Rough Set Theory Pioneer Zdzis?aw Pawlak Commemorated

Newswise — ZdzisÅ‚aw Pawlak (1926-2006) was a pioneer in the field of knowledge description systems and rough sets during the 1970s and 1980s. During the past 35 years since the introduction of knowledge description systems by Pawlak, the theory and applications of rough sets as well as the advent of approximation spaces to facilitate perception and observation concerning classes of objects has developed in a truly impressive way.

New Frontiers in Scientific Discovery - Commemorating the Life and Work of Zdzisław Pawlak, published by IOS Press, is dedicated to the memory of Zdzisław Pawlak, a great scientist and a great human being. A short perspective on the life and work of Zdzisław Pawlak is given at the beginning of the volume. During his lifetime, the research interests of Pawlak were rich and varied. His research ranged from his work on knowledge description systems and rough sets during the 1970s and 1980s to his work on the design of computers, information retrieval, modelling conflict analysis and negotiation, genetic grammars and molecular computing. He also found the time for his active lifelong interests painting, photography and poetry.

During his lifetime, Pawlak nurtured worldwide interest in approximation, approximate reasoning and rough set theory and its applications. A compelling evidence of the scientific influence of Pawlak is the literature on rough sets that now includes over 4000 publications as well as the growth and maturity of the International Rough Set Society. Many papers that appear in this book reflect the profound influence of a number of research initiatives by Pawlak in a whole range of research areas. It can also be inferred from the papers included in this volume, that research concerning the foundations and applications of rough sets remains a vivid and still growing research area worldwide.

© 2007 IOS Press. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. "New Frontiers in Scientific Discovery - Commemorating the Life and Work of Zdzisław Pawlak" , Book Edition of Fundamenta Informaticae (ISBN: 978-1-58603-717-8), edited by E. Orłowska, J.F. Peters, G. Rozenberg and A. Skowron is published by IOS Press in February 2007. The book is priced as follows: US$250 / €200 / £136.

About IOS PressIOS Press (http://www.iospress.nl) publishes some 85 international journals and approximately 100 book titles a year, ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences. Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press serves a variety of scientific and medical communities in all parts of the world. IOS Press is a rapidly-growing publishing company that embraces new technologies for the dissemination of information. All journals are available online and an online book platform has been launched in the first half of 2006. Following its founding, IOS Press established several co-publishing initiatives. Its most recent expansion is the acquisition of Delft University Press at the end of 2005. IOS Press also maintains offices in the Washington, DC area, Berlin and a co-publishing relationship with Ohmsha, Ltd (Tokyo).