Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
San Francisco Vo l u m e X X X I I s s u e O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3

ANNOUNCEMENT OF UPCOMING EVENT

Inside this issue:
ANNOUNCEMENT OFUPCOMING EVENT

1-2

THE OFFICE STAFF SWITCH

2-3

EVENTS OF SUMMER 2013
“Educational Quality Assurance in a Globalized “Symposium with the Universityof British Columbia”
Higher Education Environment ~What might the future bring ? ~”“Meeting of Japanese University
The Japanese University Network in the Bay Area (JUNBA) is pleased to announce that Faculty in the US”“Gathering of JSPS Japanese
JUNBA 2014 will be held on January 9 and 10, 2014. This event will bring together Japa‐ Fellows in the US”
nese university leaders to exchange views on educa onal quality assurance in globalized
BAY AREA & JAPANhigher educa on environment from various perspec ves.
RELATED NEWS
Following lectures by presidents of two California State Universi es and a keynote “Osaka University”
speech by the representa ve from MEXT, we will discuss various tools and diﬀerent “Kobe University”
models of quality assurance which higher educa onal ins tu ons need to tackle togeth‐“Miyagi University”
er to promote the educa onal interna onaliza on and gain stronger global compe ve‐
ness.
INTERVIEW WITH JSPS

4-5

J U N B A 2014

Date & Time:Thursday, January 9, 2014: 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday, January 10, 2014: 8:30 a.m.-5:45p.m.

Location:

6-8

9

FELLOW IN THE U.S
Dr. Amy Poh Ai Ling

Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront
600 Airport Blvd., Burlingame, CA 94010, USA

Organized by:

JUNBA: Japanese University Network in the Bay Area

Co-Organized by:

Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco *Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Supported by:

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology inJapan (MEXT) *JETRO San Francisco ** Prospective organizations

For further informa on, please visit JUNBA’s webpage.↓h p://www.junba.org/junba2014.html+++ What’s JUNBA? +++JUNBA is a network among Japanese universi es which have their oﬃces in the Bay Ar‐
ea. The mission of JUNBA is to assist the enhancement of educa on and research ac vi‐
es and the crea on of new businesses for Japanese universi es by helping their inter‐na onaliza on movements, by helping the training of their students and personnel andby promo ng a development of academia‐industry rela onships between Japan and theUnited States.

2001 Addison Street, Suite 260
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Phone: 510-665-1890
Fax: 510-665-1891
Questions or Feedback?
Email: jspssf@jspsusa-sf.org
JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October 2013

Page 2

THE OFFICE STAFF SWITCHJSPS San Francisco Wishes a Heartfelt Farewell to an Adviser

Shino Inomata, an Adviser from MEXT
Ms. Inomata has completed her stay in California as a visi ng scholar for one year at UCOP (University of California,
Oﬃce of the President).

She was the 12th MEXT (Ministry of Educa on, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

fellow to work and learn at UCOP. At the same me, she worked at JSPS San Francisco oﬃce as an Adviser.
She mainly researched the rela onship between the role of the Academic Senate and President, the support for post‐docs to find jobs in industry over academia, and the standard to divide the academic budget between the ten campus‐
es of the University of California. To research these themes, she interviewed UC staﬀ who are in charge of these as‐pects and surveyed numerous research documents. Through her research, she found that the University of California
also has some diﬃcul es similar to those of Japanese universi es. The measures which UC took to solve these prob‐
lems were very useful for her to evaluate the cases of Japa‐
nese universi es.
This eleven months’ stay was her first me to live andwork in a foreign country, however, thanks to the support
from the JSPS SF staﬀ, she could enjoy her life here. She
would like to express her sincerest gra tude to them.
From all of us at JSPS SF, we appreciate your warm sup‐port on many points and we wish you all the best luck inyour future endeavors!

