OCARINA Communication 8

OCARINA通信
The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology―Special Feature Article―
How should we face the crucial stage of university integration?

Handing over OCARINA’s ambitious philosophy to the new university

The key to innovation is breaking the mental barriers between fields of study

True interdisciplinary integration will begin from accepting different standpoints―Research Introduction―

Muneaki YAMAMOTO, Specially-appointed assistant professor, OCARINA

The Carbon Dioxide Reduction Mechanism Using a Metallic Oxide Semiconductor Photocatalyst

Hiroyasu TABE, Specially-appointed lecturer, OCARINA

Preparation of Solid Catalysts based on Structural Information of Regular Structure Metal Complexes―Activity Report―

9th OCARINA International Symposium
1st Workshop for 2018: “Plant Colors and Food”
5th Okamura Award for Female Researchers -Award Ceremony and Commemorative Lecture
OCU Tenure-Track Study Conference 2018OCARINA Seminars

Vol.8
2019.3The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8■ Special Feature Article
Handing over OCARINA’s ambitious philosophy
to the new university

1

Having passed the 10-year milestone since its establishment, OCARINA is now entering a
new phase. When we look back on the path we have travelled, we recognize anew how theorganization and the education for young researchers, performed within OCARINA should be;something we have been concerned with constantly since our establishment. Honest opinions
were presented in terms of the tasks to be prioritized in the coming few years upon integration
with Osaka Prefecture University.
Revisiting the hardships experienced
during establishment, and how weachieved our present state
Dr. Miyano/This is the last year for Vice Director Kamiya to work as afull-time professor, so we would like to hear a lot from him.
Firstly, please tell us about OCARINA’s history, its present
situation and the future plan for the entire OCARINA
organization.
Dr. Kamiya/
Personally, I feel that we must brace ourselves for theupcoming integration event.
After the integration of corporations next academic year,
the universities will essentially be integrated within a few
years. How OCARINA should act within the new integrated
university structure will be an important question.
In this discussion, therefore, I would like to share a common
perception with you regarding this issue and consider the
future plan.
I have been engaged in OCARINA since its establishment in2008. At that time, we had no dedicated work space, and it wasin that state which we announced the contents of our projectstudies at the International Symposium held to commemorate

its opening in March. That was the beginning of OCARINA.
Dr. Fujii, you were a specially-appointed associate professor
at the time. What were your thoughts regarding the projectstudies?
Dr. Fujii/
What impressed me, looking at the project leader Hashimoto,was that he was spending a lot of time outside of his own
research working for OCARINA, writing wrap-up reports andcommunicating with researchers in different fields of study.
Researchers from different fields of study, young researchers
and liberal arts researchers were participating in our meetings.
I felt that we were trying to create a movement of establishinga new research collaboration system through the integration ofdifferent fields.
Dr. Kamiya/
Yes, we were. Though we were a little unorganized at first, wesecured a working space and started full scale research in 2010,enabling us to study actively while being stimulated by otherresearchers, and realize multidisciplinary integration.
In the meantime, the Research Center for Artificial
Photosynthesis (ReCAP) opened in 2013. Would you tell us
about its establishment, Dr. Amao?

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

How should we face the crucial stage of university integration?
Professor, OCU
Vice Director, OCARINA

Nobuo Kamiya
Graduated from the School of Science and completed
the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Science,
Nagoya University. Doctor of science. Worked as a guest
researcher at the High Energy Physics Research Institute,
Photon Factory (PF), a researcher/ research sub head at
RIKEN and the director of the R&D office of RIKEN Harima
Center (SPring-8). Became a professor of the Graduate
School of Science, OCU in 2005 and took up his present
post in 2010. Awarded the Asahi Prize in 2012.

Starting from an empty building, we
improved the working environment
through trial and error
Dr. Amao/
I have been giving lectures at OCARINA’s events andconferences since 2010, mainly talking about the use of CO2
In the autumn of 2012, I was offered a position as a full-time
professor at ReCAP upon its establishment, and accepted theoffer. When I arrived in April 2013, the building was empty,
and I struggled, wondering how I should start the organization.
Thankfully, we progressed smoothly. Research sections
were established by companies, and the Fifth Anniversary
Symposium was held last year. During the first year, however,I had trouble finding answers to the question of how we should
manage the organization, and spent many days relying on trial
and error.
Dr. Kamiya/
We really shared the joys and difficulties, didn’t we, Dr. Amao.
In 2015, the official research building of OCARINA wascompleted, and various projects have since been proposed andcarried out in the building.
You joined in 2015, Dr. Yoshida. Do you have any comments?
Dr. Yoshida/
I was told in my interview that OCARINA was managed byproject study teams, and at first I did not understand what
this meant. After I arrived, I found that I had to do everything,including making arrangements for students and budgeting. I
did not know what to do, nor how to do it.
As for ReCAP, when I came in 2015, some companies had
already begun their study and equipment such as desks had
been prepared. Thankfully, I did not have many difficulties since
I came after other members had worked hard establishing
the center. I am still learning from other researchers whileobserving them.
Dr. Kamiya/
There are various difficulties when starting something.
Although there were many problems, we also experienced
interesting things that could only be experienced during thestartup period.

With OCARINA’s support, the range anddepth of studies will increase dramatically
Dr. Kamiya/
There is another topic I would like to discuss today: the role ofthe organization as a whole.
In individual studies, however excellent a project leader is, it isalmost impossible for each project to manage large-scale issues
such as obtaining research space, project planning and fundnegotiation. In the meantime, project studies cannot progress
without managing these issues.
Conversely, if the organization can back project studies
efficiently, they will proceed smoothly.
With this in mind, I think that OCARINA started without
sufficiently discussing its role. In the latter part of this
discussion, based on this reflection, I would like to discuss what
type of organisation OCARINA should aim to be in the future.
I hope we can successfully navigate the university integration
by reflecting on such a policy as an organization.
Is there anything that you feel is missing at present when we
consider OCARINA as a project organization?
Dr. Amao/
Actually, my primary job is the work for OCARINA, but I am
also the Director of ReCAP. I have something to add in regards
to working for and observing these two organizations.
OCARINA’s general meeting was held in March. Its objective
is good, but it is always conducted in the same pattern:participants from each project give a lecture, and that’s all.
There is no development resulting from the meeting.
Many of the conferences are the same. Even if we invite guest
lecturers, there is no follow-up after the conferences, and theresults are not used effectively.
I think it is not due to a problem with the researchers, but thelack of an information network. Even when a communication
network is set up, it is limited to small-scale communication
among acquaintances. To solve this problem, we should review
OCARINA’s role from that perspective.
Dr. Kamiya/
I see. I agree that it is difficult to establish a lateral networkof researchers via the general meetings alone. For the last
two years, I have been saying to the project leaders at every
leader meeting that we should launch a new project throughmultidisciplinary integration or collaboration, which is the
purpose of OCARINA, but it has not been very effective so far.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and Tech

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OCARINA Communication 8■ Special Feature Article
Professor, OCARINA

Associate Professor, OCARINA

Yutaka Amao

Ritsuko Fujii

Obtained a Doctorate in Engineering at the Graduate
School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Instituteof Technology in March 1997. Worked as a researcher
at the Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology
Foundation in April 1997 and the National Aerospace
Laboratory of Japan in February 1998. Became alecturer (February 2001) and then an associate professor(April 2002) at the Faculty of Engineering, Oita University.
He became a professor of OCARINA in April 2013. He
has also been acting as the Director of the ResearchCenter for Artificial Photosynthesis since April 2015.

