A change of the leading player in flow Visualization technique

It is our great pleasure to publish the Journal of Visualization Volume 9, Number 1 to a worldwide audience. In this issue, six frontispieces, twelve general papers including one short paper, and one report of the 8th ASV (Asian Symposium on Visualization) are presented. The papers presented in this issue encompass those on simple flow such as vortex and jet flows to those addressing complex flows, such as hypersonic flow and fluid-induced vibration and even fluid machinery and cardiopulmonary hemodynamics. Flow visualization techniques also vary greatly, and those such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), color Schlieren method, Liquid Crystal Thermography (LCT) have recently become popular and are very interesting topics to readers. The last paper was written by Prof. Banterng Suwantragul, the chairman of the 8th Asian Symposium on Visualization that was held in Chiangmai, Thailand. The symposium was attended by more than 110 participants from 11 countries, and 71 technical papers covering a wide range of topics related to flow visualization techniques were presented. The symposium was a great success, and the next will be held in Hong Kong SAR, China from June 4 to 9, 2007. The papers published in this issue are testimony to the amazing range of visualization techniques being employed. Techniques such as PIV and Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) are considered the leading players in the Journal of Visualization today, and several papers in this issue also deal with these techniques. Recently I had the opportunity to attend an international conference for turbomachinery and aircraft engines that was held in Europe, and to my surprise, many designers and researchers are still using “outdated” techniques such as the oil-film method, tuft method, and dye injection method. For some designers and researchers, the “latest” techniques may not be practical in terms of cost and ease of use. The Journal of Visualization is the only academic journal dedicated to flow visualization techniques, and it hopes to create an environment inclusive of techniques of the past and present. A thorough review of this issue offers a glimpse of visualization techniques of the future. Lastly, we would like to thank all contributing authors, reviewers, and individuals who were involved in the publication of this issue.