On behalf of the ICC2002 Organizing Committee, I am pleased to invite you to join us in New York City, 28 April - 2 May 2002. IEEE ICC2002 will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis, located in the heart of the Broadway Theatre District.
As a graduate student beginning my research, the very first technical conference that I attended was ICC'82 in Philadelphia. It is a great honor, 20 years later, to now serve as the General Chair of ICC2002. It is even more special since we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Communications Society (ComSoc) this year, as reflected in our conference theme: "50 Years of Advancement in Communications." In recognition of this golden anniversary, we have scheduled a number of events, including a special retrospective 50th Anniversary Panel chaired by Bob Lucky. In addition, with your full or limited registration you will receive a DVD set that contains 50 years of papers that have been published in ComSoc magazines and journals and the last few years of conference proceedings!
For the first time, ICC consists entirely of thematic Symposia. We selected 11 hot topics that encompass a broad range of interests. Even without a "General Conference," 1568 papers were submitted for review: a new record for ICC/GLOBECOM conferences! A tremendous thanks is due Malathi Veeraraghavan and her Technical Program Committee for handling this incredible number of submissions under difficult circumstances between September and November 2001.
Your ICC2002 registration fee gains you admittance to all 11 Symposia. In addition to this collection of peer-reviewed technical papers, we also have scheduled 11 exciting Panel and Business Application Sessions, 16 Tutorials, 3 Workshops, and Plenary presentations by Dr. Ravi Sethi, Mark Wegleitner and Dr. Michael Hluchyj.
Join us in New York City next April for ICC2002. Come and meet with your colleagues from around the world, celebrate ComSoc's "Fifty-Year Foundation for the Future," and perhaps help launch your own new career as I did 20 years ago. While you are visiting, of course take some time to enjoy the many attractions and entertainment of New York.
I look forward to seeing you in April. The ICC2002 Organizing Committee looks forward to making your visit a success in every way!
Mark J. Karol
ICC 2002 General Chair