benchmark April 2011

NAFEMS World Congress 2011

In this Issue:

• adaptive_remeshing_in
• structural_analysis_part_1.pd
• analyst_competences_industry_needs.pd
• fatigue_in_power_plant_technology_part1.pdf
• cae_guy_014.pdf

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The time is almost upon us. Once every two years, NAFEMS brings together the most respected and experienced minds in the simulation and analysis community for a conference which is unmatched in terms of its independence and sole focus on analysis.

The NAFEMS World Congress 2011 (NWC2011), which takes place in Boston this May, will have something for every one of our readers. From training courses to focus sessions, workshops and traditional conference tracks, it truly is an unmissable event for everyone in the community. Will you be attending? I hope to see as many of our readers there as possible, and hopefully gather some amusing tales for future editorials!

So, this is the official ‘congress edition’ of benchmark. In the middle of the magazine, you will find a comprehensive look at the preliminary agenda for the event, including presentation titles and authors, as well as details on the venue and surrounding area. We couldn’t run the event without the support of our sponsors, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their support once again. It really is heartening, and speaks volumes to the ‘community spirit’ within NAFEMS, that so many of the major software vendors come together on an even platform to support an independent vendor-neutral event such as the congress.

While such a large event take a lot of focus and effort from the core NAFEMS team, our other activities continue at pace throughout the preparation and execution stages of the event. NAFEMS e-learning courses have recently been expanded significantly, with a number of new courses added as well as the frequency doubling as of April. We firmly believe that online training can provide significant benefits to the community, and dovetail with traditional ‘physical’ courses. Indeed, our plans going forward include the investigation of a ‘blended’ training offering, giving a mix of online and physical training. More details on these plans will be announced as they are firmed-up.

Another popular subject at NAFEMS at the moment is surveys. As with every organisation, we know how vital it is to keep ‘in touch’ with our members and the community at large. This is why we are currently involved in several survey projects at the moment, asking you to spare five to ten minutes of your time to tell us what you use, what you need, and what you want (in terms of simulation and analysis, that is – we can’t help you with that new car or sound system, unfortunately...). Whilst we all know how tedious surveys can be, their importance really cannot be overstated. 

The results from surveys such as this can help to shape our future activities, and allow you to tell us, in a ‘structured’ manner, what you want us to be doing. Details of these surveys can be found in the NAFEMS News section on pages 4 and 5. One of them even gives you the chance to win a shiny new iPad2....

David Quinn I Editor I david.quinn@nafems.org I twitter.com/benchtweet

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