I want to welcome you to our newly formed society. On February 17, 2002, the IEEE Neural Networks Council (NNC), publisher of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks (TNN), the IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems (TFS), and the IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation (TEC), became the IEEE Neural Networks Society (NNS).  This accomplishment was made possible by the relentless efforts of our ExCom members, and in particular by the 2001 NNC President, Dr. Enrique Ruspini, who led us through this transition.  I want to take this opportunity to thank them all for their devotion and hard work.

Our society covers the same field of interest as the previous council, namely: “the theory, design, application, and development of biologically and linguistically motivated computational paradigms emphasizing neural networks, including connectionist systems, genetic algorithms, evolutionary programming, fuzzy systems, and hybrid intelligent systems in which these paradigms are contained.”  These topics are sometimes included in broader frameworks, usually referred to as computational intelligence or soft computing. Such frameworks allow us to represent and integrate these approaches, and provide us with a flexible paradigm to leverage knowledge from domain experts and information from field data. These hybrid systems are covered routinely in our transactions and can also be found in recent special issues of the PROCEEDINGS of the IEEE [1-2].

We have a vibrant dynamic, technical community, which we serve through a variety of product offerings.  In addition to our journals, we organize three main conferences, the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), the Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC), and the IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ-IEEE), which parallel the scope of our three transactions. In May 2002, we held the 2002 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI), a scientific forum that combines our three key conferences. Every four years we organize WCCI to allow our three scientific communities to have more opportunities for cross-education and awareness of our related fields. Next year, in addition to our three traditional conferences, we will also organize the 2003 International Conference on Computational Intelligence for Financial Engineering (CIFEr), which will take place in Hong Kong, in March. The NNS is also trying to function as an incubator for emerging technologies that are germane to our field of interest, such as evolutionary multi-objective optimization, particle swarm optimization, data mining and knowledge extraction, neuro-informatics, computational neuroscience, artificial life and artificial immune systems, etc.  We have devoted special issues of our transactions to some of these topics, organized special tracks at our conferences, and sponsored specialized symposia, workshops, and satellite conferences to provide a nurturing environment for these new fields.

As a subscriber of one of our transactions I also want to congratulate you, because you finally have a home, a professional society whose identity truly reflects your technical area of expertise. Individual subscribers such as you, representing the best of our technical and scientific communities, will be part of this new society.
You are now entitled to receive a free copy of our electronic newsletter, containing information about our society, calendar of events, review articles, and other items of interest.

We would also like to extend to you an invitation to become a member of the IEEE Neural Networks Society for 2003. Our yearly membership fee of $10.00 for IEEE members or IEEE affiliates will allow you to take full advantage of our high-quality educational product offerings. Next year’s membership benefits will include a newsletter, access to all our current and archival electronic publications (for a subscription fee of  $15.00), and the opportunity to buy the “computational intelligence package” that contains all three paper transactions (TNN, TEC, TFS) at a bundled price of $50.00 (a $24.00 discount). As a member, you may also have an active participation in the operations of the IEEE Neural Networks Society, by running for an AdCom representative position, nominating candidates, and voting for the candidates. Membership renewal for 2003 will start around September 2002.

We look forward to your participation in our new society, and we are certain that the IEEE Neural Networks Society will continue to grow and provide you with the best educational and professional services that you deserve. For more information, please visit our site at www.ieee-nns.org.

REFERENCES
[1] Special Issue on Computational Intelligence, Proceedings of the IEEE, 87(9), September 1999.
[2] Special Issue on Industrial Innovation Using Soft Computing Proceedings of the IEEE, 89(9), September 2001.

It was my privilege, last year, to address those who supported and encouraged the activities of the IEEE Neural Networks Council. At that time, in my role as the Council's President, I outlined a vision of our Council as an ensemble of technical communities with a variety of professional interests but with an overarching concern for the development of engineering concepts and applications suggested by biological, medical, linguistic, and psychological knowledge.

At that time, I emphasized the importance of gaining Society status as the major milestone in our road to future success As you know, this goal was achieved when the IEEE Board of Directors, on February 17, 2002, approved the formation of the Neural Networks Society as the thirty-seventh Society of the IEEE. This formal approval is the culmination of a long process started many years ago by past Council Presidents, which reached effective success in 2001 when the IEEE Technical Activities Board recommended creation of our Society.

I am thankful to all the Council volunteers and friends that helped, throughout the years and with undiminished energy, overcome all the difficulties blocking the path to this important goal. I would like to give special recognition to all the IEEE volunteers and Council supporters that, during the crucial year of 2001, helped our Executive Committee meet the many conditions required by IEEE regulations and by its governing bodies.

We are now in a position to manage our own affairs and take the necessary steps to attain the vision that I outlined in my earlier message. The key factor in achieving these objectives is the growth of a strong Society membership that will provide the required support to its activities and serve as the source for its volunteers and officers.

As our President, Dr. Piero Bonissone, indicates in his message in this Newsletter, our ExCom and AdCom have recognized the importance of membership development by creating the new position of Vice-President of Membership Activities and by instituting a comprehensive program of membership benefits. We ask you to become a NNS member and help ensure our continued growth by participating in the following Societal activities:

Society governance: Starting in 2003, members of our Administrative Committee will be elected by the Society membership. We encourage you to seek nomination as a candidate for NNS AdCom, which governs our Society while also electing NNS officers from current and previous AdCom members.

Regional activities: The NNS is now engaged in a vigorous program of regional development. We urge you to participate in the creation and stewardship of NNS Chapters, which extend the reach of Societal activities and are an important source of Society volunteers.

Development of new technical activities and products: The ultimate objective of our transition to Society status is the growth and expansion of our services to support all communities interested in the application of biological, medical, linguistic and psychological knowledge to engineering. Our recent restructuring and expansion of NNS Technical Activities, together with the creation of the new Technical Committee on Emergent Technologies, are among various NNS initiatives to bring new technological advances—beyond our traditional emphasis on Soft Computing technologies—to the IEEE. We count on your advice and help to assure that our Society continues to be regarded as a key entity in promoting and nurturing new engineering approaches and concepts.

As I continue my volunteer activities in the IEEE, both within the framework of NNS and in other organizational units, I pledge to continue working with you to see that this vision is attained. I look forward to your comments and questions regarding future NNS growth and the actions required to attain it.