Subject: CONGRESS: COMPUTATIONAL MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (long) From: at <mwittenHERMES.CHPC.UTEXAS.EDU> Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1993 12:57:45 CDT** NOTE CHANGES IN SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES ** FIRST WORLD CONGRESS ON COMPUTATIONAL MEDICINE, PUBLIC HEALTH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 24-28 April 1994 Hyatt Regency Hotel Austin, Texas ----- (Feel Free To Cross Post This Announcement) ---- 1.0 CONFERENCE OVERVIEW: With increasing frequency, computational sciences are being exploited as a means with which to investigate biomedical processes at all levels of complexity; from molecular to systemic to demographic. Computational instruments are now used, not only as exploratory tools but also as diagnostic and prognostic tools. The appearance of high performance computing environments has, to a great extent, removed the problem of increasing the biological reality of the mathematical models. For the first time in the history of the field, practical biological reality is finally within the grasp of the biomedical modeler. Mathematical complexity is no longer as serious an issue as speeds of computation are now of the order necessary to allow extremely large and complex computational models to be analyzed. Large memory machines are now routinely available. Additionally, high speed, efficient, highly optimized numerical algorithms are under constant development. As these algorithms are understood and improved upon, many of them are transferred from software implementation to an implementation in the hardware itself; thereby further enhancing the available computational speed of current hardware. The purpose of this congress is to bring together a transdisciplinary group of researchers in medicine, public health, computer science, mathematics, nursing, veterinary medicine, ecology, allied health, as well as numerous other disciplines, for the purposes of examining the grand challenge problems of the next decades. This will be a definitive meeting in that it will be the first World Congress of its type and will be held as a follow-up to the very well received Workshop On High Performance Computing In The Life Sciences and Medicine held by the University of Texas System Center For High Performance Computing in 1990. Young scientists (graduate students, postdocs, etc.) are encouraged to attend and to present their work in this increasingly interesting discipline. Funding is being solicited from NSF, NIH, DOE, Darpa, EPA, and private foundations, as well as other sources to assist in travel support and in the offsetting of expenses for those unable to attend otherwise. Papers, poster presentations, tutorials, focused topic workshops, birds of a feather groups, demonstrations, and other suggestions are also solicited. 2.0 CONFERENCE SCOPE AND TOPIC AREAS: The Congress has a broad scope. If you are not sure whether or not your subject fits the Congress scope, contact the conference organizers at one of the addresses below. Subject areas include but are not limited to: *Visualization/Sonification --- medical imaging --- molecular visualization as a clinical research tool --- simulation visualization --- microscopy --- visualization as applied to problems arising in computational molecular biology and genetics or other non-traditional disciplines --- telemedicine *Computational Molecular Biology and Genetics --- computational ramifications of clinical needs in the Human Genome, Plant Genome, and Animal Genome Projects --- computational and grand challenge problems in molecular biology and genetics --- algorithms and methodologies --- issues of multiple datatype databases *Computational Pharmacology, Pharmacodynamics, Drug Design *Computational Chemistry as Applied to Clinical Issues *Computational Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism --- Single cell metabolic models (red blood cell) --- Cancer models --- Transport models --- Single cell interaction with external factors models (laser, ultrasound, electrical stimulus) *Computational Physiology and Metabolism --- Renal System --- Cardiovascular dynamics --- Liver function --- Pulmonary dynamics --- Auditory function, coclear dynamics, hearing --- Reproductive modeling: ovarian dynamics, reproductive ecotoxicology, modeling the hormonal cycle --- Metabolic Databases and metabolic models *Computational Demography, Epidemiology, and Statistics/Biostatistics --- Classical demographic, epidemiologic, and biostatistical modeling --- Modeling of the role of culture, poverty, and other sociological issues as they impact healthcare --- Morphometrics *Computational Disease Modeling --- AIDS --- TB --- Influenza --- Statistical Population Genetics Of Disease Processes --- Other *Computational Biofluids --- Blood flow --- Sperm dynamics --- Modeling of arteriosclerosis and related processes *Computational Dentistry, Orthodontics, and Prosthetics *Computational Veterinary Medicine --- Computational issues in modeling non-human dynamics such as equine, feline, canine dynamics (physiological/biomechanical) *Computational Allied Health Sciences --- Physical Therapy --- Neuromusic Therapy --- Respiratory Therapy *Computational Radiology --- Dose modeling --- Treatment planning *Computational Surgery --- Simulation of surgical procedures in VR worlds --- Surgical simulation as a precursor to surgical intervention --- The Visible Human *Computational Cardiology *Computational Nursing *Computational Models In Chiropractice *Computational Neurobiology and Neurophysiology --- Brain modeling --- Single neuron models --- Neural nets and clinical applications --- Neurophysiological dynamics --- Neurotransmitter modeling --- Neurological disorder modeling (Alzheimer's Disease, for example) --- The Human Brain Project *Computational Models of Psychiatric and Psychological Processes *Computational Biomechanics --- Bone Modeling --- Joint Modeling *Computational Models of Non-traditional Medicine --- Acupuncture --- Other *Computational Issues In Medical Instrumentation Design and Simulation --- Scanner Design --- Optical Instrumentation *Ethical issues arising in the use of computational technology in medical diagnosis and simulation *The role of alternate reality methodologies and high performance environments in the medical and public health disciplines *Issues in the use of high performance computing environments in the teaching of health science curricula *The role of high performance environments for the handling of large medical datasets (high performance storage environments, high performance networking, high performance medical records manipulation and management, metadata structures and definitions) *Federal and private support for transdisciplinary research in computational medicine and public health 3.0 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE *CONFERENCE CHAIR: Matthew Witten, UT System Center For High Performance Computing, Austin, Texas m.witten(at)chpc.utexas.edu *CURRENT CONFERENCE DIRECTORATE: Regina Monaco, Mt. Sinai Medical Center Dan Davison, University of Houston Chris Johnson, University of Utah Lisa Fauci, Tulane University Daniel Zelterman, University of Minnesota Minneapolis James Hyman, Los Alamos National Laboratory Richard Hart, Tulane University Dennis Duke, SCRI-Florida State University Sharon Meintz, University of Nevada Los Vegas Dean Sittig, Vanderbilt University Dick Tsur, UT System CHPC Dan Deerfield, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Istvan Gyori, University of Veszprem (Hungary) Don Fussell, University of Texas at Austin Ken Goodman, University Of Miami School of Medicine Martin Hugh-Jones, Louisiana State University Stuart Zimmerman, MD Anderson Cancer Research Center John Wooley, DOE Sylvia Spengler, University of California Berkeley Robert Blystone, Trinity University Gregory Kramer, Santa Fe Institute Franco Celada, NYU Medical Center David Robinson, NIH, NHLBI Jane Preson, MCC Peter Petropoulos, Brooks Air Force Base Marcus Pandy, University of Texas at Austin George Bekey, University of Southern California Stephen Koslow, NIH, NIMH Fred Bookstein, University of Michigan Ann Arbor Dan Levine, University of Texas at Arlington Richard Gordon, University of Manitoba (Canada) Stan Zeitz, Drexel University Marcia McClure, University of Nevada Las Vegas Renato Sabbatini, UNICAMP/Brazil (Brazil) Hiroshi Tanaka, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (Japan) Shusaku Tsumoto, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (Japan) Additional conference directorate members are being added and will be updated on the anonymous ftp list as they agree. 4.0 CONTACTING THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE: To contact the congress organizers for any reason use any of the following pathways: ELECTRONIC MAIL - compmed94(at)chpc.utexas.edu FAX (USA) - (512) 471-2445 PHONE (USA) - (512) 471-2472 GOPHER: log into the University of Texas System-CHPC select the Computational Medicine and Allied Health menu choice ANONYMOUS FTP: ftp.chpc.utexas.edu cd /pub/compmed94 POSTAL: Compmed 1994 University of Texas System CHPC Balcones Research Center 10100 Burnet Road, 1.154CMS Austin, Texas 78758-4497 5.0 SUBMISSION PROCEDURES: Authors must submit 5 copies of a single-page 50-100 word abstract clearly discussing the topic of their presentation. In addition, authors must clearly state their choice of poster, contributed paper, tutorial, exhibit, focused workshop or birds of a feather group along with a discussion of their presentation. Abstracts will be published as part of the preliminary conference material. To notify the congress organizing committee that you would like to participate and to be put on the congress mailing list, please fill out and return the form that follows this announcement. You may use any of the contact methods above. If you wish to organize a contributed paper session, tutorial session, focused workshop, or birds of a feather group, please contact the conference director at mwitten(at)chpc.utexas.edu . The abstract may be submitted electronically to compmed94(at)chpc.utexas.edu or by mail or fax. There is no official format. 