Far-flung and thriving: prime time for Okinawa’s grand experiment

Tim Hornyak, a freelance writer who visited OIST in the end of March wrote about us in Nature Index. 

Far-flung and thriving: prime time for Okinawa’s grand experiment

Japan’s gambit to globalize its scientific research is paying dividends.

16 May 2017

Fluid With Negative Mass In The News!

A research collaboration between Prof. Busch and Dr. Zhang from the Quantum System Unit and Washington State University led to a publication which gathered a lot of international media attention the past few weeks.

They studied a fluid with a negative effective mass, meaning it would accelerates towards a force applied to it rather than in the same direction.

Microfluidics Polymer Study In the News!

The design of new microfluidic devices by the team in Prof. Shen's Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit gathered international media attention!

You can read the full story here.

So far this research was featured in:

Coral Conservation Areas to Be Specified : Experts’ Panel Adopted Declaration to Prevent Coral Bleaching

Responding to the record magnitude of coral bleaching which took place in Okinawa and Kagoshima in 2016, the Ministry of Environment held an experts’ panel in Onna Village (* the venue was at OIST.) on April 23, and consolidated an urgent declaration for establishing new oceanic conservation areas and framework for eco-tourism, etc.

Through monitoring the current situations and making predictions of future coral bleaching, the Ministry of Environment is going to discuss areas which urgently need measures for conservation.

Photoluminescent Stress Sensor molecule in the News!

Dr. Georgy Filonenko and Prof. Julia Khusnutdinova from the Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis Unit have recently reported a new photoluminescent compound that can be incorporated in polymer materials and emits light when the polymer is under mechanical stress.

You can read the news release here.

OIST Surfing Acetone Droplets now a highlight by the Editor of Physics of Fluids!

Dr. Stoffel Janssens - from the Mathematical Soft Matter Unit - story about about acetone droplets floating on water thanks to the Leidenfrost Effect is now an Editor's pick by the Editor of Physics of Fluids!

Onihitode Aggregation Inducing Molecules Shed Light on Coral Conservation

Onihitode (COTS, Crown-of Thorns Starfish) have long been natural predators against coral reefs, inflicting tremendous damages since 1970s.  Not much was known about the mechanism of their outbreaks, and enormous time and cost have been spent for Onihitode-control.  However, the recent finding of specific protein that induces aggregation of Onihitode sheds light on countermeasures that have remained rather reactive till today, and voices of expectations are raised among those who have been tackling on Onihitode issue.

Diving Tourism Expected to Flourish

Since 2012, Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) started a countermeasure against outbreaks of Onihitode (demon starfish) which devours coral reefs.  By checking the distribution of baby Onihitode, prediction of their outbreak time and place has been made to prevent their outbreaks.

OIST Zebrafish Retina is an eye-catcher for international news!

The new story from the Developmental Neurobiology Unit, published in Scientific Reports, about the investigation of human blindness using the zebrafish model has been picked by international news!

You can read more about the story here.

So far the story has been reproduced in:

Satoh Unit's Nature Paper on a Coral Reef Predator at the Forefront of Media Attention!

Satoh Unit's recent research result published in Nature (April 5 online, April 13 printed magazine) is covered by many media outlets in Japan and the world.

Read more about the story: "Into the DNA of a Coral Reef Predator"

Japanese Media

OIST Science Trip in Yaeyama: NHK news

OIST takes its scientists to inspire kids live in remote islands in Okinawa a few times a year. 

Last weekend, a science program "OIST Science Trip" was held in Ishigaki and Kohama islands. Dr. Casey Galvin (Shen Unit) and a special guest Dr. Yuko Kakazu, Outreach Specialist of Subaru Telescope, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan along with OIST Community Relations Section's staff gave school children some science talks and an interactive activity. 

Asteroid Itokawa Research in The News

Prof. Pinaki Chakraborty, head of the Fluid Mechanics Unit and Dr. Tapan Sabuwala of the Continuum Physics Unit collaborated with researchers at Rutgers University to investigatie why pebbles and boulders on asteroid Itokawa’s surface occupy separate regions.

Germany Loves OIST

As a result of a visit of DPA (German Press Agency)'s reporter to OIST the other day, many German-language media outlets featured OIST. The reporter met President Gruss, Professor Kuhn as well as a group of German PhD students at OIST. English translation of the original DPA article available at the bottom of this page.

Japanese ADHD Behavioral Therapy

Researchers in OIST's Human Development Neurobiology Unit have recently published a paper in Japanese Psychological Research about their work to develop culturally appropriate parent-training programs for Japanese families of children with ADHD. Read more about it in the news article here.

Okinawan Ants in the news!

The news story "Robbed of Royalty: mutilation and social determination of female Diacamma ants" covering the Ecology and Evolution Unit's recent research has been reproduced in the following media outlets:

Blocking Cancer Cell Migration

Professor Ye Zhang and Guanying Li from the Bioinspired Soft Matter Unit along with Toshiaki Mochizuki, Koji Koizumi and Toshio Sasaki from the Imaging and Instrumental Analysis Section have just been published in Chem for their latest research.

OIST Research Published in Science Picked up by the Media

Research from Professor Yazaki-Sugiyama and Dr.

OIST and Fujitsu Collaborate to Create New Algorithms For Artificial Intelligence

The newly announced collaboration between OIST's Neural Computation Unit and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. to make more human-like artificial intelligence has received coverage in the following media outlets:

Prof. Saze on a TV program "EarthLab"

Prof Saze was featured on a three-minute long short TV program called  "EARTH Lab" (TBS Television) on Oct.1.

Prof. Shintake, featured in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

National Geographic Japan's famous interview series "「研究室」に行ってみた。" came to OIST and featured Prof Tsumoru Shintake as a "great physicist"!

​Every working day, a new story will be up until September 28.

Police Training Against Terrorism on OIST Campus

Ryukyu Broadcasting Corp (RBC) covered Police training against terrorism which was held August 29 on OIST campus.

* The link below will be no longer available after a few days. If you are interested in watching it, please contact the Media Section.