The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Tokyo Office periodically receives and disseminates reports on research developments in Japan that are related to the Foundation's mission. NSF-sponsored researchers currently working in Japan prepare many of these reports. These reports present information for use by NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy.
The following report was prepared by Edward Murdy and Masanobu Miyahara of the NSF Tokyo Office. They visited the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on September 30, 1998. Murdy and Miyahara may be reached via email at: nsftokyo@twics.com
Profile of the Institute:
Opened in October, 1990, the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) is Japan's first national university established as an independent school of graduate studies that carries out high-level basic research involving various fields of advanced technology. At the same time, it has educational and research functions including the organized training and re-training of advanced researchers as well as technicians and other specialists. The sister school of JAIST is the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST). A report on NAIST was prepared in February of 1998 and can be found at: http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/ssr98-05.html.
JAIST offers graduate programs in Information Science, Materials Science, and Knowledge Science that lead to master's and doctoral degrees. The schools of information Science and Materials Science each have 17 chairs (a chair comprises one professor, one associate professor and two research associates) and three visiting chairs, and the school of Knowledge Science expects to eventually have 12 chairs.
The Institute's newest school, the School of Knowledge Science, was established in May 1996. It admitted its first students to the Master's program in April, 1998, and plans to allow admission to the doctoral program in April, 2000. The School of Knowledge Science aims to establish knowledge science as a new initiative applying the spirit of systems science to the integration, generation, utilization, and synthesis of new and existing knowledge that resides in individuals and societies. The School will recruit both social scientists and natural scientists, and study issues of knowledge integration and utilization that are of utmost importance to contemporary problem solving. In particular, it will pursue basic research in: (a) systems that support decision-making; (b) methods for solving complex social problems while providing graduate education to those who wish to lead the new age.
Recognizing the emerging importance of information creation and processing, the School of Information Science conducts research in advanced information science and technology, and provides for the education of the next generation of research leaders in advanced sciences.
One of the senior scientists we met in the School of Information Science is Dr. Eiji Okamoto, Professor and Head of the Information Systems Department. An expert of cryptography and computer and network security problems, Professor Okamoto is serving as host for Dr. Rene Peralta of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee who has an NSF-Center for Global Partnership science fellowship (INT-9729662). Professor Okamoto is a leader in Japan in the computer security research area, and is collaborating with other cryptographic research leaders including, for example, Professor George Davida, Head of University of Wisconsin Information Science Center, and Professor Michael Burmaester of the University of London.
The School of Materials Science comprises two departments: (1) Physical Materials Science; and (2) Chemical Materials Science. Both departments offer education programs aimed at cultivating future leaders of research in advanced materials. Research efforts are focused on new materials whose various novel functions are designed and synthesized by controlling their structure at the molecular level. These materials are analyzed using sophisticated methodologies grounded in basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology. Progress on such materials can lead to advances in related industrial technologies.
The Center for Research and Investigation of Advanced Science and Technology promotes joint research with the private sector in order to return the results of basic research back to society. This Center, which is also known as the Industrial Relations Center, serves as JAIST's central coordination office in developing and implementing joint research projects with a number of private companies, as well as managing commissioned research under contracts with governmental agencies. The Center also provides technical consulting services for private companies. Currently, 21 joint research projects with private companies are in progress. In addition, 23 R&D projects commissioned by various governmental agencies such as MITI, MPT and STA are underway at JAIST. The Center also offers various types of laboratory rooms in the Center building for rental use by corporate researchers either for a joint research project with JAIST researchers or for their own research projects.
JAIST maintains a very extensive inventory of equipment that is updated and improved upon for use in high-level education and research activities.
For the information environment, the Institute is equipped with a substantial range of information processing systems, including a super parallel processing research system (CRAY T3E), an advanced database processing research system (nCUBE3), a super parallel software research system (GC/MPC-128) and a parallel logic system (PIM/m and PIM/p). In addition, there are workstations for every instructor and student in knowledge-related and information-related studies and one for every 4 persons in materials-related studies. There is also a "collaboration room" for cooperative use of the workspace.
Among the latest experimental equipment available are a Class 10 clean room, a secondary ionic mass analysis system (SIMS), a superconductive Fourier transformer nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR 750MHz) and a Rutherford backscatter analysis system (RBS).
International Activities
One of JAIST's main aims is to contribute to the advancement of world science in accordance with the rapid internationalization of recent years. In particular with respect to the increasing demands for international exchanges and cooperation in study and research in the fields of advanced science and technology, JAIST seeks to: cultivate potential scientists by accepting students from abroad; collaborate with visiting researchers; and host international symposiums.
Agreements on Academic Exchanges
JAIST has concluded agreements on academic exchanges with the following ten institutions in other countries in order to develop exchanges of personnel and research cooperation. Exchange agreements with foreign institutions include: the Royal Institution of Great Britain United Kingdom; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea; Novosibirsk State University, Russia; Charles University, The Czech Republic; University of Paris IX, France; University of California, Davis; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; The Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea; University of Chile, Chile; and the University of South Florida.
International Scientific exchanges
JAIST promotes international exchanges by sending researchers to foreign countries as visiting fellows or participants in international conferences held overseas, by accepting researchers from abroad, and by conducting joint research projects with foreign research institutions. The Institute encourages and supports researchers from abroad through various programs offered by the Ministry of Education, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the JAIST Foundations, and other private foundations.
American researchers interested in visiting and working at JAIST can apply to: the Monbusho Summer Program (for graduate students); JSPS Fellowships; and the NSF-Center for Global Partnership Science Fellowship (junior and senior level researchers). Information on these and other US-Japan programs can be found at: http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/fel-opty.html
For further information, please contact:
General Affairs Department
The Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Hokuriku,
1-1, Asahidai, Tatsunokuchi, Nomi,
Ishikawa, Japan 923-12
TEL: +81-761-51-1111,
FAX: +81-761-51-1116
E-mail: daihyo@jaist.ac.jp
WWW: http://www.jaist.ac.jp/