Message from the Chairperson of the Organising Committee
The 2020 Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry
Kenji Sakai, Chairman of the 2020 Annual Meeting Executive Committee
On behalf of the executive committee, I would like to notify you of the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBBA).
The JSBBA convenes these meetings annually to present the latest findings of a wide range of fundamental and applied studies in the fields of chemistry and biology by researchers in industry, academia, and the public sector, represented by the three keywords life, food, and environment. This year's meeting will be held in Fukuoka, for the four days from March 25 (Wednesday) to March 28 (Saturday), 2020.
On the first day, an awards ceremony and lecture will be held at Fukuoka International Congress Center, followed by an evening reception at Hotel Okura Fukuoka. The second day onward, a series of general lectures and an events symposium will be held simultaneously at the new Ito Campus of Kyushu University. A presentation of outstanding posters, (200 scheduled) selected from the general lectures by the program planning committee will also take place this year. We hope that this offers you an opportunity to showcase your research and to take part in in-depth discussion and the exchange of ideas.
Past events such as luncheon seminars and exhibitions of equipment, chemical reagents, and publications will be held this year as well to facilitate information gathering on the latest research equipment and industry development trends. Furthermore, the third annual "Agrochemical Enterprise Briefing" will be held on the third and fourth days. In addition, we hope to enrich this event by introducing a new option for people to interact in small groups at the booth venues with representatives of national companies, mainly from western Japan and Kyushu, in addition to the existing seminar format. I hope that this becomes an excellent forum for direct communication between student members and affiliated companies.
The 15th Junior Conference for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry will also take place on the second day at the exhibition hall, and we encourage our members to support the efforts put in by high school students. We are also planning to hold a "Gender Equality Luncheon Symposium" and an "Academic Exchange Committee Forum among Government, Industry and Academia" on the third day of the meeting. On the same day, the Academic Activities Committee will preside over two sessions of the "Transdisciplinary Joint Symposium."
The "Chemistry and Biology Symposium" is planned for the evening of the second day at Shiiki Hall, a landmark of Ito Campus. Talks on new chromogenes and the importance of genome editing as present-day applied technology will be delivered by three speakers such that they are accessible to an audience of high school students and members of the general public.
Similar to previous years, the "Frontier Symposium" designed for young researchers will commence on the last day of the meeting and go on for a period of two days. We look forward to young researchers' and students' active participation and exchanges at this venue.
This concludes a brief summary of the events scheduled to be held at the Fukuoka 2020 annual meeting.
Our executive committee members, from western Japan branches, are currently preparing for the event. This would not be possible without the support of various businesses and organizations. In addition to the assistance already received, we are still seeking support for areas such as the donation of beverages, equipment, and reagents; book exhibitions; luncheon seminars; enterprise briefings; and advertisements. I would like to request your further cooperation in making this event a success.
We have taken great care to make sure that the event is easily accessible. Fukuoka International Congress Center, the awards ceremony venue, is in close proximity to Hakata Station and Tenjin, two areas with plentiful accommodation facilities and restaurants. The main venue, Ito Campus, can be reached from Fukuoka Airport, taking the Kuko Line (bound for Nishikaratsu or Maebaru) for 30-40 minutes to Kyūdai-Gakkentoshi Station and then traveling another 15 minutes by bus. We are planning to arrange rental buses between Kyūdai-Gakkentoshi Station and Ito Campus to eliminate inconvenience. We ask that you stay in the city center close to the downtown area and make use of the subway and local buses as much as possible.
I hope that the lively discussions and exchanges at this event will not only contribute to the future development of bioscience, biotechnology, and agrochemistry but also prove fruitful for all who participate.
