German Ambassador to Japan visit to NAIST (March 17, 2022)

 Dr. Clemens von Goetze, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan, visited NAIST on March 17, 2022. NAIST President Dr. Kazuhiro Shiozaki, Prof. Jun Ohta, (Executive Director/Vice President), Dr. Tsukasa Ogasawara (Executive Director/Vice President) and Dr. Masako Shimamoto (Global Engagement Officer) welcomed the delegation.

 After greetings and introductions of NAIST's research and education activities, President Shiozaki mentioned NAIST's interdisciplinary focuses and exchanged opinions with Ambassador von Goetze on importance of STEAM education and liberal arts and of the need for the fusion of natural and social sciences
 After the courtesy visit, the delegation toured our campus, starting with a visit of Cybernetics and Reality Engineering Laboratory (Prof. Kiyoshi Kiyokawa). After Prof. Kiyokawa introduced the latest virtual reality technology, Ambassador von Goetze experienced a demonstration where the taste of food was changed by modulating the appearance and where he could actually feel hitting a digital tennis ball mid-air. Then Mr. Johannes Schirm, a German student who studies at the laboratory, explained a study concerning quantifying the sense of reality.
 Next, they visited the Applied Stress Microbiology Laboratory (Prof. Hiroshi Takagi), where the delegation had a lively discussion about Awamori, which was brewed and commercialized using yeast developed through industry-academia joint research.
 The delegation enjoyed learning about NAIST's research pursuits and meeting directly with our faculty and students to discuss recent developments in science and technology.

 It is expected that this visit will further stimulate educational and research collaboration between Germany and NAIST.