QUERY Please Capitalize System Dynamics (SD6328)

[SDMAIL Melhuish, James (US SSA)]

Posted by  "Melhuish, James \(US SSA\)" <james.melhuish at baesystems.com>

As we near the 50th anniversary of the field of System Dynamics (or is
it the methodology of...?), I would like people to consider writing
system dynamics with initial capitals: System Dynamics.

I believe this is important as we write papers and publish our work,
both in our field and outside of it.  Consider sentences such as:

1) The behavior of this dynamic system was hard to control.
2) The vehicle system dynamics were unstable during cornering.
3) Jay Forrester invented system dynamics in the 1950s.

The third sentence doesn't work for me. "system dynamics" have been
around for a lot longer than humans have existed, whereas System
Dynamics has been around only since 1956.

See an example from a different field: 
http://iol-a.informs.org/site/OperationsResearch/

"The mission of Operations Research is to serve the entire Operations
Research (OR) community..."

Thoughts anyone?

James

----------------------------------------------
James Melhuish
Lead Research Scientist
BAE Systems, Advanced Information Technologies
6 New England Executive Park
Burlington, MA 01803
Posted by  "Melhuish, James \(US SSA\)" <james.melhuish at baesystems.com>
posting date  Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:25:28 -0400