Report on the JSPS Award for Eminent Scientists FY2010

1. Host Researcher
   

   Name:

   Professor Dr. Hiroshi Moriyama Department of Chemistry, Toho University



2. Invited eminent scientist (name, title and affiliation, nationality)

   Professor Dr. Richard R. Ernst
   (Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1991)
   
   Emeritus Professor of Laboratorium für Physicalische Chemie
   Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
   Switzerland



3. Duration of the stay
   
   

   First visit: from October 5 to October 10 (6 days)




4. 4. Schedule during the stay (date, research activities, name of the places to visit, and description of the visits )
   
   

   Year/Month/Day	Visiting place/Contents
   October 5	Arrived in Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto (after the STS forum 2010). Dinner with the Swiss Ambassador at the Swiss Embassy.
   October 6	Morning （10:30–12:00）: presented a lecture to the students of the Faculty of Science ‘Academic Responsibility and Our Future’ Afternoon （13:30–17:00）: Presented a plenary lecture at the 30th Life Science Symposium ‘My Pathway into Science and Beyond’ Evening: attended a reception
   October 7	Morning: visited the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in the morning. Visited the headquarters of Toho University in Tokyo Afternoon (13:30–16:00): presented a lecture to students of the Faculty of Medicine. ‘Fascinating Insights in Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine by NMR’ Evening: attended a reception
   October 8	Afternoon: visited the University of Tokyo　（Hongo campus） with Prof. Reiko Kuroda)presented a lecture to the students of the University of Tokyo, ‘Fascinating Insights in Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine by NMR’ Evening: Visited National Museum in Ueno accompanied by Prof. Kuroda.
   October 9	Afternoon (13:00–17:00): presented a plenary lecture at the Three Faculties Scientific Meeting held at Toho University; ‘NMR and its Nobel Glory’ This was followed by a get-together function and a poster session.
   October 10	Morning: flew to Zürich from Tokyo (Narita) International Airport




5. Description of and results from the invitation

   For the first visit (October 5–10, 2010) Prof. Dr. Richard Ernst came to Japan, with the support of the JSPS’s Invitation Program of Foreign Eminent Scientist. He arrived at JR Shinagawa station on October 5th after attending the STS Forum in Kyoto and left Japan on October 10th. Despite his tight schedule, he gave four lectures at Toho University and one lecture at the University of Tokyo.
     There is no need to emphasize the important role of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in modern science. Prof. Ernst developed pulse Fourier transform NMR as well as two-dimensional NMR and novel pulse techniques. He also contributed to the development of medical magnetic resonance tomography. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1991 was awarded to Prof. Ernst for his contributions to the development of the methodology of high-resolution NMR.
     Thus NMR has become one of the most important tools in basic research also at Toho University. Prof. Ernst was awarded an honorary doctorate from Toho University and as the first eminent guest professor, presented a lecture to students of the Faculty of Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, and Faculty of Medicine.

6. Contributions to the Host Institute
     During his stay in October 2010, Prof. Ernst delivered four lectures to students and young researchers at Toho University. The audience was greatly impressed by his enthusiastic presentation and was very inspired. In the last slide of all his talks he emphasized ‘Science for Mankind’. This message is especially impressive and is consistent with the foundation spirit of Toho University: ‘Nature, Life, Man’.
     In particular, graduate students were greatly pleased by the inspiring discussions during the poster session of the Three Faculties Scientific Meeting at Toho University (October 9th). It was a good idea to hold a poster session at the same time as a get-together function. Young researchers, including students and graduate students, could enter into cheerful discussions with Prof. Ernst in front of their posters.



7. Others
   

   We appreciate the support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for this program, which has enabled us to invite Prof. Ernst, the most important scientist in this scientific field of magnetic resonance to come to lecture in Japan.