Editorial growth of engineering management conferences — A sign of vitality

THE NEED for exchange of information among those who develop the knowledge base and those who implement it is an unmistakable sign of growth and vitality of a discipline. This need is felt only when there are exciting developments and continuing interest in that field. The opposite of this is also true. Just as the forward-moving professions can be recognized by the enthusiasm with which their researchers and practitioners transfer knowledge, the professions in stagnation can easily be identified by the lack of this activity.