Record Number of 37 Students Enrolled in OIST PhD. Program

On September 1, the 6^th OIST Welcoming Ceremony took place with the record number of 37 new doctoral students selected among nearly 400 candidates, aiming for the enrollment of 5 year PhD program.

The 37 students from 19 countries and regions introduced themselves, telling the audience about their research background in various areas of the world.  The first Italian student, Salvatore Lacava (24) said, “I was attracted to be able to make an interdisciplinary research.  I would like to advance my research on neuroscience field.”

Editorial: Respect Okinawan Autonomy for Promotion Measures

Cabinet Office recently determined the FY 2018 Okinawa related budget request as 319 billion yen.  Compared to FY17, it was 2 billion down, and the amount was the minimum since Prime Minister Abe made a commitment to keep the budget in the level of 300 billion yen until FY21.

Okinawa prefecture and the central government have been confronting on the issue of relocation of the US Futenma Base to Henoko, Nago city.  Such level of budget decrease could be attributed only to the base-related issue.

3D Obama Ant Hits World News!

Recent research from the Economo Unit is gaining a lot of media coverage! Three new ant species named after three key figures in coservation in Africa--Barack Obama, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and E.O. Wilson—are immortalized as 3D virtual avatars. Your can read the article here.

English

CAO Decided 319 Billion Yen for Okinawa Budget Request: Minus 10.5 Billion Yen on Block Grants

While Okinawa Prefecture had requested more than 340 billion yen for FY 2018 budget request, on August 29, CAO announced the FY18 Okinawa related budget request as 319 billion yen, 2 billion yen less compared to FY17 request and 4 billion more than FY17 actual budget.  Regarding the block grants for promoting Okinawan economy, the amount continued to be drastically decreased from the FY 17 budget request to 125.3 billion yen, down 10.5 billion yen compared to FY17 initial budget. 

Junior and Senior High School Students Learned about Working with English in an International Environment

The Power of OIST Perovskite In The News

The Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit headed by Prof. Qi is hard at work improving perovskite-based technology, with two recent papers in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B and the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

OIST 'Ninja' Gobi In The News!

Dr Ken Maeda, of the Marine Genomics Unit headed by Prof. Satoh, recently discovered with his collaborators a Ryukyu Islands gobi fish they characterized and named Schismatogobius ninja, or 'ninja" gobi. The story has just been featured in the Asahi Shimbun (English)!

朝日新聞Digital記事（Japanese）

Fire Ants Control through Researcher Collaboration

To control fire ants, highly venomous ants originally from south America, OIST and  University of Ryukyus, and other related bodies have been reinforcing their collaboration.  With their shared direction for immediate information sharing with the world level research institutes, related officials are proudly stating, “There is no other example like Okinawa nationwide.”

OIST ADHD Research In The News!

Dr. Emi Furukawa and Prof. Gail Tripp from the Human Developmental Neurobiology Unit teamed up with Brazilian scientists for their brain research on ADHD which was recently published in a scientific journal targeting – and peer-reviewed by – children.

Satoh Unit Research on Marine Parasites in the News

Research from the Marine Genomics Unit about classification of the marine parasite Dicyemida is being talked about in the news. This research has added a note of certainty to the long-contested question of where do the Dicyemida belong on the planet's family tree. Now, with this answer in hand, researchers can begin to unpack its greater meaning.

Read the full story here.

Prof. Takahashi's contributed article on Academist

Professor Tomoyuki Takahashi (Cellular and Molecular Synaptic Function Unit) and his former postdoc Dr. Kohgaku Eguchi contributed this article on Academist: https://academist-cf.com/journal/?p=5295

Economo Unit Research on Bird Beaks in the News

Research from the Biodiversity & Biocomplexity Unit on the coorelation between beak size of Australasian songbirds and winter temperatures is being talked about in the news. Read the full story here.

See below for a list of news outlets:

An OIST Manganese-Based Catalyst In The News!

The Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit recently published a new catalyst for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) leading to chemicals useful in the industry (such as formic acid and formamide) and enabling energy storage technology.

While existing hydrogenation catalysts require the use of precious metals or unstable (in presence of oxygen) phosphines, the new catalyst is based on Earth-abundant manganese.

So far the story has been featured in the following outlets:

127 kg of Food Donation to Households in Poverty: Much Attention at OIST

On July 7^th, OIST gave food supply of approximately 127kg, including rice and canned foods, to Non-Profit Organization Food Bank Second Harvest Okinawa, lead by the Representing Director Tomoko Okuhira in Naha, which has been delivering foods to economically challenged households for free of charge. 

Shen Unit Research on Microcontact Printing in the News

Research from the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit about an improved microcontact printing method for use in disease diagnostics is being talked about in the news. The researchers described a new sequence of printing steps that have allowed for effective nano-scale printing. The hope is to eventually create a point-of-care device that patients can use on their own.

Read the full story here.

Prof. Shintake's Documentary

Professor Tsumoru Shintake's twenty-minute documentary was broadcast in his home prefecture, Miyazaki.

The documentary of Miyazaki local TV news program "U-doki" introduced his childhood, past career and his two projects at OIST along with President Peter Gruss' comment. 

We would like to thank those who kindly offered their help to the filming on campus. 

As we have the file of this documentary, please contact the Media Section (media@oist.jp) if you want to watch the video.

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The Media Section

No Fire Ants Confirmed in Okinawa: OIST Says, “Still Need Caution”

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), which has started its contracted field research activities for Okinawa Prefecture to control nine kinds of alien invasive ants, announced on June 26, “Intrusion of any Specified Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has not been confirmed,” including venomous fire ants, one of the four Specified IAS.

Zhang Unit Research on Photodynamic Therapy for Brain Cancer in the News

News outlets are showing interest in research from the Bioinspired Soft Matter Unit on adding the amino acid taurine to photosensitizers used in brain cancer therapy. The type of therapy, called photodynamic therapy, is often used to treat brain tumors because it can specifically target cancerous cells while sparing healthy cells nearby from damage.

Research from the Shintake and Qi Units Featured on CNN

In April this year, CNN came to OIST to learn more about the Quantum Wave Microscopy Unit's wave energy project and the Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit's perovskite solar cell project to feature on its “The Future of Japan” series. The link is now up on the CNN website! Click here (edition.cnn.com/2017/06/13/tech/renewable-energy-japan/index.html) to see it and learn how OIST scientists are reinventing the future of energy.

OIST Manza Hari Race Team on the Okinawa Times Front Page!

Twenty-two OISTers participated this Sunday June 18th to the 34th Manza Hari race taking place in front of the ANA International hotel, forming two motivated teams to take on the locals in the dragonboat race.

Despite each team finishing first in their respective qualification runs, their overall recorded times were unfortunately not good enough to qualify for the semi-finals.

A reporter from the Okinawa Times however immortalized the moment with this photo of OIST Team B in action, which was featured on the front page of the Monday edition.

Spanish Media Covers OIST's Marine Genome Research!

Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan and Australia have sequenced and decoded for the first time the genome of Crown of Thorns Starfish, The path to the biocontrol of this invading predator responsible for the destruction of coral reefs across the oceans.