First Call for Papers

The Asia-PacificInterdisciplinary ResearchConference 2012
http://www.apirc.jp

アジア太平洋異分野融合研究国際会議
360 degree outlook on
critical scientific andtechnological challenges
for a sustainable society

NOV 15-16th 2012

Irago Sea-Park & Spa Hotel
Tahara, Aichi, Japan

Core sessions:•Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment
AICHI•Medicine, Medical Diagnostics, and Public Health/Welfare•Disaster Prevention and Management•Advances in Science, Technology and Life Science
IRAGO
Special session:
Sea-Park&Spa Hotel•Energy Minimization of Future Mobile SystemsPublication:
Toyohashi Tech
•Refereed papers published in IOP Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS)
Keynote lecture (tentative):•Sakae Tanaka (AQUABIT Corporation, Japan)“Future prospect 2012-2025 -How will the World and our business change in future-”
Invited speakers (tentative):•Robert Geller (University of Tokyo, Japan)“Limitations of predicting earthquakes and the myth of safety at Fukushima”•Yoshimitsu Okada（National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Japan）“Recent progress of seismic observation networks in Japan”•Uracha Ruktanonchai（NanoDelivery System Lab, NANOTEC, Thailand）“Nanotechnology for natural disaster mitigation”•Susumu Sakata (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan)“Microbial methanogenesis as the process of methane hydrate formation”•Seiichi Takenoshita (Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan)“Turning a tragedy into a miracle -Fukushima Medical University version for revitalization-”
Organizer: Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary
Deadlines:
Research Insitute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University•Abstract: August 31, 2012of Technology•Acceptance Notice: September 20, 2012
•Manuscript: November 10, 2012
Chairman: Yoshiyuki Sakaki (President, Toyohashi Tech)

The first Asia-Pacific Interdisciplinary Research Conference 2011 (AP-IRC 2011) was held at Toyohashi
University of Technology (Toyohashi Tech) on 17–18 November 2011. The conference is a forum forenhancing mutual understanding between scientists, engineers, policymakers, and experts from a wide
spectrum of pure and applied sciences to resolve the daunting global issues facing mankind.
This inaugural gathering attracted 180 participants including delegates from Germany, India, Indonesia,Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Sweden, the UK and the US. The AP-IRC 2011 was chaired by Dr Yoshiyuki Sakaki,
the president of Toyohashi Tech, who opened the proceedings by stressing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to research to resolve global scientific and technical issues. And, recalling his own
experience as the leader of Japan's efforts in the Human Genome Project, Sakaki encouraged participants to make an effort to try to understand the sometimes difficult concepts and terminology of otherareas of research.
Highlights of AP-IRC 2011 included a first-hand account of the damage caused by the massive earthquake in March 2011 to experimental facilities at Tohoku University by Masayoshi Esashi; the fascinatingworld of bees and the inborn numerical competence of humans and animals, by Hans J Gross; researchon robots and cognition-enabled technical systems at Technische Universität München by SandraHirche; the history of events leading to the invention of the world's strongest NdFeB magnet by Masato
Sagawa; novel method for the synthesis of graphene using bacteria extracted from a riverside near Toyohashi Tech campus; and Hideomi Koinuma described ambitious plans on harvesting energy by laying
massive numbers of solar cells in North Africa as part of the "Sahara Solar Breeder (SSB) Plan" for global
clean energy superhighway.
In addition to the technical sessions, the conference banquet included a short session during which theinvited speakers described notable trends in research and policy in their part of the world. The shortspeeches led to animated discussion between the delegates, especially young scientists and graduate
students, who were able to talk directly with veteran researchers for a first-hand view of the issues raised
during the day's presentations. Refereed papers will be published in the Journal of Physics Conference
Series.