English - JSPS Washington Office

Arrival of International Program Associates Seino and Kaneko and Advisor KawabataInternational Program Associates Junya Seino and Yohei Kaneko arrived for the first time at theWashington Office on April 1. Mr. Seino is from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, while Mr.Kaneko is a staff member at Obihiro University of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine. After a year ofinvolvement in international operations as trainees at the JSPS Headquarters, the two are spending a yearat the Washington Office. Several events were held soon after their arrival, such as an orientation event forthe EAPSI Summer Program organized by NSF, and the two ended up starting their Washingtonassignment rather busily. We hope they will learn many things quickly, not only about work but also inregard to the English language, U.S. research and education systems, and that they will each play a keyrole here in Washington, D.C.On April 15 our office welcomed the arrival of Advisor Junichi Kawabata from the Ministry of Education,Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. Mr. Kawabata has worked in variousdepartments of MEXT as well as the Agency of Cultural Affairs, particularly relating to internationalexchange, education, academic research, nuclear power and culture and art. With his great experienceand knowledge, Mr. Kawabata will support our office for the next year.With the latest additions, we are now a seven-member office :Hirotaka Sugawara DirectorFumiyo Kaneko Deputy DirectorJunichi Kawabata Advisor (Ministry of Education, Culture,Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT)Tetsuo Goda Advisor/NSF MEXT Fellow (Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology, MEXT)Thet WinLiaison OfficerJunya Seino International Program Associate (NaraInstitute of Science and Technology)Yohei Kaneko International Program Associate(Obihiro University of Agriculture &Veterinary Medicine)International Program Associate Seino, Advisor Kawabataand International Program Associate Kaneko from the leftParticipating in the Orientation for the NSF EAPSI Summer Program (April 3 through 5)The Washington Office participated in the orientation for the2011 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)organized by the NSF on April 3 through 5, explaining theJSPS summer program to American graduate students whoare scheduled to visit Japan as participants in the program.Director Sugawara (standing on the left) and Dr. Emig,Director of the NSF Tokyo Office (standing on the right)exchange words with participants.Despite concernsabout the studentspossibly cancellingtheir visit to Japanfollowing theunprecedentedearthquake andtsunami on March11, all 64 selectedstudentsexpressed their intention to visit Japan as scheduled, probablybecause none of them were assigned to stay with researchorganizations in the Tohoku region, which was seriouslyimpacted by the disaster.Deputy Director Kaneko talks about Japaneseculture.

During the orientation, NSF staff gave a summary presentation to the participants who will be sent tovarious countries for participation in EAPSI projects, after which the participants were divided into groupsby destination country for separate sessions. During the Japanese session Deputy Director Kaneko of theWashington Office talked about Japanese history and culture and gave a simple Japanese lesson, whileScience Counselor Inutsuka from the Embassy of Japan in the U.S. introduced Japan’s science andtechnology policies, after which Director Sugawara gave a status report on the radiation situation followingthe nuclear meltdown in Fukushima and offered words of encouragement to the students visiting Japan.Also, Director Anne Emig of the NSF’s Tokyo Office and Ms. Eri Nakamura from the Overseas FellowshipDivision of the JSPS Headquarters explained the procedures the students must complete in order to obtainpassports and visas, and discussed the scheduled events. The two also gave tips on how the studentsshould behave at their host locations in Japan.Although the orientation was held shortly after the earthquake,the participants, despite showing some concerns about thecurrent state of Japan, were basically positive in regard totheir scheduled visit to the country. During the Q&A sessionthey made encouraging comments regarding their intent toparticipate in rescue activities and rebuilding efforts.Explanation by Ms. Nakamura from the JSPSHeadquartersThis year’s orientation not only served merely as aninformative event to explain the administrative aspects of theparticipants’ visit to Japan, but it also provided an opportunityto lessen their anxiety about traveling to Japan after theearthquake and to ensure a common understanding about theimportance of international exchange by overcomingadversities like the one Japan has experienced.Taking Part in the Sakura Street Festival (April 9)During the Sakura StreetFestival held on thePennsylvania Avenue indowntown D.C. on April 9,the JSPS, JST, JAXA,NEDO and otherJapanese governmentagencies relating toscience and technologyand Japanese companiesincluding Hitachi formed ateam named ”Sakura Science” and set up a booth to introduce whatJapan is doing in the field of science and technology and academicresearch to residents in D.C. at large.International Program Associates Seino and Kanekotalk about scientific advances in Japan. Soon aftertheir arrival in Washington, D.C., the two alreadyhave a chance to demonstrate their knowledge.Despite the chilly wind that made us feel spring was still far away, the Street Festival attracted many peopleand the Sakura Science booth was also filled with interested visitors.At the “Sakura Science” booth, satellite photos provided by the JAXA and brochures and promotionmaterials from the JSPS, JST, JAMSTEC and NEDO were used to inform the visitors. Looking at thechildren glued to the electron microscopes provided by Hitachi, some staff members said, “We may havefuture Nobel laureates right here!”

