Introduction to the Festschrift

International audienceThis Festschrift is a collection of invited research articles on the occasion of Pierre L'Ecuyer's 70th birthday in 2020. During the pandemic, a celebration with friends and colleagues was impossible. When discussing the opportunity to publish a Festschrift instead, support has been enthusiastic. We are grateful to the authors of this volume for their endorsement and their ready willingness to contribute. The works reflect Pierre's influence on the fields of stochastic modeling, simulation, and operations research. It is a real pleasure to present this Festschrift to honor Pierre L'Ecuyer