Obtained a doctoral degree (Science) at the Graduate Schoolof Science, Kwansei Gakuin University in March 2001.
Worked as a postdoctoral fellow (PD) at the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Science, Graduate School of Scienceand Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Osaka CityNew Industry Generation Center, and the Graduate Schoolof Science, OCU. Became a specially-appointed associate
professor at OCARINA and took up her present office inApril 2013. She also worked as a researcher at PRESTO,
Japan Science and Technology Agency until March 2016.
Specializes in biophysical chemistry and spectroscopy.

I agree that we should move in that direction. Does anyone
else have anything to add?
Dr. Fujii/
To tell the truth, I felt the same way as Dr. Amao.
As for the mechanism of distributing inquires to the suitable
researchers, the URA is fulfilling this role to a certain degree,
but they do not have enough staff. We should strengthen
the organization and let it play a leading role in information
management for OCARINA.
OCARINA is now becoming a hub of specialists. We need amechanism to support this.

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Things that OCARINA can do to expand
researchers’lateral networks
Dr. Fujii/
I hope that the project leader meetings will offer opportunities
for researchers to present their new ideas and brainstorm.
I picture these as complex opinion exchange meetings heldby project teams. Interesting projects etc. can be born byexchanging ideas freely.
Dr. Miyano/That sounds interesting. Are there any other comments?
Dr. Kamiya/
I am concerned about evaluation. At OCARINA, project
leaders, research periods and budgets are determined, but the
crucial aspect of evaluation is missing, and no discussion has
been made to that effect.
We should evaluate study results periodically to determine
project policy. Since studies are implemented according
to project targets, if we do not verify and evaluate results
appropriately, we might end up just continuing the present
studies.
Take for example the artificial photosynthesis project we havebeen conducting through industry-academia collaboration forthe last ten years. It has produced significant results; however,there is no mechanism to evaluate them. If we evaluate thisproject, how can we present the results? What do you think
about this, Dr. Amao?

Dr. Amao/Firstly, the joint research section with Iida Group Holdings
was set up as an industry-academia collaboration, andthe verification test started as a true industry-academia
collaboration project without financial assistance from thenational government. The project can be a model for industryacademia collaboration in that sense.
ReCAP was covered by Fuji Television in December and theprogram was broadcasted via the national network. We are
now discussing the possibility of exhibiting the joint research
results at the Osaka Expo. The project has reached the stageof demonstration. Grounded on its basic research, it has steadily
proceeded to the application stage.
The discussion has just begun, and I’
m looking forward toseeing how far we can proceed from now.
Dr. Kamiya/
What do you think about the project, Dr. Fujii?

The project started as a dream, and the
dream is coming true
Dr. Fujii/
The study of artificial photosynthesis was at first considered
to be a pipe dream. But when I met Dr. Amao and heard him
say that it was his dream, this is when I first felt that it might
be realized. It has now reached the stage of verification, and I
think we were blessed with the best person for this project.
Recently, Dr. Yoshida has joined and the industrial applicationof artificial photosynthesis as a form of catalyst has been
discussed. Researchers are joining the project from various
fields and I strongly feel that the field of study is expanding.
Dr. Kamiya/Thank you very much. How about you, Dr. Yoshida?
Dr. Yoshida/I think that interaction with the public has been achieved in a
concrete manner. For example, ReCAP is playing the role of a
research hub for artificial photosynthesis and promoting joint
research with people outside the center. We are fulfilling therole of a pipeline, so to speak, and creating a smooth flow.
However, the workload is falling on one person. I feel the work
should be organized as a project and the load shared between
many people.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

Professor, OCARINA

Tomoko YoshidaObtained a doctoral degree (Engineering) at theGraduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University.
Awarded the Okamura Award, given to excellent female
researchers, and her research was adopted as a projectin the“GLOCAL base for constructing society with asmile, intelligence and health”initiative in 2017. Has
studied optical functional material science at OCARINA
since 2015.

Also, I would like to launch a project on a topic that can only
be dealt with by this center, since researchers in various fieldsof study related to artificial photosynthesis have gathered
thanks to Dr. Amao, and contact with the public has been
increased. I think we now have people that can achieve such atask.
Dr. Miyano/That is a wonderful idea. If you have any other comments on
OCARINA’s present state, please speak about it unreservedly.

Another task for OCARINA is the creationof a nurturing environment for young
researchers
Dr. Yoshida/Frankly speaking, I need more full-time researchers. In
particular, I wish to create a relaxed study environment foryoung researchers. If young people cannot enjoy research,
students will hesitate to proceed to a doctoral course. They
may become reluctant, worrying that they may have no
choice but to become specially-appointed researchers, or havetrouble finding a job. It is a waste if young researchers are
not nurtured when we have such a good environment andinteresting research topics.
Dr. Kamiya/That is true. This is related to the issue of the number of
researchers.
When OCARINA started, some professors were transferredhere from existing organizations, since it was difficult to employ
new members.
However, even when there are people who hope to come to
OCARINA, their organizations or departments do not let themleave, worrying that they will become short of staff. Also,
researchers hesitate and do not take the risk. The reason
is OCARINA’s projects appear to be a jumble of small-scalestudies, and they lack the attractiveness that can motivate
people to transfer in spite of obstacles and frictions.
I, therefore, would like to propose that we should takeadvantage of the university integration to solve these problems.
Since there is no organization equivalent to OCARINA in
Osaka Prefecture University, can we introduce our project

Advisor to the President, OCU
Director, OCARINA

Michio Miyano
Completed the doctoral program of the Graduate Schoolof Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University in March
1980. Doctor of Engineering. Was a full-time lecturer, aprofessor, Dean of the Graduate School of Human Life
Science and the Faculty of Human Life Science, director
and vice president, and took up his present office at OCU
in 2016. Specialized in regional disaster prevention andhousing safety engineering. Studying natural disasters
such as earthquakes and wind and flood damage as well
as daily accidents related to houses for the establishmentof a safe, comfortable living environment.

studies and seek to establish a framework for joint research in
the new university?

