With the approval of the China Association for Science and Technology, and supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and the Beijing International Science and Technology Exchange Center, the 51st IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS 2024) and the 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Plasma and Terahertz Science (APCOPTS 2024) were grandly and convened at the Beijing International Convention Center from June 16 to 20, 2024. The conference attracted a total of 1081 experts and representatives from 32 countries and regions for academic exchange and discussion.

Opening Ceremony

On June 17, the opening ceremony of the conference was presided over by the conference chair, Prof. Tao Shao, who is the Chairman of the Plasma and their Applications Committee, China Electrotechnical Society and a researcher at the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The opening ceremony was also attended by Prof. Limin Jia, Vice President of the China Electrotechnical Society and Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University; Prof. Yaohua Li, Vice President of the China Electrotechnical Society and Director of the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Professor Chunqi Jiang, Vice-Chair of the IEEE-NPSS PSAC Committee, who each delivered addresses on behalf of organizing entities. Other distinguished guests present at the opening ceremony included Yi Han, Secretary-General of the China Electrotechnical Society; Lugang Guo, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology; Prof. John Verboncoeur, former Chair of the IEEE NPSS, 2023 IEEE Vice President for Technical Activities, and candidate for IEEE President and CEO; Dr. Steven Gold, Joint Chair of the IEEE NPSS Chapters and Local Activities Committee, and former Secretary of the IEEE NPSS PSAC Committee.

Session Highlights

The conference featured plenary sessions, parallel oral sessions, poster sessions, a women scientists forum, a youth scholars forum, a minicourse on fundamental topics, and exhibits from related fields.

In the plenary sessions, the conference invited Professor Jie Zhang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Professor John Jelonnek from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, Professor Ricky Lay Kee ANG from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Professor Julian Schulze from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, Professor Takayuki Watanabe from Kyushu University in Japan, Professor Svetlana Starikovskaia from École Polytechnique in France, Professor Peter Bruggeman from the University of Minnesota in the United States, Professor Chang Chao from Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Professor Weihua Jiang from Nagaoka University of Technology in Japan to share their academic achievements.

In addition to the academic achievement sharing sessions, the Women Scientists Forum held heated discussions on how to be a successful woman, how to help women overcome inequalities in the field of science and technology, how to maintain strong and stable emotions, and how to make regretless choices in uncertain situations.

The Youth Scholars Forum invited distinguished guests covering the entire career cycle of young scientific and technological workers. The research covered major applications of plasma and related fields, providing a full-scale exchange and discussion symposium on choices in life, career planning, cultural differences, and academic work differences for attending young researchers. These strengthened the relevant exchange and cooperation among young talents.

This conference received a total of 1216 abstracts from 32 countries and regions. After strict peer review by more than 500 experts, 1197 abstracts were accepted. A total of 578 authors gave oral presentations, and 619 papers were displayed as posters.

Closing Ceremony and Commendation

After evaluation by the conference's paper review committee, four outstanding student paper awards and four nomination awards were selected. At the closing ceremony, Professor Chunqi Jiang, Vice Chairman of the IEEE-NPSS PSAC Committee, presented Dr. Steven Gold, former Secretary of the IEEE NPSS PSAC, with the Outstanding Contribution Award, Professor Shao Tao, the Conference Chair, with the IEEE NPSS Special Contribution Award, and Professor Fu Yangyang from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University with the IEEE NSPP Early Achievement Award. She also expressed her deep appreciation to the volunteers from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, and the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on behalf of the organizing committee.

Summary

The IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS) was established in 1974 by the Plasma Science and Applications Committee of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society. It is one of the world's leading conferences in plasma physics, covering both traditional and cutting-edge exploratory research in plasma science. ICOPS 2024 is the third time that ICOPS has been held in Asia and the first time in China. The APCOPTS conference, technically supported by the IEEE NPSS and hosted by the IEEE NPSS Xi'an Chapter, is an international conference focusing on the intersection of plasma and terahertz science. These two conferences provided a comprehensive and multi-dimensional international academic exchange and cooperation platform for experts and scholars engaged in plasma and terahertz science and technology research. This platform aims to help attendees understand the latest advancements in plasma and terahertz science and technology, explore future research directions, strengthen top-level strategic design for the development of these disciplines, and promote international, regional cooperation and talent cultivation in this field. Let us look forward to ICOPS 2025, which will be held in Berlin, Germany.