WPI-iCeMS showcased at AAAS in Boston
February 26, 2013
Kyoto University iCeMS, along with five other leading scientific institutions designated as Japan's World Premier International (WPI) Research Centers, presented a booth at the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. The five-day annual event held for the 179th time this year from February 15 to 17 is one of the most widely recognized global science gatherings. The event brought together diverse attendees including scientists, lawmakers, educators, children, parents, and media -- what some may describe as an enormous science experiment.
Ages of attendees varied from young to old but were all in direct access to top-level experts. Latent scientists 'auditioned' in front of established scientists at "America's Scientist Idol". In addition to programmatic content, free public events for families with children engaged with hands-on demonstrations of science at the "Family Science Days". All plenary and topical lectures by leading experts were also free to the public.
WPI took advantage of another public event: the exhibition hall. As over 50 booths from North America, Asia, and Europe lured the audience with interesting exhibition layouts and freebies. The WPI exhibit appealed with amicable smiles and visual impact which hopefully led to a good impression of Japan. "My first impression [of the booth] was, "there's a lot going on." [In terms of design, it] was nice that it was open...Everyone I talked to was very friendly and helpful" said a science writer and photographer from Boston University. I didn't really know who WPI was, and what exactly their relationships to the universities were but now I do. When asked about whether he would ever live in Japan, "I would love to be able to live there for a little while if the right opportunity came along".
To further inform those interested in the WPI program, the Ministry of Technology, Science, Education and Culture (MEXT) joined a workshop open to all registrants. The 15-minute presentation consisted of an overview of the WPI centers and resources for applicants, followed by a Q-and-A session. MEXT-WPI director Mitsuyuki Ueda talked of the high quality of research conducted in these centers, while Sean Bishop from Kyushu University I2CNER also spoke about his comfortable life in Fukuoka as a researcher. The presentation overall laid out the benefits of overseas scientisits coming to Japan for research.
The WPI centers plan to attend the next AAAS meeting in Chicago, Illinois on 13-17 February 2014.
by Tomoka Aiyama
Photos
The venue: Hynes Convention Center
The WPI booth at the Japan pavilion, which was organized by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Kyoto University iCeMS public relations officer Tomoka Aiyama (left) engages in a discussion with a booth visitor
Kyoto University iCeMS public relations manager Yutaka Iijima (right) exchanges contact information with a booth visitor
Novelty goods and publications of the WPI centers
Children enjoying hands-on science activities at the Family Science Day exhibition
MEXT-WPI director Mitsuyuki Ueda giving a presentation at the Japan workshop
About 
WPI
The World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) launched in 2007 by the MEXT and supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), employs talented researchers from various scientific fields. The centers, funded on a 10-year basis, aims to create a vibrant and international environment to facilitate interdisciplinary research. 2,497 papers have been published as of 2011, with 5.1% of papers of top-1% productivity during the years 2007-2010. There are currently nine centers, hosted by Kyoto University, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Nagoya University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Tsukuba University.
About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. AAAS was founded in Philadelphia in 1848 and has 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.