Preface

The RIES-Hokudai International Symposium is the 19th event of a series that has been started in 1999 organized by the Research Institute for Electronic Science (RIES), Hokkaido University. This year, the 19th RIES-Hokudai International Symposium “組” [so] is organized together by the Dynamic Alliance for Open Innovation Bridging Human, Environment and Materials (Five-Star Alliance) consisting of the five national university institutes including RIES (Hokkaido University), Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (Tohoku University), Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science Institute of Innovative Research (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (Osaka University) and Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering (Kyushu University).

RIES is conducting a diverse range of interdisciplinary research and carries out several programs to encourage active interactions between researchers in different research fields. The annual International Symposium is one of the most important programs for this purpose. The objective of the symposium each year has been symbolized by a single "Kanji" (Chinese character). The “Kanji” in 2018 is the character “組” [so] which generally denotes "integration", "assembly", "combination", and "group". In order to dissolve various global-scale problems facing humanity today, it is important to combine the wisdom of people. We will discuss a variety of topics from the perspective of different disciplines including Photonics and Optical Sciences, Life Sciences, Materials and Molecular Sciences, and Mathematical and System Sciences to promote the integration of recent concepts from different scientific fields, as well as the creation of new research areas and technologies.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all participants including invited speakers for coming in Sapporo to present their papers. Especially, the attendances of young motivated researchers and students are highly encouraged. The symposium will provide you excellent opportunities for sharing ideas, stimulating discussions, and information exchange not only at conference rooms but also in hot springs!

We look forward to meeting you in Sapporo, Japan, on December 10-12, 2018!

Prof. Kuniharu Ijiro
Chair of the 19th RIES-Hokudai International Symposium