Annual Scientific Meeting of the ESMRMB: September 16–19, 1999, Sevilla (Spain) Message From the Scientific Program Committee Chairperson

Abstract

Dear ESMRMB members, dear MAGMA readers, The annual meeting of the ESMRMB is a quite multidisciplinary gathering of actively participating scientists with very different background, but with a common interest in the continuing development of magnetic resonance for biological and medical applications. Contributions from basic research in physics and technology on the one hand, biology and medicine on the other hand make this event such a unique forum for scientific exchange. This formula has proven very successful during the past years with a steady increase in the number of presentations by the members. Therefore the overall framework of the program of the Sevilla congress will remain largely unchanged. The high scientific content of the plenary sessions, teaching sessions and mini-categorical courses is guaranteed by the expertise of the invited speakers. As in previous years the teaching sessions will be held on Thursday morning before the opening of the meeting. These didactic courses are devoted to attendees with minimal experience in the field, therefore the content is well established basic information. Minimal experience doesn't necessarily mean that these courses are only intended for beginners. They can also be extremely useful for those who want to gain information outside their domain. Contrary to the teaching sessions the mini-categorical courses present the very front edge of research in a more restricted application. Finally the aim of the plenary sessions is to provide all scientists and physicians active in MR with facts and figures which could help them to situate their work in the respective fields of science and medicine. Also this year the Scientific Program Committee (SPC) tried to balance the visibility of the different ~n~c-iMtle~ The selection of the proffered papers is done in two phases. First the submitted papers undergo a blinded evaluation by the external reviewers appointed by the SPC. In a second phase a final selection is made according to the ratings and the SPC tries to compose with the selected papers specific sessions in the different areas of interest. The final composition of the program therefore depends not only on the number, but also on the quality of the contributions from both, the scientific and medical communities. In addition, poster tours and presentations will be organized to stimulate discussion and exchange of views on selected topics of particular interest. All abstracts will also this year be published in a supplement of MAGMA, the official journal of the Society. I would encourage all of you to submit full papers on topics presented at the meeting to our journal. A congress cannot be successful without the enthusiastic participation of the attendees. I would therefore encourage you to present the results of your research at the Sevilla meeting.