Multidisciplinary integration and industryacademia collaboration are just what the
new university will aim for
Dr. Kamiya/First of all, we should start announcing that we should
establish an organization without an undergraduate program,
like OCARINA.
Such an organization would perfectly align with the aims of the
new university. I feel that we have already reached the point
just prior to submitting our proposal to realize this.
One of the pressing issues for the new integrated university
is the announcement regarding its entrance examination.
Departments with educational organizations have alreadyconducted hearings and discussed the issue intensively
with Osaka Prefecture University. Open-campus events arescheduled for next summer and we need to communicate thedetails to first-year high school students there.
The two corporations will be integrated next academic year;
however, individual university organizations will be maintained
during the transfer period before the final integration three
years later. At that time, it will not be enough to simply add
together what we are doing now at the two universities.
A lot of things will change in the three years from this April.
OCARINA, however, has not reached the stage of active
discussion. We need to focus on this issue now.
Dr. Miyano/In this big tide of university integration and the establishmentof a new university, we should not remain passive but become
actively involved.
It is important now to sow the seeds required to weather
the actual integration scheduled in a few years, in an efficientmanner, so that we can greatly develop future studies.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and Tech

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OCARINA Communication 8■ Special Feature Article
True interdisciplinary integration will begin fromaccepting different standpoints

5

Seven projects are underway within OCARINA, a single organization. Collaboration should bestraight forward, yet the reality is that high mental barriers are preventing it.
Providing an exciting research environment for young researchers is indispensable in creatinglarge-scale integrated projects.
In this discussion, various practical ideas were presented and OCARINA’s problems wereclarified.

Staffing shortages are preventing
collaboration between projects
Dr. Miyano/
Let us discuss the issue of project collaboration, which has
been an issue for the last two years. It has been discussed
many times but it has not yet been realized. Why haven’t weachieved collaboration, and what kind of problems are there?
Could we have your unreserved opinions?
Dr. Shigekawa/
We can think of things to try, but we stumble when we
actually try to implement them.
It’s true that we have issues with staffing, equipment andfunds; however, we can manage to solve equipment andfunding problems by getting by with what we possess at thestart. However, without staff who will actually be involved in astudy, we are not be able to start anything.
In the end, whether or not we can acquire graduate students
to entrust with the project is vital, that is, whether or not wehave that possibility.

Dr. Amao/
I think what Dr. Shigekawa is saying is truly important.
In addition to that, I think there is also difficulty inmultidisciplinary integration in itself. For instance, when
researchers of applied chemistry and chemical engineering try
to conduct collaborative research, it doesn’t go well because
it takes time for one researcher to comprehend what theother says. It’s more difficult in the fields of biology. To study
collaboratively, we must start by understanding the otherfield’
s terminology.
For example, in the field of catalysts, the unit of volume is cc,
but in other fields of chemistry, milliliter is used instead. The
units we use are different depending on the field of study. To
talk on the same level, we have to start by converting theunits. Even we feel it is difficult, thus students would see thisas an even higher hurdle.
As Dr. Shigekawa said, various ideas can be shared simply
through the exchange of information. However, when we try
to begin the joint research, we cannot understand what otherresearchers are talking about and thus cannot share an overall
understanding, which makes the study much more difficult.
We need to create a mechanism to overcome this barrier.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

The key to innovation is breaking the mental barriers between fields of study
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, OCU
Vice Director, OCARINA

Naoteru Shigekawa

Graduated from the Department of Physics, Facultyof Science, University of Tokyo in March 1984, andcompleted the master’s course at the Departmentof Physics, Graduate School of Science in March
1986. Studied chemical semiconductor hetero binding
devices at NTT Atsugi Research Institute for ElectricalCommunication (present NTT Device Technology
Laboratories) from April 1986 until Sep. 2011. Took up
his present post in Oct. 2011. Doctor of science.

Dr. Yoshida/
I agree. We need to create the mechanism first. We use tohave a system where students were sent to other laboratories
in Japan. When we could not study a topic in our laboratory,
we sent a few students to another laboratory to study it, which
resulted in joint research and academic reports. We needan opportunity for the first step, and it would be difficult toproceed without such an opportunity.
If it is difficult to start with students only, a young teacher
could accompany them for the first few days. We need tosupport them at the kickoff.

the obstacles for collaboration between the seven projects in
OCARINA?
I myself feel that if terminologies are different and it is difficult
to understand each other in terms of the fundamentals, it would
be more difficult in OCARINA. All of OCARINA’s projects
are dealing with distinctive, state-of-the-art topics. It would bereally difficult to start a large-scale collaborative project here.

Dr. Miyano/Then, the key to creating the mechanism is students. Do you
have any comments, Dr. Fujii?

Dr. Amao/
That is right. For instance, Dr. Yoshida, myself and Dr.
Yamada (Engineering) belong to fields that are rather similar toeach other. We gathered our ideas and proposed some research
projects. Some worked out, but others did not, often receiving
comments that they were only a jumbling of ideas.
If we were to seek external funds for projects, in our current
state, we would not be able to offer a true multidisciplinary
integration.

Studying side by side would be the sameas studying in another laboratory
Dr. Fujii/
OCARINA started as a virtual organization, and researchersand students in the fields related to the projects were packed
in a large room together.
Then, while sharing the space, rules and interactions in theroom developed naturally. People who studied in the room arestill very close.
To give an example; the fields of study of Dr. Yoshida andmyself seemed close, but many aspects were different, since
we dealt with totally different things: soft organisms and hardmaterials. It was the same for our students.
However, while sitting side by side, we had many chances tocommunicate and develop an interest in the study topics ofother researchers. This provided us with valuable opportunities
to hear about other research in our free time.
We talked about problems in our own studies in a relaxedmanner. It was just like studying in another laboratory.
I have another idea; when we start a collaborative study, we
could have our students study in the counterpart laboratory
for a while. If they could study in the same place, it would be amajor step forward.
Dr. Miyano/
I see. That is an approach from an educational perspective.
What do you think about it, Dr. Amao? What do you think are

Collaboration is difficult for advanced
technology

As this is the present state of collaboration in our field of
catalytic chemistry, collaboration with other fields such as
electricity and organic materials would be quite difficult.
It is difficult to imagine which part of research our field
could contribute to. This is the difficulty of multidisciplinary
integration.
Dr. Miyano/
I understand very well. Do you have any comments, Dr.
Shigekawa?
Dr. Shigekawa/
As a matter of fact, we asked Dr. Yoshida to give a lecture in
the photocatalysts session at the Society of Applied Physics
conference a short time ago. At that time, someone commented
that Dr. Yoshida was taking an approach from a chemical
perspective, but that it might be possible to approach from theperspective of semiconductors.
While chemistry focuses on the exchange of electrons between
materials and catalysts, we, researchers of semiconductors,
firstly consider how electrons move most efficiently. In short,even if we are looking at the same photocatalysts, we arelooking at them from totally different perspectives.
If we can combine the concepts of electrons from theperspectives of semiconductors and photocatalysts, we

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OCARINA Communication 8■ Special Feature Article

might be able to find a task yet to be solved, and create
photocatalysts that surpass the previous ones. I have a strong
feeling that this can happen.
I am not saying that we can produce a specific product in
one go; however, if we start by thinking about the differencesin our perspectives, we might be able to create somethingamazing.
Dr. Yoshida/
I would also really like to hear more about Dr. Shigekawa’sidea. Even if it might seem unrelated, if we hear and consider
it, it could be a starting point.
When we had a joint conference, I was able to discover various
things even from students’presentations. Rather than creating
materials from scratch, such occasions can produce good ideas.

