The Second International Conference on Simulation Modeling and Analysis, COSMA 2011, was hosted at the Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore during December 17-19.

Organized by the Amrita Department of Mechanical Engineering in partnership with the International Association for Engineering Analysis and National Institute of Technology, Calicut, the conference was a follow-up to COSMA 2009.

Keynote addresses, technical paper presentations from academia and industry, panel discussions, exhibits, and poster sessions all focused on simulation modeling and analysis, as applied to multiple disciplines of engineering.

A widely applied methodology for studying the behaviour of engineering systems, simulation helps with developing solutions to problems of design and operation.

Its applications are not limited to engineering alone; the Computational Neurosciences Lab in Amrita uses advanced simulation techniques to unearth secrets of the brain.

The Sakshat Amrita Vocational Education group also uses it to impart training in environments of virtual reality.

Mainly focusing on the engineering applications of simulation, COSMA 2011 featured an inaugural address by Dr. Korien Issac, Indian Institute of Science and Technology, Trivadrum.