This volume carries the same title as that of an international conference held at the National University of Singapore, 9–11 January 2006 on the occasion of Roger E. Howe's 60th birthday. Authored by leading members of the Lie theory community, these contributions, expanded from invited lectures given at the conference, are a fitting tribute to the originality, depth and influence of Howe's mathematical work. The range and diversity of the topics will appeal to a broad audience of research mathematicians and graduate students interested in symmetry and its profound applications.