Eugene Kindler:
Eugene Kindler studied mathematics at Charles University in Prague where he got a PhDr (doctor of philosophy) degree in logic and a RNDr (doctor of sciences) degree in mathematics. He worked as research specialist with Research Institute of Mathematical Machines in Prague (1958-66), and then as scientific specialist with Biophysical Institute at the Faculty of General Medicine of Charles university (1966-73) and with Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (1974-2000) of the same University. He was visiting professor with the university at Pisa (Italy), at Morgantown (West Virginia) and at Clermont-Ferrand (France) and foreign lector of Humboldt university (Berlin). Czechoslovak Academy of Science gave him a degree CSc (Candidate of sciences) in physics and mathematics. Nowadays he is  professsor at a new University of Ostrava in Czech Republic. He is a member of Liophant Simulation Club and since 1993 he has been a senior member of The Society for Computer Simulation. E. Kindler was the author of the first Czechoslovak Algol compiler and of the first Czechoslovak digital simulation system. Since 1967, his main interests have been oriented to simulation, the object-oriented programming and to applications in industry, life sciences and transportation.

will present the article:

"Reflective Simulation - Simulation of Systems That Simulate": The paper is oriented to nesting models, namely to constructing computer models of systems that contain elements using and manipulating their “private” models. The subject is stimulated by the fact that the modern way to design systems must more or less respect the fact that such systems will apply sophisticated computing technique that will help the system to be controlled in (sub)optimal way. The modeling during the design of such a system S has to respect that S will sometimes handle a model m. In other words, a model M used during the design has to admit that in certain phases it will contain a model m. In general, any of the two models can be a simulation one or not. In general, any of the models can model S or something near to S. That is a frequent case and we call it reflective simulation. Inside m, other models can be nested, so that three (or even more) levels of nesting can occur.
The examples of the mentioned possibilities will be presented, most of them being effectively applied.
If both the models are simulation ones, two simulation time axes must be contemporarily present during the phases of M when m is operating inside it. The common simulation languages and other tools do not admit two or more simulation time axes. The use of the programming languages that are object-oriented, block-oriented and process-oriented can essentially help to solve that obstacle. In case of reflective simulation, there is another problem, consisting in similarity of the description of the models M and m and thus in a probability of erroneous mixing of their elements. Possible fatal consequences of such error will be illustrated at a very simple example. The ways to protect against such errors may seem uncomfortable, as they lead either to lengthy computing or to drastic syntactical limitations. A new method will be presented that has not the mentioned drawbacks. 
To construct the reflective simulation models is the hard task in computer simulation but also the most difficult task in implementation of the nesting models, but it can serve as a vanguard for any cases of nesting models. Relation to nesting anticipatory systems and an overview of new results in machine production, services, and logistics will be given, too.
 

Piet Kommers:
Dr. Piet Kommers is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology at Twente University in the Netherlands. His research field is the design and application of media in learning situations. His courses are Multimedia Design, Virtual Reality (VR) and Societal Effects of ICT. Concept mapping and metaphoric design stages play an important role here. Projects are undertaken in the field of multicultural communication. The learning processes at individual and societal levels manifest in terms of existential expressions and awareness. Media play an ever more important role in it. His personal webpage

will present the article:

"VR models for professional training": Educational learning has benefited from the urgency of industrial training: making operational goals and content more explicit and specifying instructional strategies. Seen from performance support systems we need now even more nuanced learning strategies than ever been articulated in educational practices: Gaming scenarios, collaborative design templates and exploratory spaces to envisage unknown expectations about one's own learning; they all will fertilize professional simulations for training purposes. The underlying keynote will exemplify the most challenging recent paradigms for involving the novice in new task complexities like recently explored for surgical training. Vascular surgery has both the nature of calamities, but at the same time specialists may doubt if a wider spectrum of patient parameters are taken into account. Virtual Reality is brought forward as a new provocation for simulation designers on how to mitigate the tension between learner- versus system control; If smart transparent feedback is given to the trainee, it seem inevitable to take the constructivist paradigm as overall approach for deep, meaningful and flexible learning; Ready for a longer life-long learning process.

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Renate Sitte:
Dra. Renate Sitte is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering and Information and Technology of Griffith University, Australia, and the Vice Chair of IEEE Australia Council. She obtained her PhD and MPhil in Microelectronic Engineering, from Griffith University and received her Systems Engineering degree (Ingeniero de Sistemas) from the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela.
She is faculty staff (currently Senior Lecturer) in Engineering and Information Technology, Griffith University, Australia, where she has been teaching Computing, Software Engineering and Discrete Mathematics since 1986.  Her research is in modeling and simulation, one major ongoing project is Virtual Reality Prototyping Micro-Electro-Mechanichal Systems (MEMS). 

will present the article:

"Models and similarity": This presentation looks at the development of modeling from early beginnings to nowadays large integrated models. It revises the main classes of models and examines their diversity, overlap, and looks at the "universality" of application of models to different systems in a not so obvious way.  We will be looking at what modeling techniques did work, what never really took off, and why, and when is a model a good model.
 

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