Molokai. Whale season begins in December and there are excursion cruise opportunities to see the Humpback whales.

Golf: To take advantage of the beautiful Maui courses, there will be various golfing activities. Further information will be posted later and may be obtained from Steve Yurkovich at: yurkovich.1@osu.edu.

Travel Support is available for scientists from developing nations and for students. See the "Travel" page for details. (The application period for Disadvantaged Countries Travel Support has passed.)