Three presenters at ESOF 2010.
From left: Shigeru Kuratani from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Filippo Rijli from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Switzerland, and Anne Burke from Wesleyan University in the USA.
RIKEN was one of 50 institutes across Europe, the USA and Asia to host a booth at the meeting, and additionally organized and chaired a 75-minute session on developmental perspectives in vertebrate evolution. RIKEN’s participation at this year’s ESOF has helped to raise the organization’s international profile, promote collaboration with international research institutions, and attract young researchers to undertake studies at one of RIKEN’s leading research institutes.
The ESOF features invited lectures and keynote speeches, workshops and forums, along with exhibitions with booths. Keynote speakers at this year’s event included top-class scientists from around the world, among them three Nobel laureates. The event’s main hall, a former factory of the car-maker Fiat, hosted a total of around 4,300 visitors. An associated “Science in the City” program of outdoor lectures and scientific experiments held in locations around the city drew a total of 75,000 visitors. The Science in the City events were supported by the efforts of dedicated volunteers and provided a diverse and engaging experience for ESOF’s many participants from around the world.
Many of the visitors to the RIKEN booth were interested in the fields of environment and energy, reflecting a growing public awareness about these issues. Earthquake seismology also proved to be one of the most popular fields for those interested in RIKEN’s work. The booth provided a valuable opportunity for RIKEN to raise its visibility in Europe beyond the academic sphere. Organizers plan to build on this year’s success by hosting a single coordinated ‘Japan booth’ at the next forum in 2012 that will appeal even more effectively to a broader range of European participants.
Sharing information about recruitment opportunities at RIKEN was also a key success of the booth. The many interested visitors included groups of students from Australia and Europe. These interactions are vital in order to attract young researchers from around the world to join RIKEN in the future. Some of the students expressing interest at ESOF 2010 could one day be contributing to the advancement of science through participation in research at RIKEN.
