This is an article reproduced from the tournament website.
Original article:https://www.zoology.or.jp/annual-meeting/2/summary/
October 11, 2019
Dear Members of the Zoological Society of Japan
The 90th Annual Meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan was held from Thursday, September 12 to Saturday, September 14, 2019, at the Sugimoto Campus of Osaka City University. According to investigations by the society secretariat and responsible departments, there were 839 conference participants (including 64 undergraduate students), 203 junior and senior high school presenters, 450 participants in the Zoology Plaza, and 120 participants in the public lecture. At the conference, presentations were given in the following categories: 4 presentations for the headquarters-organized symposium, 6 presentations for the International Exchange Symposium in Zoology (Narishige Symposium), 112 presentations (23 sessions) for open-call symposia, 9 presentations (4 sessions) for related meetings, and 446 oral presentations. In addition, poster presentations by elementary, junior high, and high school students took place, with 66 presentations (3 from elementary schools, 7 from junior high schools, and 56 from high schools nationwide). We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone for their large turnout and numerous presentations. At the press conference the day before the conference, an overview of the society and the conference was presented to five media companies.
The Osaka Conference was held exclusively on the university campus, excluding the social gathering. We sincerely apologize for the numerous shortcomings, such as the conference registration desk being difficult to locate, and the malfunction of the fire alarm on the final day, which caused a great deal of inconvenience to the speakers, session chairs, and all participants. On the other hand, regarding the social gathering, although there may have been a bit too many carbohydrates, we are generally relieved that both food and drinks were served continuously until the closing.
At the Osaka meeting, all general presentations were given as oral presentations. Because the desks in many classrooms are fixed and cannot be removed from the rooms, it was difficult to secure a poster venue, so poster sessions were not held. We received feedback stating that it would have been nice to have poster sessions as well, but we would appreciate your understanding of the circumstances. In any case, while the format for general presentations is decided by the organizing committee for each meeting, what constitutes a preferable presentation format (the ratio of oral to poster presentations?) for the Zoological Society annual meeting is a difficult question. Conducting discussions or surveys within the society might help clarify the presentation format desired by the members.
Preparation and on-site management for this conference were centered around a total of 20 individuals (19 executive committee members and 1 advisor): 5 members affiliated with Osaka City University and 14 members affiliated with other universities in the Kinki branch (4 from Kyoto University, 3 from Nara Women's University, 1 from Nara Medical University, 3 from Osaka University, 2 from Konan University, 1 from University of Hyogo, and 1 from RIKEN). We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the executive committee members and advisors. We also wish to thank the headquarters of the academic society for their support, as well as the specially appointed faculty members of Osaka City University who cooperated with the preparation and management. Furthermore, we sincerely thank everyone who supported the conference, including the student workers, the administrative and secretarial staff of Osaka City University, and the staff at the banquet venue, Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude once again to everyone who participated in the Osaka tournament. Next year's tournament will be held in Yonago City, with member Nobuomi Tsurusaki (Tottori University) serving as the tournament executive committee chair. We look forward to seeing you all again in Yonago.
Akihisa Terakita (Osaka City University), Chair of the Executive Committee for the 90th Osaka Tournament