Upcoming Event of Winter 2013
Announcement of December 13
The 6th meeting for Japanese university faculty members in the U.S.
JSPS San Francisco oﬃce will hold the 6th mee ng for Japanese university faculty members in the U.S. on Decem‐ber 13 in Berkeley, CA.
The purpose of this mee ng is to provide Japanese researchers in the U.S. with a good opportunity to share useful
informa on, promote the exchange of research, not only in common but also dis nct research fields, and support
network‐building among these researchers. We are looking forward to the a endance and par cipa on of many re‐searchers.
DATE: December 13 (Fri), 2013 4:30PM - 8:00PM
VENUE: JSPS San Francisco 2001 Addison street, suite260, Berkeley, CA 94704
ELIGIBILITY: Japanese Researchers in U.S who hold a faculty position at a Japanese University
See the website for full schedule and RSVP details: http://www.jspsusa-sf.org/news/?p=1060

JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October 2013

Page 3

THE OFFICE STAFF SWITCHJSPS San Francisco Welcomes Two New Members

Chihiro Watanabe, a new Deputy Director
Chihiro Watanabe, the 6th deputy director for JSPS San Francisco Oﬃce, has over 15 years of experience working at
educa onal ins tu ons. Prior to JSPS, she was in charge of university evalua on and analysis for ins tu onal re‐search and university accredita on at the University of Tokyo. Her experience is complemented by a master’s degreein educa on with a major in university management and policy.
Her du es at JSPS San Francisco cover almost all of its work including
holding symposium with American universi es, crea ng networks among
Japanese researchers studying in the States, and promo ng JSPS fellow‐
ship programs for American researchers. Her responsibili es also include
administra on of the Japanese University Network in the Bay Area, JUN‐BA.
She also completed a one‐year internship exchange at UC Irvine to famil‐iarize herself with the American university system. Ms. Watanabe hopes
to use her knowledge and experience to promote research and educa‐
onal exchange between Japanese and American universi es. She has
always been passionate about interna onal educa on programs.

Chihiro Watanabe

She is excited about living in California for the second me and hopes tovisit as many American colleges and universi es as she can to meet facul‐
ty and administra ve professionals for expanding her network and deep‐
ening her understanding of the American higher educa on system andculture.

Yohei Takahashi, a new Adviser
Yohei Takahashi came as an adviser of JSPS San Francisco from MEXT (Ministry of Educa on, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology) at the beginning of July 2013. As adviser, Mr. Takahashi supports the opera on of our oﬃce. He
worked at MEXT for 8 years prior to working for JSPS. He has mainly been engaged in the government’s policy on ele‐mentary and secondary educa on. His last mission at MEXT
was to draw up a basic plan for the promo on of educa on
in Japan. A er the plan had been decided by the Cabinet inJune, he took up this post.
He hopes to survey as many universi es and school dis‐
tricts as possible to iden fy the strengths and weaknesses
which might help improve the Japanese system. You’ll finda part of his survey introduced in this newsle er. Now his
greatest concern is to improve his English, so he has juststarted to go to English classes every evening on weekdays.
He has a very fulfilling life of work and study.
And, of course, he is going to enjoy life in California withall of its delicious food and wine because his hobby is cook‐ing and tas ng wine!
Yohei Takahashi
JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October2013

Page 4EVENTS OF SUMMER 2013
Symposium with the University of British Columbia“Early Modern Japanese Values and Individuality”
On 28‐30 August,

JSPS San Francisco held a jointly sponsored symposium with the University of Bri sh Colum‐

bia on the theme of “Early Modern Japanese Values and Individuality”. The aim of this symposium was to revisit our
understanding of the values of pre‐industrial Japan, and how those values contributed to the emergence of today’s
Japan. As recently as the 1960s these values were thought to be rooted in diligence, honesty, frugality and obedi‐
ence, and to have their roots in societal homogeneity. Over the last half‐century, however, scholars both inside Ja‐
pan and outside Japan have come to appreciate the comparable contribu ons of values like purposeful pleasure, lei‐sure, extravagance and playfulness, and to see how these values both privilege and emerge from diversity and indi‐viduality.
The event held on the first day began with opening remarks by Prof. Ross King, Head of Asian Studies at UBC, Dr.
Seishi Takeda, Director of JSPS San Francisco, Mr. Seiji Okada, Consul General of Japan in Vancouver and Dr. David
Farrar, UBC Provost and Academic Vice President. Following that, Prof. Peter Nosco of Asian Studies at UBC and thecoordinator of this symposium, gave us introductory remarks.
This symposium with six panels over three days, included presenta ons by five lecturers from Japanese universi‐
es, eight lecturers from American universi es and five lecturers from Canadian universi es.
The lectures looked at the changes in Japanese values and individuality from the end of the Edo era to the begin‐ning of the Meiji era using many diﬀerent contexts such as nineteenth century legends, ukiyo‐e (Japanese woodblock
prints), the emancipa on moment for outcasts in Japan, bushido (the way of the samurai), and so on. Their uniquelectures gave the audiences strong impressions about the culture and thought of early modern Japan which opened
the door for the many ques ons and discussions that followed.
This event also gave valuable opportuni es for young scholars with an interest in Japanese history and culture togain in‐depth knowledge from the top researchers in the field of early modern Japanese values.
JSPS San Francisco will con nuously support such symposiums which inspire and broaden networks between aca‐
demics, students, and the interested community and to foster young researchers.

