Symposia1st AESEA
The 1st Joint Meeting and Symposium of Aquatic Entomologists’
Societies in East Asia
(1st AESEA)
17-20 May 2000, Chiaksan, Republic of Korea
“21st Century and Aquatic Entomology in East Asia”
Introduction
A group of Korean aquatic entomologists visited Matsumoto in Japan in September 1998, and attended the annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Aquatic Entomology. There in Matsumoto, aquatic entomologists of the two countries exchanged ideas on various aspects of aquatic insects, and agreed to open a joint international meeting of the Societies of Aquatic Entomology, beginning the 1st meeting in Korea in 2000 followed by the 2nd meeting in Japan in 2002.
In July 1999, members of the Chinese Society of Aquatic Entomology also expressed their wishes to join this international meeting and proposed to host the 3rd meeting in China in 2004. As this meeting grows, aquatic entomologists throughout East Asian countries such as Russia, Mongolia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam also intended to attend the meeting. This is how "The Joint Meeting of Aquatic Entomologists in East Asia (AESEA Meeting)" was born in such a short time period. This timely opening of the AESEA Meeting well reflects the fast growing interests in aquatic entomology in East Asia, and would certainly contribute to mutual understanding among aquatic entomologists in this region.
Based on such a big interest and support, the 1st AESEA Meeting was successfully opened in Chiaksan, Korea, during May 17-20 in 2000. Sixty-one aquatic entomologists from nine countries (see Photo for attendants) attended; six invited lectures were addressed; and fifty-two scientific papers were presented (see Program and Abstracts of the 1st AESEA Meeting). In addition to the scientific communications, the attendants took a field trip to Chiaksan National Park and enjoyed post-meeting activities of tours to Korean Folk Village, Korea House (traditional performance), and Seoul City. More fruitful things we earned at the meeting would be deepening our friendship and enlightening our future plan. At the Discussion session of the meeting, we agreed that the AESEA Meeting should be held every two years (the 2nd and 3rd meetings as scheduled) and the Proceedings should be published by the host countries. (For more detailed information on the meeting, see Newsletter of the Korean Society of Aquatic Entomology, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2000; Japanese Journal of Limnology, Vol. 61. pp. 279-282, 2000).
The following individuals and authorities particularly contributed to the successful hosting of the 1st AESEA Meeting. Advisory committee: Dr. I. B. Yoon, Dr. T. Kawai, and Dr. H. Gui. Preparation committee: Dr. T. S. Chon (Chairman), Dr. I. B. Yoon, Dr. S. K. Baek, Dr. J. U. Lee, Dr. K. S. Bae, Dr. Y. G. Cho, Dr. K. Chung, Dr. Y. J. Bae, Dr. J. E. Lee, and Dr. K. J. Ahn. Organizing staff: Dr. Y. J. Bae (General secretary), Mr. Y. H. Jin (Program and abstracts), Ms. J. M. Hwang (Schedule arrangement), Dr. S. A. Ham (Field trip and tour), and Ms. S. R. Kim and Ms. E. Y. Baek (Preparation assistant and guide). Scholarships from various sources were provided for young students and researchers. Dr. John Morse of Clemson University (USA), although non-East Asian, devoted much of his time to stimulating the formation of this meeting (see Invited lecture, this volume). Anonymous referees reviewed the scientific papers submitted for the Proceedings. Korea Science and Engineering Foundation financially supported the publication of the Proceedings (KOSEF R01-2001-000-00086-0).
As we declared at the meeting in Chiaksan, the AESEA Meeting is open to any aquatic entomologists, "to professionals and amateurs," or "to students and the employed," as long as he or she is fond of aquatic insects. We believe that this "informal" meeting continues and contributes not only to the development of aquatic entomological studies but also to better communication among aquatic entomologists in East Asia.
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