Welcome Address

Message from the IBS President and the IBC 2012 Organizing President

It is with great pleasure that we welcome all delegates, their families and friends to the XXVIth International Biometric Conference (IBC 2012) being hosted by the Japanese Region in Kobe.  It is nearly thirty years since they hosted the one previous IBC held in Japan in Tokyo in 1984.

Toshiro Tango and his Local Organising Committee (LOC) have done a wonderful job in providing a socially and scientifically inviting program at an outstanding venue.  The Kobe International Convention Centre provides excellent spaces for formal meetings/scientific sessions and informal conversations/networking activities which are an essential part of every IBC.  The task of the LOC was made particularly difficult after the natural disaster which stuck northern Japan in early 2011.  The Japanese Region very much appreciated the concern shown by members from around the world for their welfare under incredibly difficult conditions.  The national recovery effort has been immense in both size and duration, so delegates are encouraged to visit other parts of Japan to show their support for these courageous people.

Christine McLaren and her International Program Committee (IPC) have contributed to the scientific program by selecting 14 invited sessions which are spread throughout the week.  We have also scheduled Biometrics and JABES Showcases, a Young Statisticians Showcase, a Special Invited Session from the ISI, and many sessions containing contributed talks.  The end result is that members will have much choice in selecting talks and/or posters of interest to them.  This is over and above Sunday’s workshops which were organised by the Education Committee.

In addition to the above, we are grateful to the continued support of our Executive Director Dee Ann Walker and her colleagues at the IBS International Business Office in overseeing the submission of abstracts and helping us to manage the society is much appreciated.  

We are looking forward to renewing international friendships and professional contacts and making new ones during the next week.  Hopefully, many of you will also join us in Florence Italy for the XXVIIth International Biometric Conference in 2014.

We wish you all an enjoyable and productive time.

Message from the Chair of the International Programme Committee

Welcome to the XXVIth International Biometric Conference, the biennial meeting of the International Biometric Society. The scientific program consists of 14 invited sessions, five special sessions, and over 40 contributed oral sessions. In addition, four short courses will be offered and scientific posters will be on display throughout the conference.

We thank the International Business office, the organizing President, Kaye Basford, and the President, Clarice Demetrio. In particular we would like to thank Yutaka Matsuyama, who worked with us to build the scientific program, and the Local Organizing Committee, who assumed responsibility for the final program schedule and local infrastructure arrangements, under the leadership of Toshiro Tango.

The meeting will be held at the Kobe International Conference Center. Kobe, located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, is known as an attractive and cosmopolitan port city. We are grateful to our hosts, the Biometric Society of Japan and the Japanese Region of the IBS, for arranging this excellent venue that promises to encourage scientific, social, and cultural interchanges among our diverse membership.

We welcome you to the meeting.

Message from the chair of the Local Organizing Committee

We are pleased to announce that the XXVIth IBC is to be held in Kobe, Japan as scheduled. After the unprecedented earthquake and tsunami followed by the nuclear plant accident in Fukushima, we have received many sincere condolences for Japanese people. First of all, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you. We have received comments from colleagues overseas who are concerned about the safety of holding the Conference in Japan. However, Kobe is located more than 600 kilometers away from the affected area and so all is well and everything is functioning properly.

The first IBC to take place in Asia was held in Tokyo in 1984 and the prosperity of this field has indeed been conspicuous since that event. We are confident that the XXVIth IBC will witness the passing of the baton from our illustrious predecessors to the next generation of researchers who will further advance our understanding of biometrics and extend their applications in related fields. As always, it will bring together participants from all over the world working in academic institutions, government agencies, and industry to exchange ideas on the latest advances in biometry, biostatistics and bioinformatics. It will also be an occasion to meet old and new friends, and the chance to visit historical cities such as Kobe, Kyoto and Nara.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you all in Kobe!