Australian Embassy Delegation Visit to NAIST (June 3, 2022)

Ms. Janine Pitt, Counselor for Education and Research of Australian Embassy Tokyo, visited NAIST on June 3, 2022. From NAIST, Prof. Jun Ohta, (Executive Director/Vice President), Dr. Masato Miyake (Assoc. Prof., Institute for Research Initiatives) who has a close relationship with the delegation, Mr. Leigh McDowell (Assoc. Prof., Division for Educational Development) and Dr. Masako Shimamoto (Global Engagement Officer, Division for Global Education) welcomed the delegation.

After Dr. Shimamoto gave introductions of NAIST's research and education activities, Prof. Ohta exchanged opinions with the delegation about the various topics such as industry/academia collaboration and research integrity, and how Australia and Japan tackle those issues. Then Mr. McDowell, who has been teaching English at NAIST for many years, explained NAIST's English education for Japanese students and Japanese education for international students. Then Ms. Pitt introduced how Australian Government promotes international student mobility through the New Colombo Plan and the Destination Australian Program. She said that they want to increase the student exchange between Japan and Australia through the above programs as well as through double degree programs.

After the courtesy visit, the delegation visited the Ubiquitous Computing Systems Laboratory (Prof. Keiichi Yasumoto) to see its Smart Home. In the Smart Home, Prof. Yasumoto and Mr. Shinya Misaki (D3) explained their research on recognizing and predicting the living activities of residents in the Smart Home by analyzing data from sensor devices installed there. In addition, Assist. Prof. Yuki Matsuda gave a demonstration on litter classification and a location recognition system using visualization of trash pickup activities and Mr. Tomoki Tanaka (D1) introduced the optimal shelter guidance in the event of disasters, both part of the laboratory's research to realize a Smart City. Ms. Pitt and her colleague were very impressed with NAIST's advanced research and achievements.

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