We promised to ourselves to make even greater presence with the team “Sakura Science” at the festivalnext year as it will mark the one hundred year anniversary of the Japanese donation of cherry trees.The members of the team “SAKURA Science”Study Meeting with Advisor Goda on Japan’s Higher Education System (April 9)When we welcomed Mr. Tetsuo Goda from the Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as Advisorto our office at the end of February, we had an opportunity tohave him educate our office staff about the higher educationsystem and its history in Japan.Mr. Goda explained very politely and in a plain manner thehistorical background of how Japanese universities wereestablished and legal basis of the current university organization,among others. Imparting his extensive and deep knowledgeabout Japan’s higher education, Mr. Goda helped all staffmembers learn a great deal about things they should know aseither an incumbent staff member at a university or member of an organization that supports universities.Our office consists of diverse members including the director who is also a researcher, Advisor from MEXT,JSPS staff, local staff and International Program Associates who are trainees sent from Japaneseuniversities, and this diversity provides an advantage in that we can exchange knowledge and informationabout our respective host organizations and their backgrounds. We will continue to exchange knowledge inour office.Attending the AAAS “Science and Technology Policy Forum” (May 5 & 6)We attended the symposium on science and technologypolicies organized by the American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS) at a conference center inWashington, D.C. over two days on May 5 and 6. This meetingis held annually by the AAAS during this time of the year.The 5th, or the first day of the event, kicked off with theopening message from Dr. Nina Fedroff, and the morningprogram included the keynote lecture by Dr. Holdren (Assistantto the President for Science and Technology) in regard to thebudget of the U.S. government and other key issues onscience and technology; explanation by Dr. Patric Clemens

(Director of AAAS’s R&D Budget Policy Program) in regard to the U.S. budgetary request for R&D activitiesin 2012; and speech by Mr. David Marc Pomerantz (Minority Staff Director of the U.S. HouseAppropriations Committee) in regard to an outlook on research and innovation by the U.S. Congress.Dr. Holdren pointed out in his lecture that President Obama was appointing many scientists to key positionsin the U.S. government and making many comments about science and technology and STEM educationduring his speeches at various venues, and stressed the science and technology focus of the policies ofthe current U.S. administration. He also gave a brief introduction to the policy recommendations andstudies on science and technology made by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science andTechnology (PCAST), and said that the U.S. government has made an effort to better the U.S. societythrough science and technology under the leadership of the PCAST and Office of Science and TechnologyPolicy (OSTP). He also mentioned what the Obama administration had done so far, including nearly 100billion dollars of investments in infrastructure building in the areas of research, energy, space and scienceand technology under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), 700 million dollars ofspending for the improvement of STEM education, and announcement of the Stem Cell Guideline as wellas action guidelines for government research and funding organizations regarding Scientific Integrity. TheR&D and funding budget for each government organization for 2012 was also explained.During the lunch session, Dr. Subra Suresh, NSF Director, gave a lecture on the state of