Young Researchers Exchange Program (2005/3/6-17)

The 2nd Japan-US Young Researchers Exchange Program on Nanotechnology

The Japan-US Young Researchers Exchange Program on Nanotechnology between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States is aimed at promoting mutual exchanges of young researchers in nanotechnology and at helping build personal networks between the two countries. A group of 12 young Japanese researchers, led by Prof. Masaru Tsukada, Waseda University and Prof. Atsushi Ikai, Tokyo Institute of Technology, visited research facilities of US universities from March 6 to 17, 2005, in the 2nd exchange program.

The 12 participants had been selected from among many applicants. Their research fields range from medicine and biology to engineering and physics. The group members exchanged information among themselves as well as with their US counterparts. These exchanges provided the members with good opportunities to expand their research fields.

The group visited three nanobio-related laboratories of the Nano Center at Northwestern University’s Evanston campus on March 7. They were impressed by the new spacious laboratory buildings with measurement instruments and equipment donated by companies and foundations. The next day, the US-Japan Young Scientists Symposium on Bionanotechnology, attended by 12 young researchers from each of the two countries, was held at the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM) on the university’s Chicago campus. The attendees had an enthusiastic question-and-answer session after each presentation.

The group members flew to Boston on the morning of March 9, and visited the laboratory of Prof. Tejal Desai at Boston University. In Boston, it was snowing and the temperature fell to -7 ºC. The members visited MIT and Harvard University despite the very cold weather on March 10 and 11. At MIT, after research on nanobio and carbon nanotubes was introduced, they visited the research facilities. There was no extraordinary equipment at these facilities, where researchers were using almost the same equipment as used at Japanese universities. Thus the group members felt that the quality of research depends on the quality of the researchers. They were also impressed that researchers at the university actively try to obtain patents for their research results.

At Harvard University, the group was introduced to research on fixing cells to the tips of the targeted chips by using an electric or magnetic field. The group was also introduced about research on ion channels and micro-channels, and visited related laboratories. Japanese participants actively discussed their research with US researchers in front of their experiment equipment at each laboratory they visited.

The Japanese group visited the University of Washington in Seattle on March 14. At the university's Nanotech Center, the Japanese members made presentations and then visited laboratories where self-assembly and nanostructured crystals were being studied.

UC Berkeley, which they visited, is conducting various research projects in close collaboration with the neighboring Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The group visited the laboratory of Prof. Grove to see research projects on protein molecule-based self-assembly and drug-delivery systems.

In this exchange program, the young US researchers who participated in the symposium at Northwestern University will visit Japanese universities this autumn. The Japanese participants felt during the visit that although there was no significant difference between Japanese and US universities in terms of research equipment and facilities used, the environment for research is better established in the US than in Japan.

• NSF/MEXT U.S. - Japan Young Scientists Symposium on Bionanotechnology (Agenda)