Dear Honorable Members and Conference Participants of EASTS,
I am very honored and pleased to be appointed as the ISC chairperson with a mission to foster exchanges in academic research and practical applications among our 19 EASTS local societies. The 19 local societies of EASTS have similar transportation situations and face similar traffic problems. The umbrella of EASTS provides a perfect platform for experience exchanges and international cooperation to explore solutions for providing safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems.
For past EASTS conferences, ISC received a total of 450~530 submissions for each conference, encompassing a variety of research topics coauthored by researchers from both academia and practice. The number of registered delegates has ranged from 600 to over 1000, making conference participation stimulating and fruitful.
To successfully host such a big conference during a rather limited time period is very challenging. I would like to thank the local steering committee, headed by Prof. Akimasa Fujiwara and his outstanding colleagues in Hiroshima University, for the strong support for ISC activities under such difficult times as the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand the local steering committee has prepared and work-shopped several contingency plans to cope with the rapidly evolving challenges of COVID-19.
Hiroshima Prefecture is situated in Western Japan on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in an environment richly endowed with natural resources and scenic beauty. Hiroshima City itself has long been known as a beautiful and memorable place to visit. I look forward eagerly to seeing you in person or online at the EASTS2021 conference.
Thank you.
Dr. Yu-Chiun Chiou
Chairperson, International Scientific Committee, EASTS,
Professor, Department of Transportation and Logistics Management,
Associate Dean, College of Management,
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan.