OIST Science Festival 2016

This event was held on 27 November 2016. Read the OIST news article about OIST Science Festival 2016

Date: Sunday, 27th November 2016
10:00~16:00
Venue: OIST Campus(1919-1, Tancha, Onna  MAP

Download Event Guidemap in PDF
Poster for Science Festival 2016

Lectures

10:30-11:30 Auditorium
Recent advances in understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Speaker:Professor Gail Tripp (Human Developmental Neurobiology Unit)
The research of the OIST Children’s Research Center focuses on understanding the nature, causes and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this presentation I will talk about our recent work looking at the sensitivity of children with ADHD to changes in reward availability and to punishment and how we can use these findings to help children with ADHD and their families.

15:00-16:00 Auditorium
Planetary exploration: why do we care?
Speaker:Professor Masaki Fujimoto
Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Almost all of us have looked up at stars in the sky, pondering why we are here.
In our childhood, we had wished to ride our bikes, to travel all the way to the neighboring towns just to see what they are like.
The driving force behind planetary exploration is a natural extension of these pristine wishes we used to have in our childhood.
What is more, the focus of the exploration is getting to be the question of life, the habitability question.
In hundred years from now, people will be looking back at today as the days when it started.
So, why don't I share with you the feeling that now is the time for planetary exploration!

10:30-12:00 Seminar Room
Discuss the Future of Space : JAXA Town Meeting at OIST
-The Important Role of Satellites in Society- 

Topic Provider:Dr. Kenichi Toda
Manager, Management and Integration Department, Space Technology Directorate I, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Satellites serve to help our everyday life, as they are utilized in a diverse range of fields, such as weather forecast, disaster monitoring, agriculture, fishing, and many others. For instance, many of the audience must have viewed cloud images on TV, which are captured by the “Himawari” satellite. There are many more satellites, among which is JAXA’s Earth observation satellite “Shizuku”.

13:15-14:15 Seminar Room
Honey Bees and Us: a History
Speaker: Assistant Professor Sasha Mikheyev (OIST Ecology and Evolution Unit)
Humans have been collecting honey for thousands of years. Egyptian carvings with beekeeping scenes date to 4500 years ago. In the following centuries, beekeeping has spread throughout the world and has become increasingly important. Today, many of our most important crops rely on bees for pollination. The global spread of bees has led to the emergence of new diseases and other challenges. Can honey bees survive them? This talk will explore the biology and likely future of honey bees in the 21st century and beyond.

14:45-15:45 Seminar Room
From Seaweed and Turmeric to Cancer Therapies in the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit
Speaker: Dr. Casey James Galvin (OIST Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit)
Okinawa is abundant in natural, renewable materials that have useful properties in the lab and doctor's office.
The Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit uses some of these materials in its scientific research.
We will show examples of this research incorporating microfluidic technologies to advance drug delivery technology and cancer therapies.

13:00-14:00 Auditorium (Target Age: All) 
Science Show
~Physics of the World Around Us~

Speaker: James Schloss (OIST Student)
"Do you know what makes a balloon pop?" "What about the secrets of gravity?" "Can you imagine the extremely cold world of -196 C?" If you look around carefully, there are many cool things happening in the world around us. Let's explore the wonders of physics together!

①10:30-11:00 ②11:30-12:00 ③13:00-13:30
④14:00-14:30 ⑤15:00-15:30 ⑥16:00-16:30
Lab 1 (Target Age: Over 6 years old) 
State-of-the-art research equipment at OIST
Speaker: Dr. Mizuki Shimanuki (Manager, Imaging and Instrumental Analysis)
Come learn about advanced research equipment used at OIST. Plain casual talk. Anyone is welcome.

Science Cafe

(Target Age: over 13 years old)

14:00-15:00 Lab 3
Cracking the Brain Molecular Language.
Speaker: Zacharie Taoufiq (Postdoctoral Scholar, OIST Cellular & Molecular Synaptic Function Unit)
The human brain is composed of billions of neuronal cells, which are connected in turn by trillions of synapses. These synapses constantly 'speak' to each other and understanding their language may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of life such as  intelligence  and memory. How can we overcome this challenge?

10:45-12:15 Lab 3
OKEON Chura-mori Project ~what we can do for the future of Okinawa~
Speaker: Masashi Yoshimura (Staff Scientist, OIST Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit)
Speaker: Kouichi Tone (Curator, Okinawa Municipal Museum)
We want to discuss the actions we can take to preserve the future of the natural environment in Okinawa from three different persepctivces, the researcher, the curator, and you.
OKEON Chura-mori Project, led by OIST, is a collaborative research project that aims to gather terrestrial environmental data of Okinawa across time and to establish networks for the purpose of environmental education across the Okinawan society.
Local museums conduct faunal and floral surveys along with various other activities and they serve as an interface between the natural environment and the local people.
Now, it is your turn.  Let’s think about what we can do for the future of Okinawa’s environment.

Science Programs

(For All Ages)

Walking on Water?! 

Come and see if you have what it takes to walk on water!
Hands on

Experiments with liquid nitrogen 

Have you experienced extreme cold? Let’s see what happens at -196c! Many interesting properties are only observed at low temperatures, such as super conductivity. Familiar objects can behave differently at very low temperatures, and can change in size, texture and other material properties. This can be experienced firsthand with frozen marshmallows!
Display
Hands on

Let's Make Sticky Slime!  

Did you know you can make slime with our ordinary stuff? Let’s make sticky slime with your friends!
Hands on

Let’s be Scientist!  

Have you ever experienced using experiment tools and measuring the pH level? You can feel sense of being a scientist here!
Hands on

Lending a Robotic Hand  

Find out how a robot can help our research activities at OIST.
Display

Meet the Computer world 

Let’s meet and experience Super Computers and computer world.
Hands on
Lab

Research Integrity, Health and Safety

In order to implement cutting-edge research, it is necessary to provide a safe environment for the researchers. We will introduce how we maintain a safe environment at OIST.
Display

Let’s explore the fantastic, small world of atoms with an electron microscope 

Like all other materials, human bodies consists of various types of small particles, like atoms. What do you know about it? Atoms can be observed with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). OIST's TEM has world world-class resolution (0.078 nm). Please come see the TEM room and enjoy the small world with the electron microscope.
Hands on
Lab

Wonders of Ants & OKEON Chura-mori Project 

Did you know that there are over 12000 species of ants? Ants may seem ordinary, but they are extremely interesting creatures that fascinate scientists and the public. For example, ants live in social groups and perform different tasks to accomplish things together, much like humans.  Come and see wonders of the ant world as well as learn about OIST’s broader efforts to measure and monitor Okinawa’s biodiversity and environment as part of the OKEON Chira-mori project.
Hands on
Display

Let's Take a Look inside the Laboratory

The OIST G0 Cell Unit's laboratory will be open to public! You can see and learn about various types of laboratory equipment. You can also learn about the G0 Cell Unit's research.
Lab

How Do Robots Learn?

Do you know how robots learn? Let's play with robots and learn how they learn!
Hands on
Lab

Honeybee Observation Hive 

Take a peek inside the world of the bee hive! Watch how the Queen and her workers manage their society – with no danger of being stung!
Display

Introduction of Zebrafish 

We will show the zebrafish, our animal model for genetic research,  and introduce the research of the Developmental Neurobiology Unit.
Display

Neuroscience with Papers and Pencils  

Do you know that modern neuroscience research started from hand-drawing neurons with papers and pencils? Let’s do the same today!
Hands on

Programming with Neko-chan 

Learn to make games and animations with cats, fish, dragons and knights with Scratch!
Hands on
Tickets

Jobs at OIST  

There are many job opportunities at OIST. Want to be a part of OIST? Please visit our booth!
Display
Hands on

Fascinating shapes from physics and geometry

(1) Soap bubbles and beyond: let’s experience how soap films can be shaped and how they can shape their
frames.
(2) Magnetic balls and geometry: Let the force be with us in the creation of fascinating sculptures.
Display
Hands on

Exploring light! 

How does a telescope work? What is light? Can you really make things invisible? Let’s find out by exploring the world of light!
Hands on

Sharing the Electricity - Future of Energy System  

OIST is currently working on a project involving electrical power production at individual residences.This peer-to-peer system enables sharing or redistribution of energy between the homes in a given neighborhood.We invite you to join us in thinking about the future of domestic and municipal energy production.
Display
Hands on

Observation of C. Elegans.    

Observation of C. elegans. Do you know what it is? Let’s observe it with a microscope!
Hands on

Hiding in Plain Sight  

Cephalopods are masters of camouflage. How do they manage to hide from hungry predators?
How does camouflage work and what other animals also use it?
How can you fool senses (e.g. optical   illusions)? 
Display
Hands on

About OIST Ph.D. Program

"What can I study at OIST?" "How can I get into OIST?" You can get information about OIST admission, life at OIST, etc.

Free Shuttle Service from/to Naha

(Registration Required)
※Registration will start on Mon. 7th Nov. at 10am

From Okinawa Prefectural Government Office in Naha to OIST
  Dep Pref Office Arr OIST Reserve
A:  From Pref Govt Office 8:30 9:30 Reserve Bus A Departing at 8:30
B:  From Pref Govt Office 9:00 10:00 Reserve Bus B Departing at 9:00
C:  From Pref Govt Office 11:00 12:00 Reserve Bus C Departing at 11:00

From OIST to Okinawa Prefectural Government Office in Naha
  Dep OIST Arr Pref Office Reserve
D:  To Pref Govt Office 14:00 15:00 Reserve Bus D Departing at 14:00
E:  To Pref Govt Office 16:00 17:00 Reserve Bus E Departing at 16:00
F:  To Pref Govt Office 16:30 17:30 Reserve Bus F Departing at 16:30

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