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Integrating exciting initiatives to draw out
young researchers’enthusiasm
Dr. Miyano/
I see. I agree that we are not progressing the presentation ofprojects to the next step. If we provide some opportunities suchas academic camps for researchers and students afterwards,
we might be able to discover some things.
Dr. Fujii/
It is a good idea to hold some events integrating something
enjoyable. I hear there are some active societies in whichyoung members are holding camp-style study meetings.
If we provide such an atmosphere, people might become
interested in what others are studying. If we tell students togo and study, they might become embarrassed; however, it ismainly because they do not know other people. If they get toknow each other, they might participate more positively.
Dr. Amao/
If that is the intention, it might be better if young people dothe planning themselves.
Dr. Miyano/Young researchers presenting ideas and then integrating
Project A and Project B sounds good. However, securing suchyoung researchers is the key issue. Dr. Fujii’s idea of gathering
students in a large room may help with this.
Project themes do not materialize easily. First, we should
provide opportunities for free discussion, with the expectationthat varied perspectives and discoveries may lead to a big
project.
Do you think it is possible to gather only young researchers?

Dr. Fujii/
Most of the main researchers are committed to the general
assembly and accepting the review. Young researchers
are willing to accept our requests and many of them areparticipating in it.

An atmosphere allowing for speaking
without shyness is essential
Dr. Fujii/
The problem with the present general assembly is that there is
an atmosphere that makes people reluctant to ask questions or
make comments. Presentations from seven projects take timeand it is difficult to leave time for questions. Also, people gettired listening to presentations from different fields to theirs,
making it difficult to provide good comments.
If they could meet each other beforehand, through camps andother opportunities, they might be able to speak without being
timid.
Fortunately, awareness of the general assembly is increasing
and most researchers know about it. I feel we are approaching
the phase of how to put it to practical use.
Dr. Miyano/
I see. What sort of timing do you think would be good to carryout the plan?
Dr. Fujii/
How about calling students to gather and spend a whole
day together or stay overnight? They could participate in
a competition, with a representative of each team giving apresentation.
Dr. Miyano/
The bar might be too high for the first try if we have themcompete. How about group workshops with a few members?
Dr. Amao/
I have attended workshops held by the Japan Science andTechnology Agency twice, and their implementation may
provide some hints. First, we gather researchers from electricrelated fields in chemistry and engineering, and make teams.
Each team is requested to produce a research topic thatmight become a national project. Through this experience,
I found that even if a conclusion cannot be produced, it isrewarding enough to think and provide opinions from different
perspectives.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

Seeds of innovation come from theintersection of multidisciplinary
perspectives
Dr. Amao/
For instance, a photocatalysis researcher says,“it will producehydrogen and oxygen at the same time; therefore, it will
explode if efficiency increases”; then a researcher from adifferent field makes a proposal.“If that’s the case, we canseparate gasses if we use this method.”Important findings
could be derived from this.
However, we need to think at which level we should study.
Should we start with collaboration among young researchers
who are having trouble in experiments, or at a little higher
level in which there is difficulty in integrating technologies?
There are many things we should consider.
Dr. Miyano/In the context of the conversation so far, I think we should
start with young researchers. They might insist on their own
opinions, at first, but they could find something in common
after that.
Dr. Amao/
That would need some time, such as a whole day. We alsoneed to determine a topic, and seven projects must arrange theevent cooperatively. If we gather people from different groups
without any plan or topic, it would produce nothing.
How about having young people present the points in which
they are having trouble, and support each other? That might
facilitate the production of good ideas.
Dr. Yoshida/
I see. It would be like a joint seminar. It is a good idea to startfrom points in which we are having trouble.
Dr. Amao/
That is right. At seminars, we usually speak only about things
that are going smoothly. It is good to focus on things we arehaving trouble doing or realizing. When I am facilitating aworkshop, I always ask people to speak about things they arehaving trouble with. If I ask them to speak about their study,
they would only say good things.
Dr. Miyano/
Shall we initiate this as an OCARINA proposal, then?

Dr. Shigekawa/
It would be great if we could forge strong human relations likein Silicon Valley. Excellent innovations result from this. Even
if one out of one hundred ideas is realized, it would lead toincredible results.
Dr. Miyano/
It would be a burden if we took the perspective that something
has to result from the workshop.

Overcoming hurdles one by one, to realize
an independent graduate school
Dr. Miyano/
So far, we have discussed methods of promoting collaboration
between projects. Lastly, I would like to discuss the futuretasks of OCARINA.
In terms of organizational issues, you were saying that you
need more graduate students. I think that establishing an
independent graduate school could be a solution to the problem.
We have many hurdles to overcome to realize that. First, how
to secure students if the school has no undergraduate courses.
We were saying that professors who supervise graduationtheses at the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering
could acquire students. At the Urban Research Plaza, they
are acquiring adult students. OCARINA could also consider
admitting adult students.
Dr. Amao/
I think there is no problem in establishing a new graduate
school and admitting adult students.
Many people who are in charge of joint research in companies
have a master’s degree. I often hear that they hope to obtain adoctoral degree. If we respond to their needs, companies may
support their employees to become graduate students.
Dr. Miyano/
It is reassuring that we could acquire some students fromcompanies. From today’s discussion, I now feel it is essential to
involve young researchers. In the new integrated university, if
OCARINA has a vision to become a leader in developing young
researchers, it would be a strong selling point.
Today we discussed the specific methodology. Next, I would
like us to take it one step further.

Dr. Amao/Yes. It would be better to make it informal, inviting
participation on a voluntary basis.
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OCARINA Communication 8■ Research Introduction

The Carbon Dioxide Reduction
Mechanism Using a Metallic Oxide
Semiconductor Photocatalyst

9

Photocatalysts facilitate chemical reactions by means of opticalenergy. Research on optical-chemical energy conversion using
photocatalysts has been attracting attention in recent years.
This process uses unlimited solar energy (optical energy) to
reduce water and carbon dioxide, and stores them as usefulchemicals (chemical energy); therefore, it is now highly
expected to become a technology used to solve environmental
and energy problems. The reduction of carbon dioxide inparticular is important, since it enables the recycling of carbon
resources, which are anticipated to be depleted soon. Carbon
dioxide reduction using photocatalysts has the potential tosimultaneously solve the issues of carbon resources depletionand global warming.
We are mainly studying the reduction of carbon dioxide inwater, using metallic oxide semiconductors as photocatalysts.
When irradiated by light with greater energy than their bandgap, metallic oxide semiconductors produce electron holes andexcited electrons in the valence band and conduction band
respectively. The electron holes and excited electrons moveto the semiconductor surface and facilitate oxidation andreduction respectively (Fig. 1). In the case of carbon dioxide
reduction in water, the following two types of reduction are
considered to progress competitively.
CO2+2H++2e→
CO+H2O … ①
2H++2e-		
→
H2		
… ②
				
e-: excited electron
In order to reduce carbon dioxide in water, the reactionof Formula ① needs to be facilitated selectively; however,hydrogen ion reduction (Formula ② ) proceeds more easily
than carbon dioxide reduction (Formula ① ) due to a thermodynamical preference. Thus, it is important to selectively
facilitate carbon dioxide reduction by modifying thephotocatalyst surface with an appropriate catalyst (catalytic
promoter) that can control reaction activation energy.
Through previous studies, silver promoters have been
confirmed to be effective in carbon dioxide reduction (Formula① ), and some promising photocatalysts modified with silver
promoters have been reported. We also succeeded in facilitating
carbon dioxide reduction in water, using gallium oxide
photocatalysts modified with silver promoters [1]. However,the catalytic function mechanism of silver promoters in carbon
dioxide reduction has not been clarified yet.

Specially-appointed assistant professor,
OCARINA

Muneaki Yamamoto
Obtained a doctoral degree (Engineering) at the Materials
Process Engineering Department, Graduate School ofEngineering, Nagoya University. Took up his present
office in April, 2018.

Catalyst surface
Conduction band
ReductionLight

Silver promoter

Oxidation
Valence band

Fig. 1: Reaction mechanism of silver-added semiconductor
photocatalysts

If the mechanism is identified, it will enable the optimizationof silver promoter’s modification state, thus improving thereaction activation and selectiveness as well as decreasing theamount of precious metal used. In addition, the creation of anew, more effective catalytic promoter is anticipated.
In order to identify the catalytic function mechanism of
silver promoters in carbon dioxide reduction, it is essential toaccurately analyze the chemical state and electron structureof silver promoters, as well as the absorption state of carbon
dioxide, and grasp the reaction mechanism by combining thetwo analyses. Thus, we aimed to clarify the carbon dioxide
reduction mechanism through detailed characterization ofgallium oxide photocatalysts modified with silver promoters,
and the observation of carbon dioxide molecules absorbed
into the photocatalyst surface. The following are the research
results.
■ Changes‌in the Chemical State of Silver Promoters during
Reaction [2,3,4]
The chemical state and electron structure of silver promotersadded to modify gallium oxide photocatalysts were analyzed
in detail by means of various spectroscopic methods (X-ray
absorption microstructure analysis, ultra-violet and visible ray
absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and
X-ray diffraction analysis). As a result, it was found that in the
catalyst modified with a high amount of silver, silver particles
were partly oxidized and formed a complex oxide structure
at the interface with gallium oxide before reaction. After

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

Fig. 2: TEM image of a silver promoter on the gallium oxide
photocatalyst surface

reaction, the silver changed to a metallic state, and catalytic
activity increased with time; therefore, it was presumed thatthe excited electrons and electron holes were used to reducethe complex oxide in the early stage of reaction and that thesilver changed into a metallic state with catalytic promotion
ability. In contrast, in the catalyst modified with a low amountof silver, tiny metallic silver clusters remained, which indicatedthat the catalyst activity was high in the early stage of reaction
yet decreased as the reaction progressed due to aggregation ofsilver particles.
■ Observation‌of Carbon Dioxide Absorption Status by Meansof In-situ Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy [1,4,5]
We developed an in-situ infrared absorption measurement
system to observe reacting molecules’absorption anddetachment status, which vary depending on the chemical state
and atomic structure of the catalyst surface, and monitor theirreaction mechanisms. The carbon dioxide reduction mechanismthat progresses on the surface of silver-added gallium oxide,
which was observed with the system, is described below.
The infrared absorption spectra in a carbon dioxide atmosphereshowed absorption attributable to carbonate and hydrogencarbonate. The result showed that weakly acidic carbon dioxide
reacted with basic sites on the catalyst surface: hydroxyl andlattice oxygen, to produce two respective substances. Following
ultraviolet irradiation, absorption attributable to carbonate
and hydrogen carbonate decreased, and formate-attributable
absorption occurred anew; meanwhile, formate-attributable
absorption did not occur in the case of visible ray irradiation,
which did not excite gallium oxide. Thus, it was confirmed thatcarbonate and hydrogen carbonate were reduced by excitedelectrons in gallium oxide, which were produced throughultraviolet irradiation, and changed to formate, a reaction
intermediate.
Formate was in a stable state on the photocatalyst surface;
however, in a water vapor atmosphere, the formate-attributable
absorption peak broadened. Following vacuum evacuation,
the broadened absorption peak returned to its previous state,

which indicated that the formate reacted with water molecules
reversibly. When the formate was irradiated with ultraviolet
rays while reacting with water molecules, its absorption
decreased, carbon monoxide was produced, and absorptionof the hydroxyl group on the surface increased. This provedthat formate reacting with water molecules underwent
photodecomposition to produce carbon monoxide. Based on the
results, we proposed a carbon dioxide reduction mechanism (Fig.
3).
Next, we examined the change in the absorption behavior ofcarbon dioxide due to a difference in the chemical state ofsilver-added catalysts. As a result, it was found that carbon
dioxide is not absorbed into metallic silver or metallic silver
clusters, yet it is absorbed as a carbonate into the complex
oxide of silver and gallium. Also, it was confirmed that theamount of the reaction intermediate produced through optical
illumination was large in the photocatalyst mainly consisting ofsilver clusters, which showed that silver clusters promoted the
production of the reaction intermediate.
Recently, we have been implementing various in-situ
measurements of reactions (operand analysis) and trying tocreate new photocatalysts based on our original catalyst designprinciple.

10

Fig. 3: The proposed carbon dioxide reduction mechanism

References[1]‌M. Yamamoto, T. Yoshida, N. Yamamoto, H. Yoshida, S. Yagi, e-J.
.
Surf. Sci. Nanotechnol., 12, 299（2014）[2]‌M. Yamamoto, T. Yoshida, N. Yamamoto, T. Nomoto, S. Yagi, Nucl.
.
Instr. and Meth. B, 64, 365（2015）[3]‌M. Yamamoto, T. Yoshida, N. Yamamoto, T. Nomoto, A. Yamamoto,
H. Yoshida, S. Yagi, J. Phys: Conference Series, 712, 012074（2016）.
[4]‌M. Yamamoto, T. Yoshida, N. Yamamoto, T. Nomoto, Y. Yamamoto,S. Yagi, H. Yoshida, J. Mater. Chem. A, 3, 16810（2015）.
[5]‌M. Yamamoto, S. Yagi, T. Yoshida, Catalysis Today, 303, 334.
（2018）The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8■ Research Introduction

Specially-appointed lecturer, OCARINA

Design of Functional Heterogeneous
Catalysts based on the Structural
Information of Crystalline Materials

11

I was warmly welcomed to Osaka City University Advanced
Research Institute for Advanced Research (OCARINA) as
a specially-appointed lecturer in January 2019. I have beenworking on the preparation of functional crystalline materials
based on coordination chemistry and biomolecular chemistry
since I was pursuing my PhD. In OCARINA, I eager to starta research project aiming at environmental-friendly reactions,such as photocatalytic energy production and removal of toxic
compounds, using a novel catalyst. Catalysts can contribute tochemical processes by enhancing the rate of a chemical reaction.
Catalysts are classified into two groups, homogeneous andheterogeneous catalysts, depending on their forms during thereactions. Heterogeneous catalysts are widely used in industry,
because they have high activity, durability and recyclability.
Crystalline compounds are a powerful candidate to obtainheterogeneous catalysts because their highly ordered structure
can be characterized by spectroscopic methods including singlecrystal X-ray structure analyses. I am interested in protein
crystals and coordination polymers as a template for the novel
heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, I summarize my research toreview the recent progress and point out future directions.
Porous Protein Crystals as Functional Heterogeneous
Catalysts
Protein crystallization is the process of formation of a protein
crystal, which is useful in the study of protein structures bysingle-crystal X-ray structure analysis. Protein crystals can serveas porous molecular frameworks because mesopores ranging
from 5 to 100 nm are formed by gaps of protein monomers in
the packing structure. Several reports have shown that“porous
protein crystals”have the potential to be a new solid material.
Herein, we designed heterogeneous catalysts by modifying metal
complexes or nanoparticles to appropriate functional groups
originated from the amino acid residues of subunit proteins.
Among proteins, hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) was chosen
as a catalyst support because HEWL crystals can be obtained
abundantly, crystallized in tetragonal and orthorhombic lattices
by varying the crystallization conditions and stabilized by crosslink treatment using glutaraldehyde.
An organoruthenium complex, which is known as a precursor toa versatile catalyst for transfer hydrogenation, was immobilized
in cross-linked HEWL crystals in the tetragonal form andorthorhombic forms [1]. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographysuggested the selective coordination of His15 residue to the

Hiroyasu Tabe
After obtaining his PhD degree at the Department ofSynthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate
School of Engineering, Kyoto University, in 2015, heworked for Kansai TLO Co., Ltd. as an administrator of
the university technology transfer. In 2017, he joined
OCU as a specially-appointed assistant professor at
the Graduate School of Engineering and promoted to a
specially-appointed lecturer at OCARINA in 2019.

Fig. 1: Lattice structures and active site structures in HEWL
crystals immobilizing Ru(benzene)Cl2 complexes in the tetragonal(left) and orthorhombic (right) forms.

ruthenium ion both in the tetragonal and orthorhombic crystals(Figure 1). Catalytic activities of the crystals were investigated
for transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives. When
only organoruthenium complexes were employed for thecatalytic reaction in buffer solution, the complexes could notcatalyze transfer hydrogenation. Organoruthenium complexHEWL composite dissolved in the buffer solution showed lesscatalytic activity and enantioselectivity compared with the
crystals because of the absence of the stable ruthenium-His15
coordination supported by the hydrogen bonding networks
formed in crystal lattices. Interestingly, the enantioselectivity
could be controlled by interactions of the substrate withorganoruthenium complexes in the mesopores of the tetragonalor orthorhombic crystals.
Next, a composite catalytic system for the photocatalytichydrogen (H2) evolution was constructed using porous HEWL
crystals [2]. Precise co-accumulation of the catalytic components
in a mesopore is important to construct a photocatalytic systemwith an efficient electron transfer. Rose Bengal, which is ananionic photosensitizer molecule, and hexachloroplatinic(IV) acid
(H2PtCl6), which is a precursor of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs),
were immobilized in cross-linked HEWL crystals. The crystal
structure of the HEWL crystal was determined by single-crystal
X-ray crystallography, suggesting the functional groups fromLys1 and His15 coordinate to the platinum complex (Figure 2).
Although unambiguous positions of rose Bengal were hardly
determined, rose Bengal is expected to be immobilized withpositively charged area composed of Arg5, Arg125 and Arg21.
The distance between the binding sites for platinum complexes
and those of rose Bengal are enough close for electron transfer(ca. 2 nm). Photocatalytic H2 evolution was performed by thephotoirradiation of a phosphate buffer dispersion containing the

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

Fig. 2: (a) The overall structure a HEWL crystal immobilizing theplatinum complex and rose Bengal. The Pt atoms
are represented by spheres. (b) Magnifications of a poreindicated by a dashed square in (a). Blue residues indicate
potential adsorption site for rose Bengal.

Fig. 3: (a) Partial structure of a cyano-bridged polynuclear
metal complex. (b) Scheme of the catalytic hydrolysis oforganophosphates.

HEWL crystals. An efficient H2 evolution was observed after
the induction period by visible-light irradiation. According to
the control group, the efficient H2 evolution was resulted fromthe precise co-immobilization of rose Bengal and PtNPs in themesopores of cross-linked HEWL crystals.
The research on porous protein crystals also involves theadsorption-desorption of gas molecules, the electron transfer
with the long-lived charge separation and the diffusion of organic
molecules within the mesopores [3-6]. Since these research areas
are closely related to those of the main topic of OCARINA, I am
looking forward to collaborating with the OCARINA faculties.

