Throughout history, scientists and engineers have played an important role in building lasting relations between countries and cultures that view the world differently. Perhaps this is because scientists and engineers as a group have learned to be open and objective. Perhaps it's because we speak a common technical "language." Whatever the reason, technical cooperation among people from different countries tends to be relatively easy and it is often the first step toward social and political cooperation.

As many of you are aware, the IEEE EMC Society was co-sponsoring an International EMC Symposium scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel next May. Tel Aviv is a beautiful city. It is in an area with a rich cultural history and very nice convention facilities. Several years ago, when the decision was made to hold a symposium there, it was a logical choice. However, the recent escalation of tension in the region forced the local symposium committee to make some difficult decisions. Recognizing that they would not be likely to attract a large, global audience to a symposium in Tel Aviv, the local committee made the bold decision to work with the EMC Society chapter in Turkey to host the symposium in Istanbul. The result has been a model of international cooperation. Two "local" committees comprised of engineers from different countries have accomplished more in the past few months than most symposium organizing committees accomplish in a year. Hotel contracts have been negotiated, technical and social programs have been organized, exhibitors have been lined up and everything seems to be on track for an excellent EMC event.

Istanbul is a good choice for the symposium venue. My colleagues from Turkey describe Istanbul as a beautiful and historic city. This opinion has been reinforced by other colleagues who have attended conferences there. Actually, I've wanted to visit Istanbul ever since "They Might Be Giants" released their version of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" a few years ago. What a great song!

Istanbul is unique in the sense that it is built on two continents, Europe and Asia. It is the former capital of three successive empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Although Istanbul preserves the legacy of its past, it has become a modern, vital economic center. The symposium will take place at the Hilton Istanbul Hotel, situated in beautiful gardens overlooking the Bosphorus Straits and within walking distance to business, shopping and entertainment areas.

Symbolically, Turkey is an excellent choice for a symposium designed to showcase international cooperation. Located at a crossroads between the East, the Middle East and the West, Turkey has managed to maintain peaceful relations with its neighbors. They have a low crime rate and have been ranked as one of the safest holiday destinations in Europe.

I'm personally looking forward to attending this symposium. If you would like to participate as an author, there is still time to submit a paper. Abstracts and summaries are due October 13, 2002. You can find the call for papers and more information about the symposium on their web page at https://www.ortra.com/emc2003/. I hope to see you there! EMC