R&D around theworld and roles of the NSF.In the afternoon, three sessions were held side by side in different rooms under the theme of “Major Issuesin Science and Technology Policy.” The specific sessions were “Communicating Science for Policy,”“Emerging Issues in Scientific Integrity: Institutional and Personal Perspectives” and “The DeepwaterHorizon Oil Spill: Scientific and Policy Perspectives.”On the 6th, the program began with the breakfast session at 7 am and the panel discussion on “NationalInnovation Strategy” was held in the morning, while another panel discussion was held in the afternoonunder the title, “U.S. Research Universities: How Many Do We Need? How Many Can We Afford?” Duringthe day’s lunch session, Chairman Jaczko of the U.S.Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a lecture on thenuclear crisis management policies in the U.S. following thenuclear meltdown in Fukushima.Over the two days we were immersed in lectures anddiscussions regarding the U.S. science and technologypolicies from morning to evening, even during lunch throughlunch sessions.Government officials and scientists interested in the S&Tpolicies are busy networking during the coffee break.* Presentations and recordings made during the conferenceare available on the following AAAS website:http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/forum2011/

Attending the Robot Suit HAL Seminar at the NSF (May 13)Our office staff took part in the Robot Suit HAL seminar heldat the NSF.This seminar was planned by the NSF, at the opportunity ofhaving Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai of Tsukuba University inWashington, D.C., to introduce Professor Sankai’s researchto robot engineers in the U.S., primarily program officers atthe NSF. Professor Sankai’s research project is “WorldLeading Human-assistive Technology Supporting aLong-lived and Healthy Society” selected under the “FundingProgram for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science andTechnology, FIRST Program” for which the JSPS serves asthe administration office.HAL stands for “Hybrid Assistive Limb.” When we try to moveour muscles, nerve signals are transmitted from our brain tothe muscles through motor neurons to move the musculoskeletal system. During this process, very weakbio electronic signals are issued. By reading these signals and controlling and moving the robot suitaccordingly, movements of the arms and legs, etc., can be assisted. This suit is designed to substitute thefunctions of the arms and legs. During his presentation, Professor Sankai reported a case where, a patientwith brain damage who had lost some use of his body practiced walking wearing the HAL on his lower bodyand then subsequently removed the HAL, and found that he could not only walk on his own, but alsoexperienced improved moments of his upper body and conversation skills. A demo involving a volunteeractually wearing the HAL was also conducted where the POs from the NSF and other participants watchedthe robot suit movements with great interest.Professor Sankai established a company named “Cyberdyne” thatleases robot suits to hospitals. As many as 200 HALs are currentlyleased to 75 hospitals and welfare facilities throughout Japan.Prof. Sankai makes a presentation, and Dr. Shingu, ofCyberdyne, performs demonstration with the HALattached.Participants were attracted to the HAL’s function.Application fields of theHAL are not only limitedto welfare and caresupport, but opportunitiesare also found inwide-ranging areasincluding tasks carriedout at factories andconstruction sites orrescue operation supportat scenes of accidents,as well as for the purposeof entertainment.(From the left) Dr. Shingu, Thet Win andAdvisor GodaParticipants posedendless questions about the cutting-edge researchpresented by Professor Sankai.

