What Does "Control" Have to Offer? [President's Message]

I would like to start my series of president's messages by offering some personal reflections on what the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) can offer. To consider this question, I first want to take a diversion into what control is. Some time ago, as a junior faculty member, a colleague recommended I read the book What Is This Thing Called Science by A.F. Chalmers. It is a book on the philosophy of science that examines and critiques, in a form that I found quite accessible and entertaining, various views on the way in which science has developed and what it actually is. I won't claim to be able to match Chalmers' abilities, but I thought it would be interesting to examine a parallel theme and share some views on what control is.