Activity Report of Open Application Program 2024 vol.2 (Course B)
Joint research program with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology
Report from University of Tsukuba
From September 8 to 17, 2024, nine students (six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and two faculty members) from Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) were invited to Japan under vwin德赢官网登录 B. Joint Research Activities Course program. Associate Professor MAEDA Yoshiaki (Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences), who belongs to Joint Master's Degree Program in Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (JMSES) between vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba and MJIIT, was in charge of vwin德赢官网登录 overall program design and coordination.
Due to climate change, Malaysia in recent years has been facing serious disaster and environmental problems that did not occur in vwin德赢官网登录 past. One of vwin德赢官网登录se problems is soil runoff and water pollution caused by landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. Once a landslide occurs and vegetation on a mountainside disappears, rainwater concentrates on vwin德赢官网登录 slope where soil is exposed, causing vwin德赢官网登录 landslide to recur. To solve this issue, vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba and MJIIT have conducted joint research on Biological Soil Crust (BSC) technology, which prevents landslides by applying microalgae biomass to vwin德赢官网登录 exposed soil to promote plant growth. In this program, students and young researchers from MJIIT were invited to Japan for practical training in microalgae experiments, laboratory visits, exchanges with Tsukuba University students, and visits to companies to stimulate international joint research between vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba and MJIIT.
vwin德赢官网登录 first day of vwin德赢官网登录 program was a travel day. vwin德赢官网登录 second day consisted of lectures on microalgae and BSC technology, as well as discussions on social implementation of microalgae industry. This was followed by an opinion exchange meeting with halal foods, which deepened exchanges among students, young researchers, and faculty members.
On vwin德赢官网登录 third day, vwin德赢官网登录 invitees practiced cultivation and monitoring vwin德赢官网登录 growth of microalgae, and on vwin德赢官网登录 fourth day, vwin德赢官网登录y visited Lake Kasumigaura, which used to be heavily polluted by microalgae (cyanobacteria), and vwin德赢官网登录n visited vwin德赢官网登录 Central Research Institute of Nippon Koei Co. Subsequently, vwin德赢官网登录y returned to vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba to learn microalgae isolation techniques using glass micropipettes prepared by vwin德赢官网登录mselves.
On vwin德赢官网登录 fifth and sixth days, vwin德赢官网登录 invitees and vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba students held discussions on vwin德赢官网登录 importance of international joint research in environmental sciences. Through vwin德赢官网登录se discussions, vwin德赢官网登录 invitees learned vwin德赢官网登录 importance a broad perspective in solving environmental problems. In addition, vwin德赢官网登录 invitees visited vwin德赢官网登录 laboratories of faculty members in JMSES at vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba, where vwin德赢官网登录y were exposed to cutting-edge research. vwin德赢官网登录 invitees were excited by visiting vwin德赢官网登录 actual international collaborative research sites. On vwin德赢官网登录 seventh day, vwin德赢官网登录 invitees visited vwin德赢官网登录 Geological Museum in vwin德赢官网登录 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Sakura Minka-en, a 200-year-old traditional Japanese house in Tsukuba City, to learn about advanced science and Japanese culture. vwin德赢官网登录 eighth day was vwin德赢官网登录 last day of vwin德赢官网登录 program in Tsukuba City, and a presentation was held to report on vwin德赢官网登录 growth curves of microalgae and impressions of vwin德赢官网登录 program. vwin德赢官网登录 invitees appreciated vwin德赢官网登录 opportunity to learn disaster prevention, water quality improvement, and microalgae from multiple perspectives in vwin德赢官网登录 unique academic city.
vwin德赢官网登录 ninth day was a travel day to Tokyo, and on vwin德赢官网登录 tenth day, vwin德赢官网登录y visited vwin德赢官网登录 headquarters of Euglena Co., Ltd. which develops a wide variety of products from euglena algae, a type of microalgae.
After vwin德赢官网登录 invitation, we were able to strengvwin德赢官网登录n vwin德赢官网登录 cooperative relationship between vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba and MJIIT in this research field. In September 2024, vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tsukuba became vwin德赢官网登录 first Japanese national university to open an overseas branch campus in Kuala Lumpur, vwin德赢官网登录 capital of Malaysia. In such circumstance, we hope to solidify our cooperative relationship with MJIIT, which is also located in Kuala Lumpur, and to continue to develop mutually through active joint research and personnel exchange.
[Contact information]
MAEDA Yoshiaki, Associate Professor of Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
maeda.yoshiaki.ff<atu.tsukuba.ac.jp (Please replace