Exchange Events with the German DFG Office (May 25, June 16)We had the good fortune to get acquainted with Director Max Voegler of the German funding agency DFGwhen we attended the aforementioned AAAS “Science and Technology Policy Forum” held on May 5 and 6.During the conversation, we promised to each other to make mutual visits to promote exchange.At the conference room shared by the offices of the DFGand other German organizations, (from the left) AdvisorKawabata, Deputy Director Kaneko, DFG Director Voegler,JST Director Ohama and International Program AssociateSeinoWe realized this promise first on May 25 when we made apresentation at our office about the organization andactivities of the JSPS and functions of its WashingtonOffice, after which we visited the DFG office and receiveda similar presentation on the organization and activities ofthe DFG. The DFG’s Washington Office is shared withother German organizations including the DLR (GermanAerospace Center), BDI (Representative Office of GermanIndustry and Trade) and Germany Trade and Invest. Therespective organizations have their office on the samefloor and share the reception and meeting rooms. TheDFG also has a representative office in New York and Dr.Voegler is currently serving as heads of both offices, but afull-time director of New York Office will be appointed thisfall.Again on June 16, when the DFG Director gave a lectureon the education system and research aid system in Germany to the staff members of the U.S. Departmentof State scheduled to be sent to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Germany, the JSPS’s Washingtonstaff were invited to the lecture together with Director Ohama of the JST Office.As for the education system, in Germany fifth elementary graders must choose their next stage ofeducation from among the routes eventually leading to vocational training and university. We found this,and other differences from the Japanese education system, very interesting. We were also impressedwhen Dr. Voegler emphasized the German system where effective career paths were presented to PhDstudents to demonstrate their abilities not only in research organizations, but also in German companiesand eventually at the management level.Turning to the research aid system, explanations were givenabout the function and sizes of the DFG, DAAD, HumboldtFoundation and other funding agencies similar to the JSPS,as well as the Fraunhofer Institute, Max-Planck Institute,Helmholtz Association and other research organizationsconducting research, along with the DFG’s “ExcellenceInitiatives,” an aid program for the COE. The ExcellenceInitiatives program will be in its third phase in 2012 and theDFG is hoping to build a system to enhance the cooperatingrelationships among the respective research organizations.At the end of his lecture, Dr. Voegler commented on thepositioning of Germany in the E.U. by explaining the mergerof the European Science Foundation (ESF) andEUROHORCs in October 2011, and also talked about theFramework Program, an E.U. science and technologypromotion program, in its seventh phase and explained theroles of the European Research Council charged withresearch funding for the entire Europe under this program.At the conference room shared by the offices of the DFG andother German organizations, (from the left) Deputy DirectorKaneko, International Program Associate Kaneko, DFGDirector Voegler and JST Director Ohama

Visiting the University of British Columbia, TRIUMF and Consulate General of Japan inVancouver, and Attending the NAFSA 2001 Annual Conference and Expo(May 27 through June 3)Taking the opportunity of their attendance at the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo held in Vancouver,Canada, Advisor Kawabata and International Program Associates Seino and Kaneko visited the Universityof British Columbia and TRIUMF, a leading university and research organization in Canada, and theConsulate General of Japan in Vancouver.[May 27] Visiting the University of British Columbia (UBC)We were received by Associate Professor Julian Diekes, who isalso Associate Professor at the Centre for Japanese Researchand Associate Director of the Institute of Asian Research. First,our representatives presented an activity overview of the JSPSand Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (MEXT). This was followed by Q&A and exchanges.The UBC is a general university established in 1908 by the Stateof British Columbia. The university is attended by approx. 