CASEIB 2003 - Annual Event of the Spanish BME Society

The 21st Annual Event of the Spanish Society of Biomedical Engineering (SEIB), jointly organised by the Biomedical Engineering Group of the University of Seville and the Group of Artificial Intelligence of the University of Extremadura, was held in the privileged city of Merida from 13 to 15 November 2003 in an excellent setting for the exchange of results of research developed by SEIB members and all those interested in its diverse fields of application. Merida, who's Archaeological Ensemble was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1993, is located in the heart of the ancient Roman province of Lusitania. Nowadays it is a prosperous city with a wide network of services and has been of interest to a diverse range of institutions, who's aim was to recover the vast archaeological treasures which have accumulated in its foundations. The magnificence of its historical heritage together with the warm welcome offered by its citizens to all visitors, make Merida an unparalleled setting for the celebration of all kinds of events.

As in previous editions, the aim of CASEIB'2003 has been to contribute to the advancement of Biomedical Engineering in Spain and to promote the idea of personal contacts and the exchange of ideas among researchers and professionals coming from different fields ranging from engineering and science, to students and academia. Particular objectives of this edition were to:

• Analyse the potential use of advances of biomedical technology to improve the quality of life of citizens.
• Spread recent advances and achievements within the Spanish community which develops its activity in different areas of Biomedical Engineering
• Contribute to the integration and scientific and technical collaboration between groups, easing the establishment of sources of interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Support the activity of new research groups
• Foster and stimulate the participation of young investigators both at graduate and undergraduate levels.

A total of 105 peer-reviewed, 4-page communications were presented and 110 attendees participated in the meeting. Conference Chair was Prof. Laura M. Roa (University of Seville), Scientific Program Chair was Prof. Jose M. Ferrero (Polytechnical University of Valencia) and Local Arrangements Committee Chair was Prof. Francisco Fernandez (University of Extremadura). The scientific program was organised in the following thematic areas: Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Engineering, Education, Medical Imaging, Biomedical Instrumentation, Modelling and Simulation of Biological Systems, Biosignal Processing, Clinical Decision Support Systems, Health Information Systems, Telemedicine, and Miscellanea. The meeting was structured in 15 sessions with blocks of two parallel sessions, two posters sessions, a round table about Education on Biomedical Engineering, and another round table about Research, Development and Technological Innovation. Within the different activities programmed, the meeting was honoured with the participation of keynote speaker Prof. Metin Akay. All the communications have been published in a proceedings book with 382 pages.

Laura Roa