Structures in Nature are ubiquitous and fascinating. In natural and mathematical systems nonlinear structures, roughly speaking, are those resulting from nonlinear equations, the investigation of which forms a large and integral part of the new branch of science-the nonlinear science. Like nonlinear science in general, non linear structures is a truly interdisciplinary subject which involves physicists, chemists, biologists, material scientists, mathematicians, engineers, etc. In view of the recent rapid developments in this subject and the existence of a converging picture which acts to...

IJ:1 June of 1987 the Center for Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at San Jose State University received a bequest of over half a million dollars from the estate of Mrs. Marie Woodward. In the opening article of this collection of papers Jane Day, the founder of the Center, describes the background that led to this gift. In recognition of the bequest it was decided that a series of Woodward Conferences be established. The First Woodward Conference took place at San Jose State University on June 2-3 1988. The themes of the conference were the Theoretical, Computational and Practical...