Dear members of the Zoological Society of Japan
The 94th Annual Meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan in Yamagata was held from Thursday, September 7 to Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Kojirakawa Campus of Yamagata University, amidst lingering intense summer heat. There were 824 conference attendees, 101 high school presentation participants, 587 participants in the Zoology Plaza, and 83 attendees at the public symposium. During the event, presentations included 5 headquarters-sponsored symposium lectures (Narishige Symposium), 88 public-application symposium lectures (17 sessions), 18 related meeting lectures (5 sessions), and 403 oral presentations. In addition, there were 63 research presentations by junior and senior high school students who participated from across the country, alongside 12 Zoology Plaza programs and 4 public symposium lectures. We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone for their enthusiastic participation and numerous presentations throughout the event.
The Yamagata Conference became the first conference held primarily in person, including the social gathering, since the spread of COVID-19 infections. Following the Waseda Conference, the executive committee had decided to use Zoom as an infection control measure and conduct presentations primarily in person. However, after COVID-19 was reclassified as a Category 5 infectious disease, they hesitated over the extent to which infection prevention measures should be implemented at the conference. Ultimately, based on the opinions of the Tohoku branch officers and the results of participant surveys regarding the format of the social gathering, they decided to hold the event in person, including the social gathering, while asking participants to take basic infection control measures.
At the Yamagata Conference, we utilized Zoom to enable online participation for members who had difficulty attending in person due to childcare, caregiving, or other reasons. Regarding the operation of Zoom, numerous equipment-related issues occurred in particular, causing inconvenience to many participants, including presenters and session chairs. I feel especially apologetic about this. On the other hand, a positive aspect of using Zoom was that, in addition to those who had requested online access in advance, 16 individuals who fell ill during the conference were able to participate and present online.
In addition to using Zoom, a new measure implemented at the Waseda conference—while maintaining the spirit of free admission for students—was charging a flat participation fee exclusively for students presenting their research. We hope you understand that this was primarily to set up and maintain the Zoom environment. The new general presentation category, "Emerging and Interdisciplinary Fields," was also maintained for the Yamagata conference. During the program creation process, we sensed some hesitation in selecting this field, as it lacks the detailed subcategories that serve as a reference in other traditional fields, unlike other fields. We hope that moving forward, more people will select this category freely and with a pioneering spirit, helping it grow into an interesting field. We were able to hold three corporate presentations. Including these, 21 companies sponsored the Yamagata conference. We would like to express our sincere gratitude once again. Also, thank you to the many conference participants who visited the corporate exhibition.
Following the Waseda conference, the high school student research presentations were held in person, drawing a large number of attendees. We heard comments from presenting high school students saying how much they enjoyed interacting with researchers face-to-face. Furthermore, high school students who came to present were frequently seen attending not only the "Zoology Plaza" and the public symposium, but also listening to presentations in the general oral presentation sessions. We hope that they will grow to become the future leaders of zoology.
Regarding the open-to-the-public event, we were initially concerned about whether many people would attend in Yamagata City, which has a population of 250,000. However, once it began, a far greater number of participants than expected crowded into the Zoology Plaza, to the extent that entry had to be restricted temporarily due to the overwhelming success. I would like to express my gratitude to the members who guided and introduced the exhibits without being able to take adequate breaks, and to the NPO Yamagata Dormouse Research Group, which single-handedly handled the planning and management. The open-to-the-public symposium also drew a larger-than-expected number of elementary, junior high, and high school students, as well as members of the general public. It was a tremendous success, featuring sharp questions from elementary school students even during the lectures, and finished well past the scheduled time. Partly because opportunities for in-person exhibition events and lectures had been scarce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event demonstrated the strong desire to "see and know" that is inherent in regional areas like Yamagata.
At the social gathering, guests enjoyed a standing buffet featuring Yamagata's famous imoni stew and local sake. Many likely felt that the Zoological Society's social gathering—where regular members and students gather in large numbers to share food and drinks while enjoying discussion and conversation—has finally returned. We are truly looking forward to being able to hold this lively gathering again at the next conference. Please note that, as an infection prevention measure, attendance at the social gathering was capped at 400 people, and we were hardly able to accept walk-in registrations on the day. We sincerely apologize to those who were unable to register.
The Yamagata Convention was made possible through the dedicated efforts and support of many individuals. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Terakita and the headquarters executive officers, as well as Secretariat members Ms. Yuko Sato and Ms. Yuko Nagai, who provided invaluable advice and assistance from the preparation stage through to the day of the event. Furthermore, despite the Tohoku Branch having a small membership, all branch officers and members in the Yamagata area stepped up to take on various responsibilities. During the conference, in addition to the branch officers and Yamagata area members, two non-members also assisted us. We kindly ask for your understanding regarding any shortcomings or areas where things may have fallen short due to operating with a small team. For the high school student research presentations, four members affiliated with high schools in Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures participated from the planning stage. We are also grateful to Yamagata University for providing the venue and supporting our facility needs. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone involved in making this convention a success.
The 94th Yamagata Annual Meeting was held basically as usual, just like the annual meetings the Zoological Society of Japan had continued to hold before the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, I believe it was a conference where we reaffirmed in various settings the momentum that face-to-face academic meetings possess, which had begun to fade amidst the pandemic response. Momentum is important in research. Carrying this momentum forward, I look forward to seeing you all again at the next Nagasaki Annual Meeting.
The 94th Annual Meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan, Yamagata, Chair of the Organizing Committee, Akihiko Watanabe (Faculty of Science, Yamagata University)
