Prof. Jun Dong was invited to attend the 8th Asia Pacific Laser Symposium (APLS 2012) held on May 27-30, 2012 in Huangshan City, Anhui, China. The purpose of APLS 2012 is to provide a forum to review the most important developments in the field of laser and its applications, to exchange the update technical information in laser research, to promote laser applications in advanced science and industry, and to grasp the potential collaboration opportunities. APLS 2012 aims at bringing together of Asia-Pacific scientists and engineers working on laser science and technology. It covers a wide scope of laser science, technology, its applications and even others related to lasers. Prof. Jun Dong gave a talk on “Highly efficient passively Q-switched lasers based on Yb:YAG/Cr4+:YAG composite crystals” and as the president of session “High-power/Novel Laser, Amplifier and System”.