After a year-long hiatus, the "Pacific Neighborhood Consortium 2023 Annual Conference and Joint Meetings" (PNC 2023) will be grandly held at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan on November 3^rd. The conference particularly invited Mamoru Akamine, a historian specializing in Ryukyuan history, Kwang-Tsao Shao, the Taiwan Marine Ecologist, and Hong-Yuan Mark Liao, the Taiwan Computer Scientist presenting three keynote speeches.

PNC 2023 is hosted by the Department of Ryukyuan and Asian Studies at the University of the Ryukyus and the Pacific Neighborhood Consortium (PNC), co-hosted by Academia Sinica, Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI), and the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. This year's conference's main theme is " Sea Change: Renewal, Reform and Resolve in Global Arts, Sciences, and Business," aims to gather experts and scholars around the world to explore significant transformation and innovative reforms in fields such as spaces and places, cultural memory technologies, education, business, science, health, and wellness in the post-pandemic era.

The expectional keynote speeches will be delivered by three top international scholars. Mamoru Akamine, Professor of the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies at the Meio University, is an expert in the history of relations between China and the Ryukyu Kingdom. He has been dedicated to compiling "Rekidai Hōan," the diplomatic documents of the Ryukyu Kingdom for over 30 years. His research encompasses topics such as the Ryukyu Kingdom's territorial disputes and the movement restoration, making significant contributions to the reconstruction of ancient Ryukyuan history. Due to serious damage to Ryukyuan cultural artifacts and historical records during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II, Mamoru Akamine will present his proposal for the "Integrated Search System of Ryukyu Kingdom Historical Information", showing his determination to consolidate dispersed historical information on the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Overfishing, climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution are causing changes in our oceans, impacting marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and overall ocean health. Kwang-Tsao Shao, Emeritus Research Fellow of the Biodiversity Research Center at Academia Sinica, is internationally renowned for his expertise in fish systematics, ecology, and evolution, leading the way in marine biology research in Taiwan. With over 40 years of dedication to marine conservation, he will deliver a keynote speech entitled "Tides of Change: International Trends in Marine Conservation and Challenges in Taiwan," providing strategies and solutions in innovative technologies, scientific research, legislation, and sustainable practices to these challenges.

Hong-Yuan Mark Liao, Distinguished Research Fellow and Director of the Institute of Information Science at Academia Sinica, has long been involved in research areas such as multimedia information processing, content-based multimedia retrieval, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). His team released the world's fastest and most accurate Real-time Object Detection Model, YOLOv4 (You Only Look Once version 4), in 2020, creating a global sensation. In 2022, they introduced YOLOv7, which once again surpassing all other state-of-the-art object detection models at the time. Hong-Yuan Mark Liao will reveal the key factors behind Taiwan's leading position in the field of real-time object detection over the past three years in his keynote speech entitled "The Development Process from YOLOv4 to YOLOv7."

In order to promote the research and publication achievements of Academia Sinica, during the conference, there will be exhibitions of over 60 recent internal publications, 7 digital publication displays, and presentations of 14 digital humanities research projects. The abundance of publications from Academia Sinica, coupled with the establishment of Academia Sinica Press in this year, has led to numerous overseas exhibitions and garnered significant response. This time, there will be a display of over 100 publications from recent years, allowing a glimpse into the profound research accumulation of Academia Sinica. Additionally, the opportunities brought about by the pandemic have led to a substantial increase in online digital publication displays. Exhibits like the " Academia Sinica Publications Integration Platform" and " Reflections on COVID-19" will also be showcased on-site. Furthermore, the 14 digital humanities research projects from ASCDC, such as the " The Institute of History and Philology's Project to Digitally Innovate Academic Settings" and the " The Program for Geographical Information Value-Added Processing and Development of Map AI," will use digital formats like online exhibitions, digital posters, and videos through Open Museum to present this year's research accomplishments. Through this exhibition, the long-established Open Museum in Taiwan will step onto the international stage, expanding its overseas reputation.

PNC 2023 Keynote Sessions

Topic:Concept Plan for an Integrated Search System of Ryukyu Kingdom Historical Information

Date: November 3, 2023

Speaker: Mamoru Akamine

Professor, Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Meio University

Topic: Tides for Changing: Global Trends in Marine Conservation & Challenges in Taiwan

Date: November 4, 2023

Speaker: Kwang-Tsao Shao

Emeritus Research Fellow, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica

Chair Professor, Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University

Chair Professor, National Sun Yat-Sen University

Topic: From YOLOv4 to YOLOv7

Date:November 5, 2023

Speaker: Hong-Yuan Mark Liao

Distinguished Research Fellow and Director, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica

Spanning three days, PNC 2023 will feature not only keynote speeches but also paper presentations, ECAI workshop, as well as exciting exhibitions showcasing the achievements of the Academia Sinica's publications and digital humanities research projects."

Pacific Neighborhood Consortium 2023 Annual Conference and Joint Meetings (PNC 2023)

Topic: Sea Change: Renewal, Reform and Resolve in Global Arts, Sciences, and Business

Date: November 3-5, 2023

Venue: University of the Ryukyus

Host: University of the Ryukyus (Department of Ryukyuan and Asian Studies), Japan

Pacific Neighborhood Consortium (PNC)

Co-hosts: Academia Sinica

Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI)

Ministry of Education, Taiwan

Co-sponsors: Kume Soseikai

Okinawa Gen-uji Gakakai

Sai-uji Monchukai

Kume Kokuteikai

Kume Ryo-uji Gokokai

Technical Sponsor: IEEE Fukuoka Section 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Conference Website: https://sites.google.com/view/pnc2023