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During the period from 26-30 August, the Thailand Research Expo 2010 was carried out by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). As one of its components, a JSPS-NRCT seminar on “Advanced Science and Education in Japan” was held in Bangkok on 29 August. It packed the Convention Centre to capacity with about 100 participants. Opening remarks were offered by Dr. Wataru Takeuchi, director, JSPS Bangkok Office, and a welcoming speech given by Ms. Choosri Keedumrongkool, director, Office of International Affairs, NRCT. They were followed by invited talks from three project leaders under JSPS’s Global COE Program: Prof. Yozo Fujino, University of Tokyo; Prof. Kenji Hirayama, Nagasaki University; and Prof. Yoshiyuki Sankai, University of Tsukuba. In his talk, entitled “Sustainable urban regeneration,” Prof. Fujino referred to Bangkok, with its population of some 10 million, in describing the need for a scientific approach that overarches multiple fields in addressing the diverse problems affecting cities amidst rapidly expanding urbanization on a global scale. Speaking on the topic “Integrated global strategy for the control of tropical and emerging infectious diseases,” Prof. Hirayama emphasized the need for basic research and field studies in working toward the eradication of infectious diseases, and described how the parameters of such investigations are expanding into the proliferation of mosquitos caused by development and expansion of their areas of infestation caused by changes in the natural environment. In his treatment of the theme “Cybernics―fusion of human, machine and information systems,” Prof. Sankai described cybernics as a field that widely bridges medical, natural and social sciences, and introduced via video several examples of how skeletal robots can assist disabled people in moving their limbs.
With Bangkok’s aging population, spreading contagion of mosquito-borne dengue fever, and soon to expand public transportation system, the themes addressed were of both immediate and very high interest to seminar’s general audience, reaffirming the vital importance of these areas of science and technology. ― JSPS Bangkok Office  |
