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2nd ESICUP Meeting

The EURO Special Interest Group on Cutting and Packing

Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany, March 18-20, 2004

Organized by:
Julia Bennell - Local organizer
José F. Oliveira - ESICUP coordinator

Up-to-date information at http://www.apdio.pt/esicup-2ndMeeting


FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT   -  CALL FOR PAPERS

ESICUP gathers practitioners, researchers and Operations Research
educators with interests in the area of Cutting and Packing. The purpose
of ESICUP is to improve communication among individuals working in this
field. Besides the promotion of publications, the activities of the group
include the maintenance of a web page and the organization of meetings.
Founded in 1988, during the EURO/TIMS Conference in Paris, by Prof.
Gerhard Waescher and Prof. Harald Dyckhoff, it has now around 240 active
members from the entire world. ESICUP is since 2003 a Working Group of the
Association of European Operational Research Societies.


TOPICS OF INTEREST

In this meeting contributions dealing with any aspect of the Cutting and
Packing problems formulation, resolution or application are welcomed. This
includes theoretical achievements, algorithms development and real-world
implementations. Different problems, related with Cutting and Packing, are
also welcomed. Typical, but not exclusive topics of interest are:
   One-Dimensional Problems
   Two-Dimensional Rectangular Problems
   Nesting and irregular shapes packing
   Three-Dimensional Packing
   Bin-Packing
   Container Loading
   Problem generators and benchmarks
   Additional Objectives and Constraints in C&P
   Typologies
   Industrial applications


IMPORTANT DATES

• Title and abstract submission - February 14, 2005
• Notification of acceptance - March 7, 2005
• Registration - March 28, 2005
• Meeting - April 17-19, 2005


CONFERENCE FEE

The conference fee is 60 pounds excluding accommodation. This must be paid
as part of registration.

BURSARIES

We are pleased to be able to offer a number of bursaries of £150 to cover
the conference fee and two nights accommodation. In order to apply you
must be presenting a paper and be, either, a PhD student, or from Eastern
Europe. Applications from PhD students must be accompanied by a letter
from their supervisor confirming that they are registered for a PhD.

How to apply
To apply you must first have submitted an abstract via the conference web
site. You may then apply by sending an email to José F. Oliveira
([log in to unmask]). Application deadline is the 14th February.

LOCATION

The meeting will be held at the School of Management, University of
Southampton, located on the Highfield campus (www.management.soton.ac.uk).
The University is one of the top 10 research—led Universities in the UK,
and currently has nearly 20,000 students and 5,000 staff based across
several campuses in Southampton and Winchester.

TENTATIVE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

There will be an informal get-together on Thursday, April 14. The
scientific program has been scheduled for Friday, April 15 (whole day) and
Saturday, April 16 (until lunch time).

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

The accommodation for the conference is in a privately run hotel,
Highfield House Hotel (http://www.highfieldhousehotel.co.uk/),
approximately 10 minutes walk from the Highfield campus. It offers
comfortable facilities at a reasonable price. Rooms for the conference
have already been reserved at the hotel and can be booked via registration
(see registration page on website) for the conference. There are 15 double
rooms and 20 twin rooms available and they will be allocated on a first
come first serve basis.

Breakfast and lunch are provided on both Friday and Saturday, and there
will be a conference meal on the Friday evening. There will be an informal
get together on Thursday evening at a local pub where meals can be
purchased.

Rooms may be reserved via the conference registration form, please print
the registration form and send it with payment, preferably by fax, to the
local organizer:

Dr Julia Bennell
School of Management
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
UK
Facsimile: +44 (0)2380 593844


TRAVEL TO SOUTHAMPTON

Southampton has its own airport located just north of the city
(http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/southampton/) from which the
University can easily be reached by bus or taxi. The airport services
domestic and some European flights.

Both London Heathrow and London Gatwick are within easy reach of the city
by train or coach. See plan your journey at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
for rail connections and http://www.nationalexpress.com/home/hp.cfm for
coach connections. A taxi from Heathrow or Gatwick to Southampton should
cost approx £60 – £70 if booked in advance.

Bournemouth airport is also within easy reach of Southampton by rail
(http://www.flybournemouth.com/).


CONTACT

For all questions concerning your trip to and your stay at Southampton,
please contact Julia Bennell or Charlotte Rugby.

Dr. Julia Bennell
+44 (0)2380 595671
[log in to unmask]

Mrs Charlotte Rugby
+44 (0)2380 598910
[log in to unmask]

School of Management
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
UK