An Expression of Gratitude

W elcome to the December issue of Computer, the final issue for which I serve as editor in chief. As a longtime IEEE Computer Society volunteer, it has been a special privilege for me to serve as the EIC for Computer, the Society's flagship publication. These past four years have presented many opportunities, challenges, and rewarding experiences. Through this message, I wish to express my gratitude to the many professionals who have contributed to Computer's success during my tenure as EIC. Computer is the result of a collabo-rative effort between volunteers and staff. I have been fortunate to work with an outstanding editorial board and editorial staff. We have worked hard to offer timely material reflecting the dynamic, changing nature of computing , while keeping high-quality editorial content as the top priority. The computing field continues to thrive while changing to meet new challenges. Distinct boundaries between computing and other fields, such as biology and physics, have become blurred. Security and privacy issues have expanded in scope. Increasing computational capabilities and decreasing computation costs have combined to escalate the demand for complex applications that have a far-reaching impact on society, including new frontiers in medical diagnosis and treatment, weather forecasting, space exploration, e-commerce, and education. We have strived to ensure that Computer provides up-to-date coverage of these changes and challenges in a variety of ways, including regularly publishing articles on evolving topics and adding new columns to cover emerging areas. In addition, we have updated Com-puter's Web site to provide more content , in a more easily accessible format. Our immediate plans are to expand the Web site, including offering digital versions of the magazine. This has been an exceptional year for Computer. The magazine served a unique role in helping the Society celebrate its 60th anniversary by providing special editorial that highlights past advances in computing. The January Outlook issue combined our traditional approach of publishing research that has great potential for shaping the future of computing with a celebration of the advances that have influenced the computing field today. The October issue was devoted to past challenges, successes, and possible future solutions for computing. I am pleased that Computer made these contributions to the Society's celebratory event. Thank you to the many authors and reviewers who contributed to the magazine during the past four years. Computer's value and success lie with authors who submit their work to the …