To whom it may concern
I am writing to encourage you to attend the 26th Meeting of the Control System Group, which will be held from Thursday, August 3rd though Sunday, August 6th at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting is a conference dedicated to the presentation and evaluation of research and applications based on the Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) model of living organisms. The conference is being held in honor of the developer of PCT, William T. Powers and his wife Mary Powers and is being organized by their daughters, Alison and Barbara.Â
The organization of this meeting has involved a lot of work and it involves some financial risk as well. But Alison and Barbara have done this work out of a deep respect for their father’s incredible intellectual and scientific achievement in advancing our understanding of the nature of life. So I am writing to encourage all of you who share an interest in PCT to make coming to the CSG Conference a priority, for the following reasons:Â
- Because the CSG Conference is the ONLY forum for discussing PCT in person with others who share your interest in PCT.
- Because personal interaction with PCT experts is the best way to develop one’s own idea about (or based on) PCT.
- To introduce students (as well as seasoned veterans) to the various ways in which PCT is being tested and applied.Â
- To  show that there are many people interested in carrying on the work started by Bill Powers
- So that the work that has been and is being done by Alison and Barb Powers is not being done in vain.Â
- Out of respect to the memory of Bill and Mary Powers
I know that, like me, everyone has things going on in their life that could make attendance at the meeting difficult or questionable. But if PCT is important to you – if you recognize that Powers’ revolutionary theory and observations  are as important was Newton’s or Darwin’s – then I hope you will put attendance at the meeting at the top of your queue. And if you know students who want to come but need some support we can work on that too.Â
I’ve attached a copy of the registration form; if you can send in your registration fees early you will be doing a lot to close some error signals in the people organizing what looks to be a wonderful conference.Â
Best regards
Richard S. MarkenÂ
"Perfection is achieved not when you have nothing more to add, but when you
have nothing left to take away.�
                --Antoine de Saint-Exupery
2017 PCT CONFERENCE REGISTRATION.doc (101 KB)
Thanks, Rick! I had just sent you an email when I saw this. Here is what I said:
A lot of things have come together to make this happen. The okay to even
have this meeting on campus by Mark Beeman, the professor and chair of the Psych Dept, ending up in the Guild Lounge which is a great facility,
and finding a hotel that is close enough that they are willing to shuttle us to the conference at no charge. Northwestern is a prestigious
college which in itself might hopefully add a little additional credibility to the PCT effort. If we give a good showing, that alone will help.
So there you go! Let’s put together a schedule that will help demonstrate what PCT is and inform those who are new to it. I look forward to hearing your ideas.
We are also working on a promotional flyer and a short statement about the conference which we hope you will send to other professors, student groups and newsletters, etc. Keep your eye on CSGnet for more to come!
Allie Powers
···
On Mon, Apr 10, 2017 at 6:59 PM, Richard Marken rsmarken@gmail.com wrote:
To whom it may concern
I am writing to encourage you to attend the 26th Meeting of the Control System Group, which will be held from Thursday, August 3rd though Sunday, August 6th at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting is a conference dedicated to the presentation and evaluation of research and applications based on the Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) model of living organisms. The conference is being held in honor of the developer of PCT, William T. Powers and his wife Mary Powers and is being organized by their daughters, Alison and Barbara.Â
The organization of this meeting has involved a lot of work and it involves some financial risk as well. But Alison and Barbara have done this work out of a deep respect for their father’s incredible intellectual and scientific achievement in advancing our understanding of the nature of life. So I am writing to encourage all of you who share an interest in PCT to make coming to the CSG Conference a priority, for the following reasons:Â
- Because the CSG Conference is the ONLY forum for discussing PCT in person with others who share your interest in PCT.
- Because personal interaction with PCT experts is the best way to develop one’s own idea about (or based on) PCT.
- To introduce students (as well as seasoned veterans) to the various ways in which PCT is being tested and applied.Â
- To  show that there are many people interested in carrying on the work started by Bill Powers
- So that the work that has been and is being done by Alison and Barb Powers is not being done in vain.Â
- Out of respect to the memory of Bill and Mary Powers
I know that, like me, everyone has things going on in their life that could make attendance at the meeting difficult or questionable. But if PCT is important to you – if you recognize that Powers’ revolutionary theory and observations  are as important was Newton’s or Darwin’s – then I hope you will put attendance at the meeting at the top of your queue. And if you know students who want to come but need some support we can work on that too.Â
I’ve attached a copy of the registration form; if you can send in your registration fees early you will be doing a lot to close some error signals in the people organizing what looks to be a wonderful conference.Â
Best regards
Richard S. MarkenÂ
"Perfection is achieved not when you have nothing more to add, but when you
have nothing left to take away.�
                --Antoine de Saint-Exupery