Click here for a list of international symposia organised by the National Science Museum before 2006.
International Symposium “Where do we come from, and where are we going?" (October 9, 2023)
“Where do we come from, and where are we going?"––this fundamental question has been the subject of investigation from various angles by scientists. Why does our universe, our planet Earth, exist? How did life originate and evolve? Why were humans born, and how did our cultures and societies emerge? Scientists have been addressing these questions from their respective specialized perspectives.
In recent years, interdisciplinary efforts to contemplate “where we come from and where we are going” have garnered attention, integrating knowledge from diverse academic disciplines. When we synthesize insights from the natural sciences to the social sciences, what kind of narrative emerges about human existence? ––this topic is now fervently debated.
Scientific museums, too, have been engaged in the exploration of these questions by collecting and examining 'objects' that illustrate the cosmos, Earth, nature, life, and the history of humankind. Through careful selection and inventive presentation of these objects, museums continue to tell the story of 'Where do we come from, and where are we going?' from various perspectives, striving to comprehend and narrate the bigger picture.
In this symposium, hosted by a science museum, we will reexamine how we contemplate and communicate the question of “Where do we come from, and where are we going?” Scientists who study the universe, life, and humanity will share the current state of science surrounding these questions, and together, we will explore the significance of envisioning a grand narrative and the potential of storytelling especially via ‘objects.’ Our aim is to reflect human endeavor facing the fundamental questions and use it as a foundation to envision the future.
International Symposium “Where do we come from, and where are we going?"
*This symposium was part of the annual meeting of the Artefacts, an international consortium of historians of science and technology working in museums and academic institutions.
The Official Report of the meeting, ARTEFACTS XXVIII “Wide-Angle and Long-Range Views”, is available at the link below.
Official Report (PDF : 6.9MB)
Commemorative Symposium for the 35th International Prize for Biology "Biological sciences related to insect sociality and symbiosis" (November 30-December 1, 2019)
The International Prize for Biology was instituted in April of 1985 by the Committee on the International Prize for Biology. It aims to commemorate the sixty-year reign of Emperor Showa and his longtime devotion to biological research and also to offer tribute to His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who has strived over many years to advance the study taxonomy of gobioid fishes while contributing continuously to the developing of this Prize. The award ceremony is held every year.
This year’s Prize is awarded in the field of the Biology of Insects. The Committee decided to award the 35th (2019) International Prize for Biology to Dr. Naomi Ellen Pierce, Hessel Professor of Biology, Harvard University, USA, one of the world’s leading figures in entomological research. The main theme of Dr. Pierces research is the symbiotic relationships between insects and other organisms. Her research field includes evolution of interspecific symbiosis, coevolution of ants and gut bacteria, insect phylogeny and classification, molecular biology of insects, plants, and parasitic fungi, and molecular biology of insect society and visual perception, environmental problems, etc.
This symposium was orchestrated to commemorate Dr. Pierce's award. The theme of this symposium is "Biological sciences related to insect sociality and symbiosis". On the first day of the symposium, we have invited the world's leading researchers involved in this theme. In addition, a special lecture by Dr. Pierce will also be conducted. With the aim of promulgating research and its results in this field, lectures by leading Japanese researchers will be conducted in Japanese on the second day.
Submarine Volcanoes: Windows into Earth's Dynamic Interior (November 3-4, 2018)
Museums of Asia-Pacific region are now facing various problems. ICOM-Japan hosted the ICOM-ASPAC Conference in Japan in order to decide these problems, exchanging opinions and looking for the future directions among the representatives of ICOM-ASPAC members. We had 150 participants from more than 20 countries from Asia-Pacific region and from ICOM head office, and had active exchange of opinions on the basis of oral and poster presentations.This conference made a great contribution to the success of ICOM General Conference in Shanghai in 2010.
Submarine Volcanoes: Windows into Earth's Dynamic Interior
Plant Biodiversity Conservation in East and Southeast Asia (November 9-11, 2018)
*No English summary*
Plant Biodiversity Conservation in East and Southeast Asia
Fungi with Plants, Animals and Human beings (November 10-12, 2017)
Since fungi are unable to produce nutrition on their own, they engage in interrelationships with various organisms (animals and plants). Many of these relationships are directly related to human life, such as food and fermentation. The recent progress in natural history has expanded our knowledge of the phylogeny and evolution of fungi, and previously unexpected relationships between animals, plants, humans, and fungi have been uncovered. To share and disseminate these findings, we will convene an international symposium inviting leading researchers from overseas. In addition to this symposium (November 10-11, in English), there will be a presentation in Japanese on November 12 for the general public.
Fungi with Plants, Animals and Human beings
Museums' growth in partnership with audiences and other stakeholders (September 9-10, 2016)
On the first day of the symposium (9 September 2016), presentations were made based on specific examples from recent years on the various forms of communication that take place in museums and the exhibitions and learning support activities that facilitate them.
On the second day (10 September 2016), the results of trials of a system for knowing, nurturing and utilising the actual museum literacy of users, curators and museum management layers to bring about change in society and examples from abroad were reported and discussed from a number of perspectives.
