This year the NSF is requesting that all conferences that are funded devote time to a discussion of the `state of the art', as described in the following paragraph quoted from their letter of award of funding.

"We request that you and your fellow organizers devote an hour or so of the conference's time to a session on the state of the art, current directions, and emerging opportunities in the fields represented. The discussion should form the basis of a 'white paper' on the subject. The white paper should be made available to the conference participants as well as to the Division of Mathematical Sciences at NSF. This is one of the ways in which a well-organized conference can multiply its effectiveness. In addition, these white papers are an important source of information for the division when it makes its reports within the National Science Foundation and to the congress."

We will have a one-hour round table discussion on Sunday morning at 11:00 to meet this condition. I (Ted Turner) will serve as moderator and the main speakers, invited participants and interested others will be the `panel'. A summary of the discussion will be written and distributed to all participants for responses after which a final version will be prepared for the NSF. All participants are encouraged to participate in the discussion and to submit written contributions as well.