40,000undergraduate students and approx.10,000 graduate students.The UBC hosts many foreign students amounting to approx. 6,000With Dr. Diekes at the UBC(as of 2008). Of these, there are approx. 300 Japaneseundergraduate students and about 50 Japanese graduate students.The UBC has a long history of Japanese studies, starting from the establishment of the JapaneseSituations course in 1934 and more recently, with the opening of the Centre for Japanese Research in1992. At the Centre for Japanese Research, Japanese researchers in various departments and other staffmembers are actively organizing symposiums and seminars.Situated on the university’s campus is the UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden, built to honor Mr. Inazo Nitobe,who died in Victoria during his visit to Canada. The UBC provides a huge campus and extremely favorableeducation environment, and we saw many Asian students there.Associate Professor Diekes himself has studied in Japan and visited Japan more than a dozen times and ispretty well-versed in Japan.[May 31] Visiting the TRIUMFThe TRIUMF is Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle andNuclear Physics located next to the University of BritishColumbia. Among others, the TRIUMF has signed an academicexchange agreement with the High Energy AcceleratorResearch Organization (KEK) and is actively drivinginternational joint research projects with Japan including thoseled by the KEK, such as T2K (research on neutrino vibration byirradiating the neutrino beam developed by the JPARC inTokaimura into the Super Kamiokande), ILC (linear colliderplan) and CERN’s LHC (Large Hadron Collider).We were received by Director Nigel Lockyer and manyresearchers at the TRIUMF. After their presentation about anoverview of the TRIUMF, our representatives explained anoverview of the JSPS, which was followed by exchanges and acenter tour.With researchers at the TRIUMF

[May 31] Visiting the Consulate General of Japan inVancouverOur representatives made a presentation about an overview ofthe JSPS to Consul Tetsuya Isono who received our delegation,which was followed by Q&A and a visit to Consul GeneralHideki Ito.The Consul General explained how Japan helped with theestablishment of the Centre for Japanese Research at the UBC,condition of Japanese living in Vancouver, and so on.With Consul General Ito at the Consulate General ofJapan in Vancouver[June 1 & 2] Attending the NAFSA 2011 Annual Conference & ExpoWe attended the NAFSA (Association of International Educators)Annual Conference & Expo held in Vancouver. The NAFSA is anonprofit organization established in the U.S. in 1948 for thepurpose of promoting exchanges in the area of internationaleducation. The NAFSA has nearly 10,000 members at over 3,500institutions worldwide, such as educational institutions,organizations, government agencies and private companies,representing over 150 countries. This year’s conference attractedmore than 9,000 visitors from around the world.In addition to attending various sessions, we had an opportunityto talk with Associate Professor Cheryl Matherly of TulsaUniversity, who was invited as a speaker for a foreign studyprogram and is a cooperator under the “Nano Japan” program.Japan Pavilion at NAFSA EXPOAt the Japan Study Fair held in the Expo Hall, 19 universities were promoting their programs to prospectivestudents. Particularly impressive was the active promotion campaign run by the Nara Institute of Scienceand Technology, to which International Program Associate Seino belongs, jointly with the Japan AdvancedInstitution of Science and Technology (in Hokuriku).Organizing the Executive Committee Meeting of the US JSPS Fellows Alumni Association(June 4)We organized the Executive Committee Meeting of theAlumni Association consisting of former fellows of the U.S.JSPS programs who were invited to Japan and havesubsequently returned to the U.S. and are playing importantroles in their respective fields.The meeting was attended by our office staff as well as Dr.Kakouris (Chair of the Committee), Dr. Doutrich (in charge ofbiology and medical science), Dr. Hu (in charge ofchemistry) and Dr. Mirza (in charge of physics) representingthe Executive Committee.The participants closely discussed a number of issues oneby one, including the schedule toward the forum organized by the Alumni Association this year, amount ofthe newly introduced membership fee effective from this year and how to collect the membership fees,changes to the Alumni Association Rules (By-Laws) discussed by the Association members at the last

