Dear Participants,

Greetings from Fairbanks, the Golden Heart City of Alaska!

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to welcome you to the ISTVS 2007 Conference in Alaska, the Joint North America, Asia-Pacific ISTVS Conference and Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Terramechanics in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Conference brings together experts, engineers and other professionals from Government, Industry and Academia all over the world to discuss and exchange the latest technological innovations in terrain and vehicle systems and is open to all interested parties.

The Conference technical program consists of submitted technical papers and presentations plus a number of invited keynote talks. Many excellent lectures will be delivered in themes ranging from manned and unmanned ground vehicles, terrain mechanics for terrestrial and planetary applications, modeling and simulation, remote-sensing of terrain roughness and terrain material properties, as well as the impacts of vehicles on terrain.

In particular, there are cold-regions specific lectures and technical tours that accentuate the challenges facing people living in the circumpolar area such as Fairbanks, Alaska. The Conference is being held near summer solstice where there are plenty of midnight-sun activities to participate.

I look forward to meeting you in Fairbanks and hope you have a rewarding and enjoyable time in the Conference. Welcome to ISTVS 2007!

Jonah H. Lee
Chair, ISTVS 2007 Conference