The RAMS^® 2009 "Reliability as a Competitive Advantage: From Theory to Practice" paper and tutorial submissions have been compiled and reviewed. Notification to corresponding authors of preliminary acceptance will be completed by mid-June. A Preliminary Symposium Program flier will be posted on this website later this summer to allow everyone to view the technical content and start the travel planning process. The Program flier will provide you and your colleagues with specific details of research results – both theoretical and practical on a wide variety of current reliability topics.

The Tutorial component of RAMS has been an increasingly valuable component of the conference. Topics vary depending on proposal submissions but they always range from introductory to advanced levels and are taught by notable international industry leaders and academic researchers. RAMS is unique in the arena of technical conferences because students and seasoned professionals alike can enjoy a rich, continuing education experience and attend tutorial-linked, research–oriented, paper sessions - both at the same conference. And, this year there is an important new feature.

At the direction of the Board of Directors and based on several sources – including previous symposium evaluations, we will begin offering a formal RAMS Certificate Program structured as a series of tutorials beginning with the 2009 RAMS. The objectives are to improve the RAMS experience for the symposium attendees seeking basic training in reliability and maintainability and to facilitate the development of future paper authors for RAMS. I will have more details on this new program in my message here in the near future.

RAMS is unique in the field of international conferences around the world in that it is produced and supported by ten professional societies that share the common objectives of improving safety, reliability, and efficiency. There is no doubt that these three tenets are of growing importance in the world community over an increasing range of products and processes.

In January, 2009, RAMS will mark its 55^th year in Fort Worth, Texas. Regardless of the products, systems, and processes that create your reliability universe, there is a great deal more to learn than can be obtained in any classroom, library or literature search. Please join us in Fort Worth for a rich, human-based experience, in a unique, historical environment, where we can learn from each other.