annual assembly, confirmation of the 2011 winners under the “Bridge Fellowship Program”—a programunder which the JSPS invites Alumni Association Members to Japan again—and confirmation of therecruitment/screening schedule under the program for the next year, schedule for preparing the newsletterissued by the Alumni Association, and method of recruitment of host researchers and organizations for thenext year’s forum. Information and programs were shared by the Washington Office staff and ExecutiveCommittee members of the Alumni Association.Organizing the Science in Japan Forum: “Immune System and Cancer” (June 21)The JSPS Washington Office organized the “Science in JapanForum” under the theme of “Immune System and Cancer” onJune 21. “Science in Japan Forum” is the title for a series ofsymposiums held every June by inviting Japanese and U.S.experts in respective fields, and this year’s forum marks the 16thinstallation of the discussion event. Many of the pastsymposiums were about topics relating to physics and this is thefirst time the discussion focuses on a specific topic in the field ofmedical science, namely “immune system and cancer.”This year’s forum was organized under the leadership of twoOrganizing Chairmen from Japan and the U.S., including Dr.Hiroo Imura, President of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation, and Dr. Richard Krause,Former Director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Eight senior andyoung experts in immunology in Japan and the U.S. were invited as lecturers, including Professor TasukuHonjo from Kyoto University, Dr. Hiroshi Shiku from Mie University, Dr. Nagahiro Minato from KyotoUniversity, Dr. Nussenzweig from Rockefeller University, Dr. Louis Staudt from the NIH, Dr. Kenya Hondafrom Tokyo University, and Dr. Osamu Takeuchi and Dr. Hiroyoshi Nishikawa from Osaka University.The morning session was moderated by Dr. Staudt, while theafternoon session was led by Dr. Honjo. At the closing of theevent, Deputy Director Toshio Kuroki, of Research Center forScience Systems, from Japan greeted the audience andexplained the effects of the March earthquake in Japan on theresearch organizations in the Tohoku region and current stateof the WPI program.The venue of the forum was filled with more than 100participants who made heated exchanges amongst themselvesfollowing each lecture.Director Sugawara with Japanese and U.S. OrganizingChairmen(From the left) Director Sugawara, Dr. Krause and Dr.Imura(Reference) Detailed reports, agenda and lecture materialspresented at the forum are available on the followingWashington Office website:http://www.jspsusa.org/FORUM2011/forumoutline11.html

Discussion with Dr. Honjo from Kyoto University andDr. Staudt from the NIHWith Japanese and U.S. Organizing Chairmen, lecturers DeputyDirector Kuroki of RCSS and Dr. Sugarawa, Director of JSPSWashington OfficeJSPS DC Office staff served as MCs, reception staff, AV controllers, cameramen, and ushers, among othersVisiting the UC Santa Cruz, Stanford University and JSPS SF Office (June 23 through 29)Director Sugawara and Deputy Director Kaneko visited the UC Santa Cruz, Stanford University and JSPSSF Office at the end of June and gathered information from the universities and exchanged opinions withresearchers.[June 23 (Thu)] Visiting University of California, Santa Cruz(UCSC)Overview of UCSCEstablished in 1965.Attended by 14,888 undergraduate students and 1,444 graduatestudents as of 2009.The GPA (Grade Point Average) of freshmen is 3.61 in 2009,indicating a high academic standard of students studying there.The UCSC adopts the college system like Oxbridge in the U.K.,and each college has a different culture. There are a total of 10colleges.Visitors are first overwhelmed by the huge campus spreading2,000 acres (approx. 809 hectares). There are wooded areas, hills and ranches, and creeks runningbetween colleges on the campus have bridges over them. It seems the campus is spread out in greatnature. According to Dr. David Dorfan of the Physics Department who escorted us, the UCSC has thelargest campus in the U.S. Nearly all the students are commuting by car.The UCSC is home of top-level research in astronomy and physics.UCSC’s huge premises. This area is located evenwithin its campus.

