The FESAC has established a subcommittee, chaired by Jill Dahlburg (General Atomics),with members from the fusion, applied mathematics and computer science communities, to generate a plan for moving forward toward the stated goal. The subcommittee will hold an Open Meeting at General Atomics on May 23. Details of the meeting and of mechanisms for providing advice to the subcommittee are posted at http://www.isofs.info

DOE says, "Recognizing the programmatic importance of developing predictive capabilities for fusion systems, the goal of the initiative would be to improve substantially the capabilities for integrated simulation of fusion systems based on verified and validated models of the underlying physical processes." The required funding level is expected to be on the order of $100M spread over five to six years.

Dahlburg says, "Clearly such an undertaking represents a significant opportunity and a significant challenge to the fusion program. We believe that a thorough discussion of the vision, goals and prospects for this initiative is an essential first step. To this end, we are inviting input from all members of the community. In particular, we are soliciting brief (one or two page) commentaries on the current status of integrated computational modeling and simulation, and on the initiative vision and the prospects raised by this initiative. Contributions can be entered on the Subcommittee's website (above)."

Dahlburg says, "It would be particularly helpful if contributed remarks were available ahead of an open meeting which will be held on May 23 at General Atomics in San Diego (details available at the web site above). However, they are welcome at any time during the Subcommittee's deliberations. The Director of the Office of Science has asked the FESAC for an interim report on July 15 and a final report by December 1, 2002. The schedule is oriented toward a program new start in FY 2004.

The FESAC Subcommittee strongly urges participation from anyone interested in this initiative.