with catalytic activity.
The research summarized above has been implemented
under the supervision of Prof. Yusuke Yamada from Osaka
City University. I would like to appreciate his guidance andsuggestions. I am also profoundly grateful to the researchersand students in Yamada Laboratory for their collaboration. I
feel deep appreciating for the encouragement by Prof. Susumu
Kitagawa (Kyoto University) and Prof. Takafumi Ueno (Tokyo
Institute of Technology) and the collaborators in the Institute forIntegrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University.
I spent my teenage years here in Osaka, and thus it is a great
opportunity working in OCU after spending 11 years in Kyoto.
After obtaining my PhD degree in 2015, I worked in Kansai
TLO, which is a subsidiary company of Kyoto University. My
important task was to create intellectual properties and maintain
industry partnerships, which are crucial for collaboration andbringing technologies to market. The daily discussion withfaculties from various departments encouraged me to think
about my own research idea. I would like to contribute the main
purpose of OCARINA,“connecting the academic research andthe society to develop a better regional community”, using theexperience and strategy that I obtained. I have recently been
instructing Scottish country dance, a folkdance of Scotland, to thestudents belonging to the folkdance club of OCU. After obtaining
the instructor’s license from the Royal Scottish Country Dance
Society, the headquarter of Scottish dancing, in 2016, I have been
contributing to familiarizing dancers in Japan and overseas withthe joy of music and communication. Although the dance seems
to have nothing to do with my scientific research in OCARINA,
a sense of learning the foreign culture−to explore the unknown
world followed by the instruction to students−has a lot ofcommon with the research.

Heterogeneous Catalysts Constructed by Coordination
Polymers
A coordination polymer is a polymer of metal complexes
containing metal cation centers linked by bridging ligands. This
structure is remarkably attractive for a heterogeneous catalyst,
because the metal ions as a potential catalytic active site are
periodically located on the surface of coordination polymer
particles. One of the best-known coordination polymers isPrussian blue, which has been used as a pigment since 1700s.
Prussian blue is composed of iron ions, however, the systematic
replacement of iron ions to other metal ions leads to various
cyano-bridged polynuclear metal complexes. The compositionof cyano-bridged polynuclear metal complexes can be described
as MNx[MC(CN)6], where MC ions are coordinatively saturated
and MN ions can act as catalytic active sites because of theircoordinative saturation (Figure 3a).
Cyano-bridged polynuclear metal complexes composed of various
metal species were prepared by choosing 3d metal ions [7].
The complexes were dispersed in the buffer solution containing
organophosphates, which are known as an agrochemical residue
in foods (Figure 3b). The catalytic activity of the complexes
was enhanced by employing MN ions in higher oxidation states.
Interestingly, the catalytic activity was also enhanced by
employing MC ions in higher oxidation states, although only MN
ions act as active sites. This result suggest that MC ions easily
modulate the electronic structure of the MN ions by changing
the electron donation ability of a CN ligand through an MC–
CN bond. The surface acidity of each complex estimated by theheat of pyridine desorption calculated from the temperatureprogrammed desorption measurement is strongly correlated

References

1.H. Tabe et al., Chem. –Asian J., 2014, 9, 1373–1378.
2.H. Tabe et al., Appl. Catal. B, 2018, 237, 1124–1129.
3.S. Abe, H. Tabe et al., ACS Nano, 2017, 11, 2410–2419.
4.H. Tabe et al., Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 4545–4548.
5.H. Tabe et al., Inorg. Chem., 2015, 54, 215–220.
6.H. Tabe et al., Chem. Lett., 2015, 44, 342–344.
7.H. Tabe et al., Catal. Sci. Technol., 2018, 8, 4747–4756.

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and Tech

12

OCARINA Communication 8■ Activity Report
9th OCARINA International Symposium
Date: March 6 (Tue.) and 7 (Wed.), 2018 Venue: Large Conference room, Media Center 10th floor, OCU

Invited Speakers〈Special Speakers〉
Dr. Pu Qian (Researcher, University of Sheffield)
Dr. Laurean Ilies (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo)
Dr. Xing Yi Ling (Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University)〈Guest Speakers〉
Dr. Katsura Sugawara (Director, Regenerative Medicine Business, Japan Tissue
Engineering Co., Ltd.)
Dr. Mitsuhiro Terakawa (Associate Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology,
Keio University)
Dr. Tasuku Hamaguchi (Researcher, RIKEN SPring-8)
Dr. Shin-ichiro Ozawa (Specially-appointed Research Associate, Research Institutefor Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University)
Dr. Masahiro Ueda (Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka
University)

13

Symposium photo was taken for the first time.

Ten speakers from OCARINA reported the accomplishments of seven ongoing projects, and five researchers from other universities, a company
and a research institute in Japan gave lectures regarding various fields of study. Mini symposiums were also held on the topics of cryo-EM
structural biology and catalysis, and three world-famous foreign researchers delivered special lectures. The lectures covered a broad range of
topics including advanced research, pioneering product development and a large-scale project led by Osaka City.
In addition, the annual poster presentation was held and 61 researchers participated. They made one-minute oral presentations in English, andlively discussions were held during the poster viewing. Of the 54 subjects, 18 were selected as poster awards, of which three special awards,
the Presidet’s Award, the OCARINA Director’s Award, and the ReCAP Director’s Award were selected.The selection was made by the judges’
evaluation and the votes of the symposium participants.
The symposium was considered a success, with 151 participants from domestic and foreign research institutes and companies.

＜Project Poster Exhibition＞
Posters introducing OCARINA’s ongoing projects in an easy-to-understandmanner were exhibited in the Tsukuruma lounge of the Media Centerfrom February 26 through March 8, 2018. At present, these posters can beviewed on OCARINA’s website.

1st Workshop for 2018: “Plant Colors and Food”
Date: Oct. 2 (Tue.), 2018 Venue: Large Conference room, Media Center 10th floor, OCU Host: OCU Support Office for Female Researchers

Dr. Ritsuko Fujii (OCARINA) and Dr. Akiko Kojima (Graduate School of Human Life Science)organized a mini symposium in cooperation with Dr. Nami Yamamoto from the Facultyof Education, Wakayama University. The keynote speech was given by Dr. Leenawaty
Lilmantara, Rector of Pembangunan Jaya University and the principal investigator of the Ma
Chung Research Center for Photosynthetic Pigments (MAPCC) in Indonesia.
The keynote speech involved a study on the medicinal efficacy and commercialization of
traditional food and medicine made from various Indonesian plants. The three Japanese
researchers presented their researches on plant colors and food from the different
perspectives of structures and functions of plants and education regarding diet.
＊‌This symposium was held as part of the MEXT Program for Supporting Research
Activities of Female Researchers (Hubs and Collaborations). The program aims to improveresearch skills of female researchers and promote international joint research. This was
our second year of participation.

