These papers were presented at the workshop on High Performance Computing and Gigabit Wide Area Networks held in September 1998 in Essen, Germany. The aim of the workshop was to analyse the interplay between computer network technology, communication software and the performance of mathematical algorithms used for large scale computations in wide area high speed computer networks. Only through interdisciplinary research with the co-operation of electrical engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists will it be possible to determine the most efficient combinations of parallel algorithms,...

A joint research project of algebraists from the universities of Antwerp, Biele- feld, Essen, Leeds, Paris VI and Trondheim on "Invariants and Representations of Algebras" has been supported from 1991 to 1997 by the European Union programmes "Science" and "Human Capital and Mobility," it was coordinated by Mme M. -P. Malliavin (Paris VI). Later, algebraists from the universities of Edinburgh, Ioannina, Murcia and Torun joined the collaboration. This network is now coordinated by C. M. Ringel (Bielefeld). It has received funds from the European Commission in order to organize four conferences...