The field of Discrete Event Systems (DES) has emerged to provide a formal treatment of many man-made systems such as automated manufacturing systems, computer systems, communication networks, air traffic control systems, transportation systems and integrated logistics. The man made systems of the actual computer dependent word deal with discrete quantities and their dynamics is due to asynchronous occurrences of discrete events. In the last years, researchers and practitioners developed new modeling frameworks, design tools, testing techniques and systematic control procedures for this new generation of highly complex systems. New paradigms are introduced in order to combining mathematical techniques with processing data and simulation procedures.

Discrete event system models (such as Petri nets, automata, Markov chains) are used to describe very different aspects of the real word: computer systems, communication systems, manufacturing systems, traffic systems. Recently, corporations and researchers are being attracted by the key problem of using effectively and efficiently the latest developments of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in different new fields such as Transportation Systems, Logistics networks and healthcare systems. This new application leads to the description of new realities that exhibit a high degree of concurrency and are characterized by resource sharing and conflicts. The challenge is opening new frontiers in the application of tools and models typical of the discrete event systems in order to improve the knowledge and the management of new complex and man made systems. The primary objective of the TC on Discrete Event Systems is to promote communication between DES researchers, students, and practitioners. Hence, the goal of the TC is to provide a basis for the exchange of information and ideas among researchers and practitioners through scientific events, such as special conference sessions, tutorials and journal special issues.

• Organized the special issue on “Engineering Applications of Petri Nets” of the IEEE Transactions on SMC – Part C, vol. 37, no. 4, July 2007, editors MengChu Zhou and MuDer Jeng.
• Organized special/Invited Sessions at SMC-2007
• Organized special/Invited Sessions at SMC-2008
• Organized special/Invited Sessions at SMC-2009
• Organized Special/Invited Sessions at the International Workshop on Modelling & Applied Simulation, 17-19 September, Calabria, Italy, 2008, a conference co-sponsored by the IEEE-SMC society.
• Organized Special/Invited Sessions at the European Modeling & Simulation Symposium 2008, 17-19 September, Calabria, Italy, 2008 a conference co-sponsored by the IEEE-SMC society.
• Prof. Mengchu Zhou, as the General Chair, organized 2008 IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, CASE 2008, August 24-25, 2008, Washington D.C., USA
• Prof. Mengchu Zhou organized the Workshop on Petri Nets and Agile Manufacturing, June 24-25, 2008 - Xi’an, China, a satellite event of the Petri Nets 2008 29th International Conference on Application and Theory of Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency, Xi’an, China, June 23-27, 2008
• Prof. Maria Pia Fanti is chair of the 2nd IFAC Workshop on Dependable Control of Discrete Systems, Bari, Italy, June 10 - 12, 2009.
• Prof. S. Reveliotis is program chair of IEEE CONFERENCE ON AUTOMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, Bangalore, India, August 22 - 25, 2009 and Prof. Maria Pia Fanti is chair of the track Foundations of Automation
• Prof. M.P. Fanti is program co-chair of the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, October 11-14, 2009 Hyatt Regency Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
• Prof. Maria Pia Fanti and Mengchu Zhou are the general Chairs of the IEEE 2010 Workshop on Health Care Management, Venice, Italy ¬ February 18-20, 2010 web: http://www.deei.units.it/WHCM2010/
• Prof. MuDer Jeng is Exhibition Chair of the 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Taipei, Taiwan.
• Prof. MuDer Jeng is Session Co-Organizers and Co-Chairs ("Petri Nets in Manufacturing", "Design and Optimization for Semiconductor Manufacturing Systems", "Scheduling and Control of Manufacturing Systems"), 14th IFAC World Congress, Beijing, China, 1999. Session Chair ("Petri Nets"), Eleventh National Symposium on Automation Technology, Chiayi, Taiwan, 1999.
• Prof. MuDer Jeng is Session Organizer and Co-Chair ("Manufacturing Systems"), 1998 International Conference on Mechatronic Technology (ICMT'98), Hsinchu, Taiwan. Session Organizer and Chair ("Manufacturing Systems Modeling Using Petri Nets"), Session Co-Chairs ("Theory and Novel Applications of Petri Nets", "Intelligent Manufacturing"), 1997 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Orlando, Florida.