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CONGRESS: COMPUTATIONAL MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (long)



 ** 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@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@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@chpc.utexas.edu . The abstract may be submitted
electronically to  compmed94@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.
==============================================================