Opening remarks by Dr. Seishi Takeda, Director of JSPS SFJSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October 2013

One of the symposium panels

Page 5EVENTS OF SUMMER 2013
The 5th Meeting Held of Japanese University Faculty in the US
On 19 July, JSPS San Francisco Oﬃce held its fi h mee ng of Japanese university faculty members in the U.S. The purpose ofthis mee ng is to exchange informa on and establish mutual networks among Japanese university researchers staying in the
United States. The mee ng was a ended by ten faculty members of Japanese universi es here on short stays to conduct re‐search at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco. At the beginning of the mee ng, par cipants briefly introduced
themselves and talked about their current research ac vi es. They then exchanged views regarding actual global ac vi es ofJapanese universi es and the ideal situa on for training Japanese young researchers. A erwards, a sociable gathering was held
where par cipants en‐
joyed comparing noteson their various re‐searchac vi esandsharing informa on on
their living environment
in the United States.

The 23rd Gathering of JSPS Japanese Fellows in the US
On June 7th, JSPS San Francisco held its 23rd “Gathering of JSPS Japanese Fellows in
the U.S.” in Berkeley, California.
These gatherings are held for young Japanese researchers coming to the US under
JSPS’s fellowships for research abroad, postdoctoral and doctoral fellowships, andprogram to promote the interna onal mobility of gi ed young researchers.
Twenty fellows a ended this 23rd mee ng, some of whom came from distant re‐gions, such as New York, Florida, and so on. A visi ng scholar from MEXT (Ministry of
Educa on, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ‐ Japan), staﬀ from JSPS Tokyo
Headquarters and San Francisco oﬃce also a ended.
The mee ng started with warm gree ngs from Ms. Toko Ueta, Deputy Director of
JSPS San Francisco. Following that, Mr. Yasuharu Sasaki, Coordinator of Overseas
Training Program Division, gave an explana on on the ins tu onal system of JSPS fellowships for Japanese doctoral and postdoc‐
toral researchers. Then each fellow made a presenta on about their current research ac vi es followed by a short Q&A session. It
appeared they were very interested in each other’s research fields regardless of whether it was similar to their own.. For the lastpresenta on, the visi ng scholar from MEXT, Mr. Takegami, spoke about the future of the Japanese government’s science innova‐
on policy. At the recep on which followed, they engaged each other in free conversa on about their diverse ac vi es and expe‐
riences in the U.S.
The mee ng provided a good opportunity for them to meet other research‐ers which they appreciated, because it can be hard to become acquainted
with those who work at diﬀerent ins tu ons. This gathering is also a good
opportunity for JSPS staﬀ to hear about researchers thoughts on JSPS fellow‐
ship program systems and to exchange opinions.
JSPS San Francisco hopes to con nue providing such valuable opportuni es
for network building events among young Japanese researchers.
The next gathering for young Japanese fellows will be held in Boston thiscoming November.

JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October 2013

Page 6BAY AREA & JAPAN RELATED NEWSThe Center for Twin Research and Japan Twin
Festival at Osaka University

Center for Twin Research, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, wasfounded in 2009 as the very first Japanese research ins tu on specializing in ‘Twin
Research’. The term ‘twin research’ may sound unfamiliar to many; however, it is agreat tool to be er understand how gene c and environmental factors influencepeople’s health and well‐beings.
Twins can be classified into two groups; iden cal/ monozygo c twins share 100% of genes, and fraternal/dizygo ctwins share on average 50% of the genes. Using the diﬀerences of similarity between monozygo c pairs and dizygo cpairs makes it possible to es mate which gene c and environmental influences are important for individual varia on
in a trait or an illness. Research findings are applicable not only to twins, but also non‐twins; they can be used to build
a healthier society for all.
As part of our center’s eﬀort to disseminate research findings and to oﬀer a place for twins to get together, the very
first Japan Twin Fes val was held last year at Osaka University. More than 100 people, including about 50 pairs oftwins, a ended the fes val. Twins from all over Japan, aged from 0 to 80’s, gathered and learned how twin research
can make our society healthier and be er.
This year on November 10, Japan Twin Fes val will be held again on Osaka University’s campus. Twins and higher
order mul ples, and their families are all welcome to a end. Please contact info@twin.med.osaka‐u.ac.jp or visit
h p://www.twin.med.osaka‐u.ac.jp/en/ for more informa on.

