GECCO 2002: We're Standing by New York

[Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference <gecco@illigal.ge.uiuc.edu>]

Dear GECCO Colleague,

As we've talked to GECCO attendees around the world, a few have
expressed reservations about flying to New York for GECCO.  Indeed,
the events of and following September 11th have made the public
reluctant to travel, in general, and New York, in particular, has
taken a tourist hit because of its close association with terrorism
and the subsequent plane crash.

The decision to hold GECCO-2002 in New York was made long before
September 11, 2001.  The conference leadership revisited the decision
following the terrorist attack and decided to continue with our plans
to hold GECCO-2002 in NYC.  New York is open and eager for business,
and the remarkable transformation of the city under the leadership of
Mayor Giuliani is still on display.

If you haven't traveled by plane since the 11th, the airports are open
and more security conscious than ever.  New York was chosen because it
is one of the world's most accessible cities and has always had plenty
of competitively-priced airline seats available. 

In short, I am looking forward to seeing our regular GECCO attendees
and newcomers alike at GECCO-2002 in New York City. We are assembling
a stimulating program with a superb collection of free tutorials,
workshops, and keynote speakers that are the hallmark of GECCO,
together with a new forum to share experiences on real life EC
projects, and an exciting technical program carefully selected from
the best of work in the field of genetic and evolutionary computation.

Please join me and the rest of the GEC community at GECCO-2002 in New
York City, July 9-13 (Tuesday-Saturday), 2002.  The deadline for paper
submissions is January 23, 2002 (Wednesday), which gives you
approximately nine weeks to prepare your contributions.  None of our
world-class tutorials presenters, workshop organizers, or other key
organizers of GECCO will be missing GECCO-2002, and we hope you won't,
either!

For more information about the conference and paper submissions go to
www.isgec.org/GECCO-2002.

See you in NYC,

Erick Cantu-Paz
GECCO-2002 Chairman