It has globally been recognized that the innovation and new materials development are the complementary to each other and together constitute the key for future scientific and technological progresses. In order to achieve a sustainable society and life, and to solve the critical issues that the humankind is currently facing, such as environment and energy problems, with their multiple facets and interwoven elements, the developments of new materials and advanced technologies are of crucial importance.
For this kind of research and development of new materials, it is vital to discard the conventional classification of material species among metals, organic and inorganic materials, or structural and functional materials, in accordance with various industries, such as industries of chemicals, steels, machines, foods, medicals, transports, information technology, etc. and to take interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary approaches in cooperation with experts of diverse materials science and engineering fields.
According to the understandings above, the MRS-Japan (Materials Research Society of Japan) was founded in March 1989, based on the premises with interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary stances, after holding MRS International Conference on Advanced Materials at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro in May 1988. The first name of the academic society was Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Society, which was modified in 1990 to Materials Research Society of Japan. Concurrently, the IUMRS (International Union of Materials Research Societies) launched in 1989 together with the adhering bodies of MRS over the world. The MRS-Japan is one of the founders of the IUMRS. The main activities of the IUMRS is to organize the series of international conferences, that is, biennial IUMRS-ICAM (Int’l Conf. on Advanced Materials) and IUMRS-ICEM (Int’l Conf. on Electronic Materials) and annual IUMRS-ICA (Int’l Conf. in Asia) and other symposia.
Since its establishment and in cooperation with related organizations, MRS-J has organized IUMRS-ICAM1993 (Ikebukuro, August 1993), IUMRS-ICA97 (Makuhari, September 1997), MRS-J 10th Anniversary symposium (Tokyo, July 1999), IUMRS-ICAM2003 (Yokohama, October 2003), IUMRS-ICA2008 (Nagoya, December 2008) and MRS-J 20th anniversary symposium over the past several years.
Last year, the IUMRS-ICEM2012 was held in Yokohama in September of 2012 and more than 1800 people from 36 countries participated in. Next year, IUMRS-ICA2014 is scheduled to be held in Fukuoka from 24 to 30 August 2014 and we are expecting 1600 participants from around the world.
On the other hand, the MRS-Japan Annual Meetings have annually been held mostly in December. The recent main theme of the academic symposia has focused on the materials innovation for sustainable energy and environment, and the topical research achievements have been updated across the interdisciplinary fields, including several international sessions.
As for the memorial events, the MRS-Japan celebrated its 10th anniversary of establishment at Ishigaki Memorial Hall in Tokyo, September 17, 1999. This memorial event featured seven major lectures covered by various fields from science and technology. The details can be referred to the MRS-J News issued at that time. Since then, another decade has past with the steady progresses of MRS activities.
The MRS-Japan 20th Anniversary Symposium was successfully held on December 6, 2009 at Yokohama Media & Information Center. This symposium was organized by MRS-Japan to commemorate its 20th Anniversary, discussing on "Materials for 21st Century" as the main theme. The commemorative ceremony began with MRS-J Present's opening remarks followed by congratulatory addresses by the past presidents of MRS-J, Prof. M. Doyama, Prof. R. Yamamoto and Vice President Dr. S. Sawai. The special lectures by the invited speakers were entitled "MRS-J: A Leading Society for the Promotion of Global Materials Research" by Prof. Robert P.H. Chang (Northwestern Univ.), "Materials for New Generation Aircrafts & Propulsion" by Prof. Yafang Han (C-MRS, BIAM), "Computational Study on the Phase and Structural Stability of Ag-based Nanoclusters and its Catalytic Applications" by Dr. Hyuck Mo Lee (KAIST), "Solid State Lighting: Current Status and the Impact of the Technology on the Reduction in Energy Utilization and Environmental Pollution" by Prof. Robert F. Davis (Carnegie Mellon Univ.) and "Microstructural Evolution in Polycrystalline Materials with Control of the Interface Structure" by Prof. Suk-Joong L. Kang (KAIST). The invited poster session gathered over 50 papers by active MRS-J members, followed by the celebration party.
The MRS-Japan registered as ‘General Incorporated Associations’ and regenerated its headquarters in April 1, 2013. Now, the newly launched MRS-Japan keeps advancing and making headway toward a success of the upcoming IUMRS-ICA2014 held at Fukuoka on August 24 through 30, 2014. The ICA2014 expects a wide range of topics of contemporary importance for science, engineering and technology of materials will be highlighted and provide materials scientists with the opportunity to tackle the global issues.
The MRS-Japan activities can be achieved only by the active participation and voluntary contribution of many people from various fields. Your everlasting supports would be greatly appreciated.
Atsushi SUZUKI, President of MRS-Japan