A group photo from Osaka University Twin Fes val 2012.
JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October2013

Page 7BAY AREA & JAPAN RELATED NEWS
Brown-Kobe Joint Simulation School 2013
Six students from each university, twelve in total, par cipated in a two‐week joint
summer school designed for graduate students from Brown University of the U.S. andKobe University of Japan. During the first week from August 15 to August 21, 2013,
the students took lectures and training courses at Brown University in Providence,
Rhode Island, in a variety of disciplines including basic computer simula on, method‐
ologies, advanced research in simula on, and prac cal simula on training using theFX‐10, a supercomputer with the same architecture as the K computer. From August
26 to 30, they moved to Kobe University where they con nued their studies. Specifi‐
cally, they developed three‐dimensional images of the simula on results using Kobe’s
3D Visualiza on System.
The first objec ve of this program was to provide students with opportuni es to acquire fundamental knowledge andskills in computer simula on as well as learning about the most advanced simula on research both in Japan and the
U.S., which enables them to enhance their ability in applying what they learned to their own research. The second ob‐
jec ve of this program was to provide students with opportuni es to develop coopera ve projects through which theycan enhance their communica on skills in English and deepen mutual understanding in this highly technical area.
The program consisted of three dis nc ve features: a) small‐sized class with an eﬀec ve curriculum which provided
individually tailored instruc on and support, b) a two‐week intensive summer school to enhance mul ‐cultural compe‐
tencies among students, and c) par cipa on of dis nc ve researchers as guest lecturers. In order to s mulate commu‐
nica on among students, the program provides the students with opportuni es to develop collabora ve projects un‐
der facilita on techniques which enable students to organize events by themselves. In addi on, Kobe invited outstand‐ing researchers from the RIKEN Advanced Ins tute for Computa onal Science (RIKEN AICS) to give special lectures forthis program. AICS is an independent research center, established in 2010, with the objec ve of advancing scien fic
research through computer simula on using one of the world’s most powerful computers, the K computer.
This simula on school brought together students from five countries: Japan, the U.S., Germany, Chile and China whoworked together as project team members. It was a great success not only in intensively training the students to ac‐
quire the fundamentals of computer simula on, but also in providing a global perspec ve amongst the par cipants inthe field of simula on technology and beyond.
Wri en by: Nobuyuki KAYA and Yukari MITSUHASHI, Kobe University and Björn SANDSTEDE, Brown University

Collaborative workings on the 3-dimensional
displays of the simulation results

Collaborative presentations on the simulation projects
at Kobe University
JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October2013

Page 8BAY AREA & JAPAN RELATED NEWSGo Global MYU! From Miyagi
to the World
Miyagi University (MYU) has implemented various
global ac vi es in order to become a world‐scale uni‐
versity. With this in mind, members of the school
took part in the J‐POP Summit Fes val 2013 held this year in San Francisco on July 31 and 28. The goal was to provide
students with an educa onal opportunity in a global se ng to boost their interna onal abili es and significantly in‐crease the University’s presence in the world.
To introduce our project in support of reconstruc on a er the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March
11, 2011 in Minami Sanriku Town, one of the hardest‐hit disaster stricken areas, MYU students exhibited some of theirdatascape graphics. The graphic designs were created to visually express the outline of the project. One University fac‐ulty member also demonstrated his crea ve work made from Japanese lacquer with the aim of introducing a novel ap‐
proach in the field of design. We were pleased that there were over 70,000 visitors at the Summit, many of whomwere Cool Japan fans. It was especially good that many young people came to see us and showed a great interest in
our projects.
The MYU delegates also had the privilege of exchanging ideas and opinions with students and staﬀ at the Academy of
Art University and at the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture.
[Reference]
The Department of Spa al Design and Informa on Systems, School of Project Design at Miyagi University has begun
oﬀering a brand‐new design educa on which combines digital cra design with local materials. The Tohoku Region orNortheastern Region of Japan, where the University is located, is a major producer of “urushi” or Japanese lacquer. As
one of the reconstruc on assistance projects in the Nagashizu District in Minami Sanriku Town, we are promo ng Japa‐
nese lacquer to apply to the sex c industry which is a collabora on of primary (plan ng), secondary (harves ng andproducing) and ter ary (commercializing) industries. The project isknown as “Nagashizu Urushi.”Please visit our website.

