Shintake Unit Ocean Wave Power in the News

International media is talking about the Quantum Wave Microscopy Unit's work on tubines that harness the power of the ocean to generate clean, renewable energy. See the full story here.

See which news outlets are talking about it below:

English

Dr. Iwama, the former EVP of OIST, Became the President of Quest University in Canada

Dr. George Iwama (63), the former Executive Vice President of OIST became the President and Vice Chancellor of Quest University in Canada.  The announcement was made public on August 25^th webpage of the Quest University.

Dr. Masashi Yoshimura's interview on Fire Ant

The Economo Unit's staff scientist Dr. Masashi Yoshimura explained about fire ants which recently discovered in Japan and became a big concern in the Japanese society.

"Science Portal" is a website brought to you by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).

Dr. Yuichi Nakajima's interview on his coral study

The Mitarai Unit's Postdoctral Scholar received an interview by a web media "Top Researchers" and talked about his research on coral. 

Top Researchers (Japanese)

Sowwan Unit Silicon Batteries in the News

International media is talking about the Nanoparticles by Design Unit's new silicon anodes designed to provide lithium batteries with increased power and better stability. Read the full story here.

See which media outlets are talking about it below:

Approval of the Budget and Projects at Kenminkaigi

The general meeting of the Council of Promotion for Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University or Kenmin-Kaigi (Chairman: Governor Takeshi Onaga) for fiscal 2017 was held on August 16.  Besides FY16 business reports and financial settlement, FY17 business scheme and budget, its future plan to extensively raise donation, were approved.

Approximately 3 million yen was settled as FY17 budget, with which science experiment classes will be held at remote islands including Miyako, and as a new project, newsletters will be prepared.

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.