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As part of our ISDE 40th Anniversary celebration, you’ll read in upcoming months about each of the ISDE Congresses. This article summarizes the 15th and 16th ISDE World Congresses.

The 15th ISDE World Congress was held in Singapore in 2016 (Figure 1) in close conjunction with the Formula 1 autoracing competition (Figure 2). This overlap in events attracted a number of registrants who came for the F-1 race and stayed for the Congress. This was the ISDE’s first meeting in East Asia outside of Japan, and was hailed as a big success. The Congress was presided over by the ISDE President, Prof. Ken Wang (Figure 3). The city provided a very relaxed multicultural experience, as exemplified by the Congress Dinner venue in the Singapore Gardens (Figure 4). Casual exploration of the wide variety of foods and cultures was a frequent pastime of attendees (Figures 5A, 5B).

The 16th ISDE World Congress took place in Vienna, Austria, in September 2018, with a notable opening ceremony featuring local classical music and dancing (Figure 6), and the venue was the University of Vienna (Figure 7), a venerated institution famous for graduates such as Freud, Mahler, Gödel, Paracelsus, and Schrödinger. The ISDE President was Professor Yuko Kitagawa (Figure 8). The attendance was the largest recorded for an ISDE World Congress (Figure 9), the scientific program was diverse and interesting, and the weather was excellent, permitting outdoor display of the scientific posters (Figure 10). The venue for the gala dinner featured the spectacular Vienna City Hall (Figure 11).

Figure 1. Singapore skyline.

Figure 2. Formula 1 race in Singapore in 2016.

Figure 3. ISDE President, Prof. Ken Wang, opening the 15th World Congress.

Figure 4. Singapore Gardens.

Figures 5A and 5B. Trying out ethnic cuisine, including Singapore chili crab.

Figure 6. Opening ceremony for the 16th World Congress in Vienna, Austria.

Figure 7. University of Vienna, site of the 16th World Congress.

Figure 8. Professor Kitagawa, ISDE President during the 16th World Congress.

Figure 9. Networking during the 16th World Congress.

Figure 10. Poster viewing during the 16th World Congress.

Figure 11. The gala dinner in Vienna City Hall.