According to the 2011-2012 world university ranking by “TimesHigher Education,” the UCSC is ranked the 110th following someof the 10 UC campuses including Barkley (10th), Los Angeles(13th), San Diego (33rd), Santa Barbra (35th), Davis (38th) andIrvine (86th).With Dr. Dorfan (second from the left) and Dr.Primack (second from the right)All of the 10 UC campuses are facing a very tough financialsituation. The UCSC is also in a challenging business condition,as it sees its budget allocated by the State of California declineevery year and must reduce 100 faculty and staff members overcoming years.[June 24 (Fri)]Visiting the Stanford University’s National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC)Overview of SLACNational laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy,established in 1962 on the campus of the Standard University inMenlo Park.The SLAC has the longest linear accelerator facility in the world.Currently top-class researchers over the world are gathered at theSLAC to study astrophysics, photonic science, and acceleratorand elementary particlephysics. It goes withoutsaying that the SLAChas many rivals andfriends of DirectorHirotaka Sugawara of With Dr. Holtkamp (far right)the Washington Office,Director Seishi Takeda of the SF Office and Director MakotoKobayashi of the JSPS Research Center for Science Systems.At the SLAC, we met Dr. Norbert Holtkamp, Director of theAccelerator Directorate, and exchanged opinions about thecurrent state of research exchange between Japan and the U.S.in the field of elementary particle physics and international exchanges programs of the SLAC.Visiting the JSPS San Francisco OfficeWe visited the San Francisco Office and exchanged informationregarding the event schedules at the two JSPS offices in theU.S., roles of office staff, and how research responsibilities onhigher education and science and technology are dividedbetween the two offices, among others.At the San Francisco Office, we could talk with both theincoming and outgoing Deputy Directors who were in theprocess of handover before the new Deputy Director takesoffice in July.While all members of the Washington Office, except for DeputyDirector Kaneko, are men, the San Francisco Office is anall-female office except for Director Takeda. Naturally we couldsense a difference in atmosphere in the office.With SF Office membersWe reconfirmed that the two offices will continue to exchange information regarding the condition of theirrespective activities and carry out duties based on the roles assigned to each office.

– Topics on Science and Technology in the U.S. –● The National Science Foundation Announces Its new Five-year Strategic Plan (April)The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced in April a strategic plan spelling out its researchinitiatives and targets for five years from 2011 through 2016. The newly published plan focuses more onresearch outcomes than the previous one (strategic plan for 2006 through 2011) under the followingconcept: “The NSF shall take full advantage of science and engineering concepts to help the nationdemonstrate global leadership in the development of research and education.”The NSF also added three new strategic targets including: [1] Transform the frontiers, [2] Innovate forsociety, and [3] Perform as a model organization. It also made changes to the method to evaluate theoutcomes of research/education programs funded by the NSF.(Reference)NSF, Empowering the Nation Through Discovery and Innovation - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY)2011-2016http://www.nsf.gov/news/strategicplan/index.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_124.American Institute of Biological Sciences, NSF Outlines New Vision and Goals in Five Year Strategic Planhttp://www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports/2011_05_09.html#031054● President Obama Announces a New Member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science andTechnology (June 7)President Obama announced on the 7th that he would appoint Mr. Mark Gorenberg as a new member ofthe President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).Mr. Gorenberg has been the senior managing director of the software investment company HummerWindblad Venture Partners since 1990. He will fill the vacant position left by Mr. Harold Varmus when heresigned from the PCAST to become the director of the National Cancer Institute.Mr. Gorenberg used to run a new media startup with San Microsystems and was the first member of theSpark Station Team.President Obama Fills Vacancy on his Council of Advisors on Science and Technologyhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/gorenberg-release-final.pdf● The National Science Foundation Announces Its Proposed Revision to the Merit Review Criteria(June 14)The National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Science Board (NSB) announced a proposedrevision to the NSF’s “Merit Review Criteria” on the 14th. The latest announcement comes after theproposal made by the NSB Merit Review Taskforce at the NSB meeting in May about revising the purposesof the two evaluation criteria, namely “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impact” as well as the review processbased on these criteria. The NSF is inviting comments from stakeholders on the proposed revision untilJuly 14, 2011.National Science Board, NSB/NSF Seeks Input on Proposed Merit Review Criteria Revision and Principleshttp://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2011/06_mrtf.jsp