Museums' growth in partnership with audiences and other stakeholders
'Museums in the Anthropocene ~Toward the History of Humankind within Biosphere & Technosphere~' International Symposium2016 (January 30, 2016)
The Anthropocene, also known as the “Age of Humankind”, is a term gaining currency to refer to the geological epoch of human activity that will leave a mark on the Earth observable after millions of years, and to a time when awareness of the human-environment relationship should be at the fore.
In this symposium, some experts from various fields will give talks about the Anthropocene from each perspective.
Human activity both influences and is influenced by the natural environment. To sustain human activity into the future, what should we do? At this point in time, we humans are searching for a means to coexist with nature. The symposium hopes to explore in depth this ongoing challenge.
'Museums in the Anthropocene ~Toward the History of Humankind within Biosphere & Technosphere~' International Symposium2016
The 30th International Symposium in conjunction with Award of the International Prize for Biology (December 2-3, 2014)
The 30th International Prize for Biology will be awarded to Dr. Peter Crane of Yale school of Forestry & Environmental states, USA. In his research on plant systematics and evolutionary history, Dr. Crane is the first in the world to integrate paleontological information with information from plants in the present world. Through this research method from a novel point of view and along with leading plant systematics research and analysis, his contribution in spreading knowledge about plant diversity and conservation among the general public has been highly regarded worldwide.
This symposium was orchestrated to commemorate Dr. Crane’s award and on the first day of the symposium, therefore, we have invited the world’s leading researchers involved in the classification and evolution of animals, plants, fungi and plant fossils to lecture on the diversity of living organisms in English. In addition, a special lecture by Dr. Crane will also be conducted wherein simultaneous interpretation will be available.
With the aim of promulgating biodiversity research and its results, lectures by leading Japanese researchers from a broad range of fields will be conducted in Japanese on the second day’s session.
We look forward to welcoming many participants on both days.
The 30th International Symposium in conjunction with Award of the International Prize for Biology
Systematics and Diversity of Fishes - International Symposium 2013 (July 6-7, 2013)
A symposium on “Systematics and Diversity of Fishes” was held at the National Museum of Nature and Science in 2008. Since that time the ichthyological community has provided notable advancements in the taxonomy, phylogeny, zoogeography, ecology, and conservation of fishes. As such, this museum believes it is an appropriate time to organize another symposium on the same theme. This symposium will be held in the Japan Gallery of the museum on 6 July 2013. Seven distinguished ichthyologists are invited to make presentations on various topics on the systematics and diversity of fishes (the abstracts of their papers are downloadable from this site). Symposium participants will be able to exchange information about their research and share their achievements in ichthyology. Students are encouraged to offer poster presentations in the symposium.
In the afternoon of the next day, 7 July, four talks on fishes will be given in Japanese to the general public in the same venue. Information on the speakers and abstracts of their talks are available from the Japanese website of the museum.
Systematics and Diversity of Fishes - International Symposium 2013
'Environmental Adaptation and Speciation of Plants and Fungi'International Symposium2012 (July 6-8, 2012)
Museums of Asia-Pacific region are now facing various problems. ICOM-Japan hosted the ICOM-ASPAC Conference in Japan in order to decide these problems, exchanging opinions and looking for the future directions among the representatives of ICOM-ASPAC members. We had 150 participants from more than 20 countries from Asia-Pacific region and from ICOM head office, and had active exchange of opinions on the basis of oral and poster presentations.This conference made a great contribution to the success of ICOM General Conference in Shanghai in 2010.
'Environmental Adaptation and Speciation of Plants and Fungi'International Symposium2012
Dual Symposia: Symposium on the Emergence and Diversity of Modern Human Behavior in Palaeolithic Asia & The 4th Annual Meeting of the Asian Palaeolithic Association (APA) (November 26 - December 1, 2011)
ICOM-ASPAC Conference in Tokyo 2009 (December 7-9, 2009)
Museums of Asia-Pacific region are now facing various problems. ICOM-Japan hosted the ICOM-ASPAC Conference in Japan in order to decide these problems, exchanging opinions and looking for the future directions among the representatives of ICOM-ASPAC members. We had 150 participants from more than 20 countries from Asia-Pacific region and from ICOM head office, and had active exchange of opinions on the basis of oral and poster presentations.This conference made a great contribution to the success of ICOM General Conference in Shanghai in 2010.
ICOM-ASPAC Conference in Tokyo 2009
The emerging field of Biodiversity Informatics II (December 10, 2007)
This symposium was organized jointly by the National Museum of Nature and Science, the National Institute of Genetics, and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as part of the Project to Establish a Comprehensive Verification System for Biodiversity Information, commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Click here to download the symposium pamphlet (PDF 6.7MB)
The Dynamics of Tropical Rainforests-Understanding the Earth's perennial rhythm (May 28, 2006)
This symposium was held in connection with an exhibition held in 2006, The Appeal and the Wonder of Tropical Rainforests.
The following academic conferences have been organized or supported by the Museum since FY2008.