The Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Molecular Science is the most important activity of our Society, which is an enterprise of researchers, educators, and intellectuals over 1,500 as well as 20 supporting companies who engage in various scientific fields involving molecules. Every year the local organizing committee at each meeting venue has taken up the active challenge of organizing a stimulating meeting. In recent years, we have been spending much efforts to organize the Meetings in an alternative way to protect against the vast spread of COVID-19 since early 2020. Although the 14th Meeting to be held in 2020 autumn had to be canceled, an online Meeting was launched emergently to keep the forum for student members to present their scientific achievements and activities. In 2021, the 15th Meeting was held as the first full online symposium by the efforts of the committee contributed from Hokkaido University and Muroran Institute of Technology. This year, the 16th Annual Meeting will be held also with great care for health and safety of attendees, owing to much efforts by the local committee from Keio University.
In recent years, more than 1,000 individuals, consisting of both society members and non-members, participate the Annual Meetings to present the latest research results and to have active discussion. At the exhibition booth area, participants can access to information about up-to-date technology related to molecular science, provided by the sponsors and other companies. A large number of young researchers and students investigating molecular science participate this Meeting. So this Meeting has been functioning as an important forum for fostering young researchers and developing human resources. In new area with online participation, such strengths of our Meeting still have been preserved and even more enhanced.
Molecular science is a discipline that pursues deep understanding of the structure, property, and reactivity of molecules. From molecules floating amidst stars in the universe to those integral for life on earth, molecular science unravels every possible phenomenon involving molecules, and contributes even to creation of new molecules, materials, and systems with functionalities so far unexplored. It is a key discipline that crosses boundaries between various academic fields of natural science, and our everyday life has deep roots in it. We would like to welcome you to join us at the 16th Annual meeting in 2022, where you will get firsthand knowledge of the forefront of molecular science.
March 2022
President of the Japan Society for Molecular Science
Yasuhiro Ohshima