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 provide information for use by the global science and engineering community.
The following report was prepared by Edward Murdy of the NSF Tokyo Office. He visited the Okazaki National Research Institutes on May 20-21, 1999. He may be reached via email at: emurdy@nsf.gov
Profile of ONRI:
Okazaki National Research Institutes (ONRI) was established in 1981. ONRI comprises three independent institutes: the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) established in 1975; the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) established in 1977; and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) also established in 1977. ONRI is one of the inter-university research institutes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho). The President and three Director-Generals lead 225 faculty and 178 staff in carrying out the research functions of ONRI.
Institute for Molecular Science (IMS)
The objective of IMS is to investigate fundamental properties of molecules and molecular assemblies through both experimental and theoretical methods. Since its inception, IMS has made its facilities available to the worldwide scientific community, a policy that has fostered many joint programs involving IMS scientists.
IMS studies aid the design and development of novel materials with new functions while advancing methodologies. Molecular reactivities, dynamics, and diverse interactions with other molecules and substances are elucidated through both experimental and theoretical methods. In 1997, two new research facilities, the Laser Research Center for Molecular Science and the Research Center for Molecular Materials were established. The former comprises three research groups and the latter four research groups.
At the Laser Research Center for Molecular Science, I met Dr. Takunori Taira. Recently, Dr. Taira and his group at the Laser Research Center demonstrated high-efficiency lasing from a diode-pumped ceramic chip of Nd:YAG. The polycrystalline YAG ceramic allows high neodymium doping levels that overcome the low absorption cross section. The result is a device that produces an output power four times that of a conventional Nd:YAG crystal. For further information, please contact Dr. Taira at taira@ims.ac.jp
Examples of other on-going research activities at IMS include:
National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB)
The NIBB is conducting research to elucidate the mechanisms underlying various biological phenomena at the molecular level. Their research involves studies on fundamental mechanisms such as proliferation and differentiation of cells, morphogenesis during development, and responses to environmental stimuli.
At NIBB, I met Prof. Yoshitaka Nagahama and Dr. Craig Morrey, a U.S. postdoctoral fellow. They are conducting research on the importance of two specific steroidogenic enzymes (P450 aromatase and P450 11B hydroxylase) in the regulation of sex change in protogynous hermaphrodites. For further information, please contact Prof. Nagahama at nagahama@nibb.ac.jp or Dr. Morrey at morrey@nibb.ac.jp
Examples of other on-going research activities at NIBB include:
The National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS)
The primary objective of NIPS is to elucidate the structural basis and operational mechanisms of normal human functions. To better understand such mechanisms, NIPS' scientists analyze physical and chemical signals, and their dynamics, within the human body.
At NIPS, I visited the laboratory of Prof. Shigemi Mori who is collaborating with Dr. Douglas Stuart of the University of Arizona, a visiting scholar at ONRI. Dr. Mori's group is studying nervous system mechanisms that control bipedal locomotion. Adult Japanese monkeys (M. fuscata) trained when young, can learn to walk on the surface of a moving treadmill bipedally. This research group endeavors to understand how these monkeys learn and acquire the ability the walk bipedally. For further information, please contact Prof. Mori at mori@nips.ac.jp
Examples of other on-going research activities at NIPS include:
International Activities
One of ONRI's main aims is to contribute to the advancement of world science in accordance with the rapid internationalization of recent years. In particular paying respect to the increasing demands for international exchanges and cooperation in study and research in the fields of advanced science and technology, ONRI seeks to cultivate potential scientists by accepting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from abroad, collaborating with visiting researchers, and hosting international symposia.
International Scientific exchanges
ONRI promotes international exchanges by sending researchers to foreign countries as visiting fellows or participants in the international conferences held overseas, by accepting researchers from abroad, and by conducting joint research with foreign research institutions. ONRI encourages and supports researchers from abroad through various programs offered by the Monbusho, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and other sources. During the current fiscal year, IMS is hosting 30 U.S. researchers, NIBB 42, and NIPS 25.
American researchers interested in visiting and working at ONRI can apply to: the Monbusho Summer Program (for graduate students); the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (for postdocs within 10 years of attaining the Ph.D); 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/
For further information, please contact:
International Affairs Division
Okazaki National Research Institutes
38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji-cho
Okazaki-shi, Aichi Pref.
444-8585 Japan
Phone: +81-564-55-7135
Fax: +81-564-55-7119
http://www.orion.ac.jp/
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