This year’s Q-AOS Symposium will present a look at “resource recycling” across a two-day online/hybrid program that brings together speakers from Japan and abroad to present exciting topics across science and technology, biology, humanities and social sciences, and other multidisciplinary fields. This symposium is part of our efforts toward realizing a decarbonized society and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to protect the future of our planet. Through discussions and insights that transcend disciplinary boundaries, we expect to better understand the characteristics of how resources circulate throughout Asia and Oceania, share an awareness of the issues, and identify new areas of academic inquiry.

The first day will feature two keynote speeches aimed at carbon negativity—one on metal recycling and the other on biomass circulation—followed by a general discussion on short presentations facilitated by five experts in different fields. On the second day, guest speakers will deliver lectures that address both pressing issues that include plastic and lithium-ion battery recycling as well as visionary themes like exploring extraterrestrial resources. We have also planned three parallel group sessions to allow attendees to learn about the latest activities at Q-AOS. These hybrid sessions will feature lectures from new members of each cluster and look at topics that include the historical role of iron as a metal resource in the growth of modern nations.

After years of online interaction, we hope this symposium will mark an end to the lingering COVID pandemic and serve as a hybrid forum that offers new opportunities for international academic exchange and genuine discourse.