  Nuclear structure and reaction theory are undergoing a major renaissance with
advances in many-body methods, strong interactions with greatly improved links
to Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the advent of high performance computing, and
improved computational algorithms. Predictive power, with well-quantified
uncertainty, is emerging from non-perturbative approaches along with the
potential for new discoveries such as predicting nuclear phenomena before they
are measured. We present an overview of some recent developments and discuss
challenges that lie ahead. Our focus is on explorations of alternative
truncation schemes in the harmonic oscillator basis, of which our
Japanese--United States collaborative work on the No-Core Monte-Carlo Shell
Model is an example. Collaborations with Professor Takaharu Otsuka and his
group have been instrumental in these developments.