Dr. Leenawaty giving a lecture on Indonesian
traditional batik clothes

The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

5th Okamura Award for Female Researchers -Award Ceremony and Commemorative LectureDate: Dec. 21 (Fri.), 2018 Venue: Conference room, Media Center 10th floor, OCU Host: OCU Support Office for Female Researchers

The encouragement award for graduate students was given to Ms. Akiyo
Ozawa (2nd year of doctoral program, Department of Applied Chemistry
and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering) who studied under the
instruction of the OCARINA professor Tomoko Yoshida, and an award ceremony
was held. At the commemorative lecture meet after the ceremony, Ms. Ozawa
spoke of how the catalyst state she discovered during catalyst development
was similar to an environment for female researchers’study. She also spoke
about what she valued, as a mother of two children. Dr. Tomoko Yoshida, Ms.
Ozawa’s recommender and instructor, provided heartfelt, passionate comments ofencouragement, which made for a highly animated meeting.

OCU Tenure-Track Study Conference 2018
Date: Dec. 10 (Mon.), 2018 Venue: Meeting room, Media Center 1st floor, OCU Host: Tenure-track teachers

The OCU Tenure-Track Study Conference was organized and held by tenure-track instructors.
OCU Chairperson Hiroyuki Sakuragi, who worked as OCU Vice President and Chairperson of
the Tenure-track System Promotion Committee concurrently, delivered an opening address
and a keynote speech on OCU activities for young researchers.
Following that, a tenure-track instructor gave a presentation, and OCU tenure-track Associate
Professor Eriko Nakadai and Associate Professor Taka-aki Asoh at Osaka University, whoused to be an OCU tenure-track instructor, gave a lecture regarding their recent study. Many
participants including OCU researchers and students asked questions, and lively discussions
followed. Lastly, OCARINA Director Michio Miyano gave a closing address, wishing for thefurther progress of young researchers.

14
Lively discussions were held.

OCARINA Seminars
OCARINA seminars are held to provide opportunities for the members of OCARINA to talk with researchers of other institutions and givepresentations on their research results. Eight seminars were held this academic year. Please visit our website for detailed information.
Date

Mar. 15, 2018/ 4:00pm-5:00 pm

Guest

Dr. Takahiro Yamashita (Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University)

41th

Date

Mar. 5, 2018/ 4:00pm-

Guest

Dr. Pu Qian (Researcher, Univ. of Sheffield, United Kingdom)

42th

Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 10 (E211)

40th

Organizer Akihisa Terakita

Theme “Behavior of Photoreceptor Proteins in Vertebrate Eyes and Brains”
Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 4 (F205)
Organizer Ritsuko Fujii

Theme "Cryo-EM structure of the Blastochloris Viridis RC-LH1 Complex at 2.87 Å"
Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 4 (F205)

Date

June 21, 2018/ 4:00pm-5:30pm

Guest

Dr. Hideki Kandori (Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology(Chairperson, Biophysical Society of Japan))

Organizer Akihisa Terakita

Theme “Frontline Research on Microbial Rhodopsin”
Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 9 (E101)

43th

Date

July 17, 2018/ 5:00pm-6:10pm

Guest

Dr. Kazuo Inaba (Professor, Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba)

44th

Date

July 25, 2018/ 4:30pm-5:30pm

Guest

Dr. Peng Wang (Associate Professor, Renmin Univ., China)

45th

Date

Aug. 8, 2018/ 5:00pm-6:10pm

Guest

Dr. Yosuke Tashiro (Lecturer, College of Engineering, Shizuoka University)

46th

Date

Oct. 30, 2018/ 5:00pm-6:10pm

Guest

Dr. Guillaume Dumenil (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)

47th

Date

Dec. 13, 2018/ 5:30pm-6:40pm

Guest

Dr. Daisuke Shiomi (Associate Professor, Department of Life science, Rikkyo University) Organizer Makoto Miyata

Organizer Makoto Miyata

Theme “Ciliary Motion Control and Evolution”
Venue

ReCAP 2F, Seminar Room,
Organizer Ritsuko Fujii

Theme "New Insights into the Primary Light Conversion Process in Bacterial Photosynthesis"
Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 10 (E211)
Organizer Makoto Miyata

Theme “Unraveling the Mystery of Membrane Vesicles (Bacterial Missiles)”Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 10 (E211)
Organizer Makoto Miyata

Theme "Vascular Colonization by Neisseria Meningitidis"
Venue

Faculty of Science, Lecture Room 10 (E211)

Theme “Bacterial Morphosis Mechanisms using Cytoskeleton Proteins and their Control Factors”
The OCU Advance Research Institute for Natural Science and TechOCARINA Communication 8

What is OCARINA?
The mission of OCARINA (OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Scienceand Technology) is to find solutions for global-level energy and environmental issues
and complex and advanced research subjects, and contribute to the establishment ofa sustainable society. As an urban-type university that promotes multidisciplinary
research, we set up research projects across the graduate schools.
Since its foundation in 2010, OCARINA has been carrying out large-scale projects withcompetitive research funds, while promoting globalization, integration of different fields,
training of young researchers, and recruitment of female researchers.
Currently, we have seven big projects at the four OCU research departments ofGraduate School of Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Life
Science and Graduate School of Medicine. The most distinguishing feature of OCARINA
is the integration of different fields, which is conducted by a small number of selected
researchers. With the major city of Osaka as our base, we will continue to promote
original research, including collaborative research related to medicine.

History of the Osaka City University Advanced Research Institute for
Natural Science and Tehnology
2008 March
Founding Anniversary International Symposium held
April
The OCU strategic key research project (2008-2011) started
December International Workshop held on the efficient use of sunlight energy
2010 March
Enforcement of official regulations(start of activities as an official bureau)
March
1st International symposium held
October 2nd International symposium held
November Building 2 renovated for research floors of OCARINA
December Opening symposium for building 2 of OCARINA held
2011 March
3rd International symposium, “Kakuno memorial,” held
2012 MarchAnnual meeting and the OCU strategic key research project(2008-2011) debriefing held
April
The OCU strategic key research project (2012-2014) started
July
School of Science Building C completed, partial occupation2013 March
4th International symposium heldApril
2 new full-time staff members appointed
April
New projects started

June2014 February
February
March
March
April
April
2015 March
April
April
2016 March
April
April
April
2017 March
April
August2018 MarchOCARINA通信
VOL.8 （2019年3月発行）

Research Center of Artificial Photosynthesis opened
Partial occupation for the new School of Science Building
One new full-time tenure track staff member appointed
One new full-time tenure track staff member appointed
5th International symposium held
One new full-time tenure track staff member appointed
The OCU strategic key research project (2014-2015) started
6th International Symposium held
One new full-time staff member appointed
Three new project started
7th International Symposium held
The OCU strategic key research project (2016-2017) started
ReCAP authorized as a Joint Usage/Research Center by Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
One new project started
8th International Symposium held
One new project started
One new project started There are currently seven projects being promoted
9th International Symposium held

Osaka City University Advanced Research Institutefor Natural Science and Technology

3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku,Osaka 558-8585, JapanT E L：06-6605-3111
FAX：06-6605-3636
http://www.ocarina.osaka-cu.ac.jp/