Past Events

[Online] STEAM for Innovation #3: The OIST Experiment

Considered by some to be on the periphery of Japan, how might Okinawa be reimagined as a new center for innovation and research on the world’s most cutting-edge topics? How might a global scientific institution that operates in English with faculty and students from over 50 countries foster more inclusion and global connections in Okinawa and throughout Japan? These questions and more will be discussed as we examine the creation, mission, and vision of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST).

Speakers: Dr. Mary Collins (Provost, OIST), Dr. Tadashi Yamamoto (Dean of Research, OIST), Mr. David Janes (Sr. Advisor to the President for Institutional Development, OIST)

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[Webinar] Into the Darkness: The Hunt for Forbidden Excitons

Join this public webinar to hear from Prof. Keshav Dani (Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit) about his recent research on the dark exciton. This first visualization of dark exciton has the potential to revolutionize opto-electronic technology in two-dimensional semiconductors from quantum computing to LEDs.

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[Online] STEAM for Innovation #1: The Art of Science and Science of Art

Join a dynamic discussion on how the intersection of art and science can lead to innovation. 

This session will feature two panelists: Dr. Kenji Doya, Professor, Neural Computation Unit at OIST and Ms. Eiko Kano, Violinist and OIST Foundation Music Ambassador.

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[Webinar] COVID-19 Science Update

Join the OIST Foundation and OIST for an update on SARS-CoV-2 by four leading scientists at OIST who have spent the last year engaged in research on various aspects of the virus.

Panelists
Provost Mary Collins
Prof. Hiroki Ishikawa, Immune Signal Unit
Prof. Amy Shen, Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit
Prof. Matthias Wolf, Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit

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[Webinar] Carbon Negative Technology Innovations Fighting Climate Change

This webinar will feature innovative technologies capable of reducing and sequestering carbon across the built and natural environments.

Presenters include:
* Christie Gamble, Senior Director of Sustainability, CarbonCure Technologies Inc.
* Shimrit Perkol-Finkel, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, ECOncrete Tech LTD
* Yabing Qi, PhD, Professor, OIST speaking on next generation solar cells

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The Future of Climate U.S.-Japan Dialogue Series Webinar#3: Mitigating Climate Impact Via Innovation

Panelists include Ms. Naoko Yamazaki, Council Member at The Earthshot Prize and Astronaut (retired) JAXA; Dr. Noriyuki Satoh, Professor, Marine Genomics Unit (OIST) and a global expert on coral preservation in the face of climate change, Ms. Afshan Jamshaid, Ph.D. Candidate in the Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit at OIST; and Ms. Dawn Lippert, CEO of Elemental Excelerator in Hawaii (and Palo Alto). This cross-cutting webinar will look at the science behind new energy technologies as well as the need and potential for deploying them and what this can mean for the future in both countries. Moderated by Dr. Jennifer L. Costley, Director of Physical Sciences, Sustainability, & Engineering, New York Academy of Sciences.

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The Future of Oceans In An Era of Climate Change [Webinar]

This webinar aims to focus on the impact that climate change is having on oceans and marine life and the effects this will have on the U.S., Japan, and the world.

Panelists include Dr. Robert Dunbar, Professor, Earth System Science, Stanford University; Dr. Timothy Ravasi, Professor, Marine Climate Change Unit, OIST, and Dr. Alex Wegmann, Director of Science for the Palmyra Program, The Nature Conservancy.

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The Future of Biodiversity in the Pacific Region: Conserving a Threatened Island World [webinar]

This webinar is the first of the U.S. - Japan Dialogue Series on the future of climate, presented by the OIST Foundation. 

“Islands” are often compared to the concept of canaries in the coal mine when it comes to climate change. It is on islands that we often see the initial signs of climate change and where it can have rapid impact on biodiversity and signal changes that will soon be coming to other parts of the world.

Join the OIST Foundation as we  explore this topic with panelists  Dr. Evan Economo (Professor, Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit – OIST) along with Dr. Rosemary Gillespie (Professor and Schlinger Chair of Systematics, Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley) and Dr. George Roderick (William Muriece Hoskins Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management – UC Berkeley), who have both been engaged in working on such issues on Pacific Islands for the past 30 years.

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A Campus Like No Other: OIST's Revolutionary Architecture - Featuring Kenneth Kornberg and Takashi Okamoto

Join the OIST Foundation for a presentation and discussion with two world-renowned architects on 1) the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University’s (OIST) revolutionary elements, 2) OIST’s unique properties, and 3) OIST’s bold challenges. Presenters Kenneth Kornberg and Takashi Okamoto were the chief architects who designed much of OIST’s campus.

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[Webinar] US and Japanese Perspectives on Cybersecurity and Undersea Cables

This public panel will explore cybersecurity from US and Japanese perspectives, including issues of trust and transparency and regional cooperation; as well as the geopolitics of submarine cables. Providing insights from both industry and academia in Japan and the United States, it promises to be an engaging session on critical topics for our shared future.

Following the public panel, Pacific Forum Young Leaders Program Director Ariel Stenek will lead an informational session about the program and its offerings, as well as answer questions. Attendees will join breakout rooms where they can connect virtually, share research interests, and discuss the day’s most pressing topics. OIST graduate students and young researchers are invited to participate.

Click here to see more info and register.