h p://www.myu.ac.jp/index.html

JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October2013

Page 9INTERVIEW WITH JSPS FELLOW IN THE U.S
Dr. Amy Poh Ai Ling
2006: B.B.A., Business Administra on (Marke ng), Na onal University of Malaysia(UKM).
2007: M.S., Quality and Produc vity Improvement, Na onal University of Malaysia(UKM).
2012 Ph.D., Mathema cal Sciences, Meiji University.
2012‐present: JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Technology
Management for Innova ons, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo.
2013 April‐September: Visitor (Postdoctoral Research fellow) in Compu ng andMathema cal Sciences in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science, in thefield of Computer Science, at the California Ins tute of Technology (Caltech).
Amy is a visitor in Compu ng and ergy consump on data and fore‐ prac ce, thus closing the loop.
Mathema cal Sciences at Caltech this cas ng their consump on.
In addi on, I heed the elders’ advice
spring and summer. She is currently The rich databases collected by the to be involved in the local cultural im‐aﬃliated with the Department of U.S. government are especially rele‐ mersion that did me a lot of good. I
Technology Management for Innova‐ vant to my research. I have a lot of have learnt a lot about the U.S., andons at the University of Tokyo. She is scien fic contacts in U.S. universi es, life in California. It oﬀers a culturala member of Professor Nawata Kazu‐ and the scien fic schools in the U.S. context that is undoubtedly diﬀerent
mitsu’s Laboratory and Meiji Ins tute are very advanced. A sophis cated from Asia.
for Advanced Study of Mathema cal set of mathema cal tools has been
Sciences.
applied to my area of studies, and by 3.What is your vision for the future?
going to the U.S. I get a unique chance I am wri ng a short paper based on
1.Why did you choose the U.S. to pur‐ to learn these techniques.
my work in the U.S., and would cer‐sue your research?
tainly look forward to mee ng my U.S.
My desire to pursue research in the 2.What is your impression of the re‐ colleagues at the conferences held in
U.S. was prompted by a unique oppor‐ search environment in the U.S.?
Asia. Considering the visita on as antunity in working with prominent re‐ It is a very open environment, with important stepping‐stone for me tosearchers at Caltech on various topics professors giving strong support to move forward in data managementthat are relevant to my research inter‐ their students. All students star ng and a sta s cal analysis career, it
ests. This unique learning experience from undergraduate studies being ac‐ would certainly be a nice experiencehas not only enhanced my knowledge, vely involved in the research process. for me to learn from within. I look for‐but also broadened my perspec ve on In the host ins tu on, the research ward to contribute the knowledge
conduc ng research, especially the group is very produc ve. They pursue that I possessed through this visita on
open brainstorming atmosphere in various cu ng‐edge topics in modern into my future research endeavors.
discussing research ideas. The oppor‐ Electrical Engineering. I was engaged
tunity to take part in smart grid de‐ with the Rigorous Systems Research 4.Do you have any advice about doing
mand response research with Dr. Chin Group at Caltech under Prof. Steven research abroad for young research‐‐Woo Tan is an especially rewarding Low's supervision. RSRG is dis n‐ ers?
experience and learning prospect for guished by its rigorous/analy c ap‐ Be open‐minded and take on diﬃcult
me. Dr. Tan works on a smart grid pro‐ proach to design. The group develops tasks ‐ this way your stay abroad will
ject for the Los Angeles Department of new theory, uses theore cal results to be most produc ve. Be sure to par ci‐
Water and Power and is also aﬃliated provide new design tools and method‐ pate in the social life to get to know
with Stanford University. The smart ologies, puts these new design tools your group members be er. There are
grid project focuses on inves ga ng and methodologies into prac ce, and numerous opportuni es for network‐
sta s cal proper es of household en‐ develops new theory mo vated by ing in the U.S.~!
JSPSSFNewsletter/Vol.31/October2013