The articles in this book are based on talks given at the international conference ""Lie algebras, vertex operator algebras and their applications"", in honor of James Lepowsky and Robert Wilson on their sixtieth birthdays, held in May of 2005 at North Carolina State University. Some of the papers in this volume give inspiring expositions on the development and status of their respective research areas. Others outline and explore the challenges as well as the future directions of research for the twenty-first century. The focus of the papers in this volume is mainly on Lie algebras, quantum groups, vertex operator algebras and their applications to number theory, combinatorics and conformal field theory. This book is useful for graduate students and researchers in mathematics and mathematical physics who want to be introduced to different areas of current research or explore the frontiers of research in the areas mentioned above.