Introduction

ITB and University of Twente have enjoyed a very fruitful collaboration during the the nineties and early 2000. Many students from Indonesia, and indeed most of them from ITB, obtained their master's degree in Applied Mathematics. The majority obtained their MSc degree with specialisation in Systems and Control. Several also obtained their PhD degree in Twente.
To renew and to strengthen the collaboration, ITB and the Systems and Control group in Twente took up the idea to organize a master course in Systems and Control at ITB.
One of the main motivations is the new MSc curriculum in Systems and Control, a joint effort of the Departments of Applied Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering in Twente and similar departments in Delft and Eindhoven. The course at ITB offers a unique opportunity for students in Systems and Control to learn about the modern developments in the field and about the MSc program in Systems and Control. For talented and motivated students the MSc program can be combined with a PhD program.

The course ensures a thorough introduction to the mathematical theory of Systems and Control. It is based on a natural and general view on what a dynamical system is. This view opens up the application of system theoretic concepts to a broad class of dynamical systems such as discrete event systems, timed automata, hybrid automata etc. It also provides a firm basis for further studies in more advanced subjects such as optimal control, robust control and H-infinity control. Although the course is mathematically inclined, mathematics is not a goal in itself. The mathematical theory of Systems and Control is motivated and driven by concrete problems arising in real world applications.