6.0 CONFERENCE DEADLINES AND FEES: The following deadlines should be noted: 1 November 1993 - Notification of intent to organize a special session 15 December 1993 - Abstracts for talks/posters/ workshops/birds of a feather sessions/demonstrations 15 January 1994 - Notification of acceptance of abstract 15 February 1994 - Application for financial aid 1 April 1994 - Registration deadline (includes payment of all fees) Fees include lunches for three days, all conference registration materials, the reception, and the sit down banquet: $400.00 Corporate $250.00 Academic $150.00 Student Students are required to submit verification of student status. The verification of academic status form appears appended to the registration form in this announcement. Because financial aid may be available for minority students, faculty, and for individuals from declared minority institutions, you may indicate that you are requesting financial aid as a minority individual. Additionally, we anticipate some support for women to attend. Application for financial aid is also appended to the attached form. 7.0 CONFERENCE PRELIMINARY DETAILS AND ENVIRONMENT LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Austin, Texas, USA DATES: 24-28 April 1994 The 1st World Congress On Computational Medicine, Public Health, and Biotechnology will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Austin, Texas located in downtown Austin on the shores of Town Lake, also known as the Colorado River. The Hyatt Regency has rooms available for the conference participants at a special rate of $79.00/night for single or double occupancy, with a hotel tax of 13%. The Hyatt accepts American Express, Diner's Club, Visa, MasterCard, Carte Blanche, and Discover credit cards. This room rate will be in effect until 9 April 1994 or until the block of rooms is full. We recommend that you make your reservations as soon as possible. You may make your reservations by calling (512) 477-1234 or by returning the enclosed reservation form. Be certain to mention that you are attending the First World Congress On Computational Medicine, Public Health, and Biotechnology if you make your reservations by telephone. The hotel is approximately, five miles (15 minutes from Robert Mueller Airport). The Hyatt offers courtesy limousine service to and from the airport between the hours of 6:00am and 11:00pm. You may call them from the airport when you arrive. If you choose to use a taxi, expect to pay approximately $8.00. Automobiles may be rented, at the airport, from most of the major car rental agencies. However, because of the downtown location of the Congress and access to taxis and to bus service, we do not recommend that you rent an auto unless you are planning to drive outside of the city. Should you not be able to find an available room at the Hyatt Regency, we have scheduled an "overflow" hotel, the Embassy Suites, which is located directly across the street from the Hyatt Regency. If, due to travel expense restrictions, you are unable to stay at either of these two hotels, please contact the conference board directly and we will be more than happy to find a hotel near the conference site that should accommodate your needs. Austin, the state capital, is renowned for its natural hill-country beauty and an active cultural scene. Several hiking and jogging trails are within walking distance of the hotel, as well as opportunities for a variety of aquatic sports. From the Hyatt, you can "Catch a Dillo" downtown, taking a ride on our delightful inner-city, rubber-wheeled trolley system. In Austin's historic downtown area, you can take a free guided tour through the State Capitol Building, constructed in 1888. Or, you can visit the Governor's Mansion, recognized as one of the finest examples of 19th Century Greek Revival architecture and housing every Texas governor since 1856. Downtown you will find the Old Bakery and Emporium, built by Swedish immigrant Charles Lundberg in 1876 and the Sixth Street/Old Pecan Street Historical District - a seven-block renovation of Victorian and native stone buildings, now a National Registered Historic District containing more than 60 restaurants, clubs, and shops to enjoy. The Laguna Gloria Art Museum, the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, the LBJ Library and Museum, the Neill-Cochran Museum House, and the Texas Memorial Museum are among Austin's finest museums. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden, has become a major artistic attraction. Charles Umlauf's sculptured works are placed in a variety of elegant settings under a canopy of trees. The Zilker Gardens contains many botanical highlights such as the Rose Garden, Oriental Garden, Garden of the Blind, Water Garden and more. Unique to Austin is a large population of Mexican free-tailed bats which resides beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. During the month of April, the Highland Lakes Bluebonnet Trail celebrates spring's wildflowers (a major attraction) as this self-guided tour winds through the surrounding region of Austin and nearby towns (you will need to rent a car for this one). Austin offers a number of indoor shopping malls in every part of the city; The Arboretum, Barton Creek Square, Dobie Mall, and Highland Mall, to name a few. Capital Metro, Austin's mass transit system, offers low cost transportation throughout Austin. Specialty shops, offering a wide variety of handmade crafts and merchandise crafted by native Texans, are scattered throughout the city and surrounding areas. Dining out in Austin, you will have choices of American, Chinese, Authentic Mexican, Tex-Mex, Italian, Japanese, or nearly any other type of cuisine you might wish to experience, with price ranges that will suit anyone's budget. Live bands perform in various nightclubs around the city and at night spots along Sixth Street, offering a range of jazz, blues, country/Western, reggae, swing, and rock music. Day temperatures will be in the 80-90(degrees F) range and fairly humid. Evening temperatures have been known to drop down into the 50's (degrees F). Cold weather is not expected so be sure to bring lightweight clothing with you. Congress exhibitor and vendor presentations are also being planned. 8.0 CONFERENCE ENDORSEMENTS AND SPONSORSHIPS: Numerous potential academic sponsors have been contacted. Currently negotiations are underway for sponsorship with SIAM, AMS, MAA, IEEE, FASEB, and IMACS. Additionally AMA and ANA continuing medical education support is being sought. Information will be updated regularly on the anonymous ftp site for the conference (see above). Currently, funding has been generously supplied by the following agencies: University of Texas System - CHPC U.S. Department of Energy ================== REGISTRATION FORM =============== (Please list your name below as it will appear on badge.) First Name : Middle Initial (if available): Family Name: Your Professional Title: [ ]Dr. [ ]Professor [ ]Mr. [ ]Mrs. [ ]Ms. [ ]Other:__________________ Office Phone (desk): Home/Evening Phone (for emergency contact): Fax: Electronic Mail (Bitnet): Electronic Mail (Internet): Postal Address: Institution or Center: Building Code: Mail Stop: Street Address1: Street Address2: City: State: Zip or Country Code: Country: Please list your three major interest areas: Interest1: Interest2: Interest3: Registration fee: $____________ Late fee $50 (if after April 1, 1994) $____________ **IF UT AUSTIN, PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR: UNIVERSITY ACCT. #: ______________________ UNIVERSITY ACCT. TITLE: ______________________ NAME OF ACCT. SIGNER: ______________________ ===================================================== VERIFICATION OF STUDENT STATUS Name: Mailing Address: University at which you are a student: What level student(year): Your student id number: Name of your graduate or postdoctoral advisor: Telephone number for your advisor: By filling in this section, I agree that I am electronically signing my signature to the statement that I am currently a student at the above university. ======================================================= REQUEST FOR FINANCIAL AID Name: Mailing Address: I request financial assistance under one or more of the following categories: [ ] Student (You must fill out the Verification of Student Status Section in order to be considered for financial aid under this category) [ ] Academic [ ] Minority [ ] Female [ ] Black [ ] Hispanic [ ] Native American Indian [ ] Other This form is not meant to invade your personal privacy in any fashion. However, some of the grant funds are targeted at specific ethnic/minority groups and need to be expended appropriately. None of these forms will be in any way released to the public. And, after the congress, all of the financial aid forms will be destroyed. No records will be kept of ethnic or racial backgrounds. If you have any questions concerning financial aid support, please contact Matthew Witten at the above addresses. ==============================================================