Mathematical modeling, simulation, visualization and e-learning

The Bellagio International Conference on Mathematical Modeling, Simulation,Visualizationande-Learning washeldfromNovember20to November26,2006,withprimary?nancialsupportfromtheRockefellerFo- dation. It also bene?ted from the ?nancial and material support of Virginia Tech and Winston-Salem State University. Takentogethermathematicalmodeling,simulation,andvisualizationhave become a major tool in scienti?c investigation. They are also a growing int- disciplinary subject in collegiate curricula, and are expected to attract more students from underserved communities to science and technology because of their universality and because they provide a visual aspect to what is taught and learned, even in environments where physical implementation and exp- imentation may not be possible. TheBellagio Initiative, which was the underlying idea behind the Bellagio International Conference, consists in creating a forum where excellent mat- maticians from underserved countries and communities and the world’s le- ing scientists can meet, work together and build networks in order to share scienti?c knowledge. This requires that all contributions presented in such a forum have a high scienti?c level and a self-contained style. The objective of this forum is that skilled scientists from all groups and countries be incor- rated within the mainstream of scienti?c discovery.