● Move toward Standardization of Federal Grant Procedures (June 23)Controller Danny Werfel of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said at the housepublic hearing on the 23rd that it would be ideal that grant procedures be standardized within the federalgovernment to provide uniform standards to be followed in the preparation of grand application documents.Federal grant spending had grown from 135 billion dollars to 608 billion dollars per year over the past 20years, and 1,670 grant programs were offered by 23 federal government agencies in 2010. Many of thoseprograms are sponsored by the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Department ofTransportation.At the same public hearing, a financial control analysts from the U.S. Government Accountability Office(GAO) criticized that the current state of federal monitoring process is not appropriate, that cost benefitanalysis has not been performed at many government agencies and that the guidance from the OMB isoften not made in a timely manner.Government Executive, Federal grant-making procedures could be consolidated, controller sayshttp://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0611/062311cc1.htm(Activity Records)[April]April 1April 4April 9April 9 to 26April 13April 15April 21April 25April 25 and 26April 29Dr. Roy Schwitters of Texas University visited the JSPS.New International Program Associates took office(Mr. Yohei Kaneko from Obihiro University of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine andMr. Junya Seino from Nara Institute of Science and Technology)Participated in the Orientation of the NSF EAPSI Summer Program at WashingtonMarriott Hotel.Attended the Sakura Street FestivalDirector Sugawara visited Japan and UCLA.(Meeting of JSPS Overseas Office Directors at JSPS HQ on April 21)Professor Junichiro Kono of Rice University visited the JSPS.Advisor Junichi Kawabata took office.Riken BNL visited the JSPS.Attended the liaison meeting of science corporations in WashingtonAccompanied the Delegation of the ESD U.S./Japan Faculty Exchange Program tovisit the U.S. Department of EducationAttended the meeting of the NSF Advisory Committee for International Science andEngineering as a silent observerAttended the NIH’s Friday Meeting (Kinyo-Kai)

[May]May 2May 4May 5 and 6May 9May 13May 16May 17May 18May 19May 20May 25May 26May 27 to June 3[June]June 3June 4June 8June 13June 14June 15June 16June 17June 21June 23 to 29Ms. Maki Fukami, a fellow of JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, ofKyoto University/George Washington University, visited the JSPS.Attended the lecture by Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Scienceand Technology, at George Washington UniversityAttended the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Forum at Ronald ReaganBuilding and International Trade CenterParticipants of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) invited by theU.S. Department of State (faculty and staff members from MEXT, Tokyo University,Waseda University and Kyoritsu Women’s University) visited the JSPS.Attended the Robot Suit HAL Seminar at the NSFNetworking meeting with Dr. Machi Dilworth, NSF OISE DirectorAttended the liaison meeting of science corporations in WashingtonNetworking meeting with the visiting MEXT CULCON membersNetworking meeting with Mr. Fujishima, Director-General for International Affairs ofMEXTAttended the CUOLCON Reception at the Ambassador’s residence (Sugawara,Kawabata, Goda and Kaneko)Mr. Naoki Murata from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited the JSPS.Attended the USJI Seminar at Hilton Embassy RowVice President Kotera of Kyoto University visited the JSPS.Networking meeting with Mr. Komatsu, Deputy Director-General of MEXTThe director of the German DFG’s Washington Office visited the JSPS. Visited theDFG’s Washington OfficeThe director of the South Korean KUSCO’s Washington Office, etc., visited theJSPS.Dr. Greg Durgin from the Georgia Institute of Technology visited the JSPS.Visited the University of British Columbia, TRIUMF and NAFSA 2011 AnnualConference and Expo in Vancouver (Kawabata, Seino and Kaneko)Held a workshop at the Embassy of Japan in the U.S.Executive Committee Meeting of the US JSPS Fellows Alumni Association at theJSPS’s meeting roomAssociate Professor Takeuchi from California State University visited the JSPS.Attended the liaison meeting of science corporations in WashingtonMr. Hiroshi Hayashi of the NICT visited the JSPS.Hosted JHU Intern Mr. Liusuke Nagayoshi (until the end of July)Attended the presentation on German education/research systems at the DFGOffice (Kaneko, Seino and Nagayoshi)Attended the NIH’s Friday Meeting (Kinyo-kai)Held the Science in Japan Forum on “Immune System and Cancer” at CosmosClubVisited the UCSC, Stanford University, JSPS SF Office and UCLA (Sugawara andKaneko)(Responsible Editor: Fumiyo Kaneko)