Nano Korea 2004 convened for four days, from August 24 through 27, 2004, at an exhibition hall within the COEX Mall, a popular venue for the younger crowd in the commercial development district (Gangnam) on the south side of the Hangang River that runs through central Seoul. Cosponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy, the event comprised a symposium and business show focused on nano technologies (nano materials, nano devices, and product applications).

A speaker from South Korea gave a presentation entitled “Nano Particular Materials Technology in Japan” which focused on AIST’s accomplishments in nanotechnology research.

Numerous countries were represented at the business show, including Japan, South Korea, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Estonia. Around 6,200 people visited the show during its four-day span. Many visitors showed up to see the AIST exhibit, which was located in a section of the NEDO booth and comprised a display of technologies for photocatalytic environmental filtration (photocatalytic filters). Some of the visitors were former AIST-associate Korean researchers who came away deeply impressed by the AIST technology exhibit.

The Euroanalysis XIII Conference, which convened September 6, 2004 in Salamanca, Spain, included an awards ceremony for conferral of the 2004 Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award, which is sponsored by Germany.

The recipient was Yoshinobu Baba, director of the AIST Single-Molecule Bio-analysis Laboratory, for his paper, "Nanospheres for DNA Separation Chips," which was published in Nature Biotechnology, 2004.

The Merck Award was set up by Merck KGaA to encourage research advances in the life sciences, materials chemistry, and analytical chemistry in the environmental field. It is awarded once every two years to researchers under the age of 45 who spearhead world-leading research on the development and implementation of new methods of chemical analysis. Since its establishment, the award has been granted to 10 individuals (two Americans, two Canadians, one Austrian, one German, one Israeli, one Briton, one Swiss, and one Japanese). Baba's award is the second to a Japanese national, coming 16 years after the first. The panel of judges comprised seven individuals (two Germans, two Americans, one Briton, one Japanese, and one Spaniard) renowned worldwide for their work in the field. The panel's task is to select from an international field of candidates one or two awardees who have recently demonstrated stunning research accomplishments.

The Fourth Japan-Australia Coal Research Workshop gathered on September 17, 2004 at the Grand Cube Osaka International Convention Center. The venue for this annual event alternates between Australia and Japan. Workshops are sponsored in Australia by government-affiliated Australian research institutes (CCSD, CSIRO), and in Japan by AIST, NEDO, the Center for Coal Utilization (CCUJ), and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). The AIST-affiliated Energy Technology Research Institute (ETRI) serves as the organizing secretariat for workshops held in Japan. Following a welcoming address by ETRI Deputy Director Jun Hama, keynote speeches by Australian Ambassador John McCarthy (read by Embassy Counselor John Kjar) and Michiaki Harada (CCUJ), and a presentation delivered by Kyoto University Professor Koh-ichi Miura concerning joint Japanese-Australian research, workshop participants split into three groups on coal ash management, gasification, and emissions control, respectively, held roundtable discussions, and engaged in active dialogue on future prospects for technical cooperation and collaborative research.

On October 14, 2004, representatives for AIST Tokyo Waterfront and Nippon Kagaku Miraikan took part in a ceremony held at Nippon Kagaku Miraikan offices to formally sign an agreement for cooperation aimed at promoting academic research and personnel exchange. After the signing ceremony, a desktop single-crystal growth apparatus researched and developed by AIST was installed in Nippon Kagaku Miraikan's Experiment Workshop in commemoration of the agreement and put on display.

The two institutions have adjacent facilities located within Tokyo Academic Park. Under their new cooperation agreement, they will coordinate their research and museum functions and strive to heighten their contributions to society in an effort to foster activities and exchange aimed at boosting public awareness and understanding of science and technology through specific exhibition-type events.

In the future, Miraikan will cooperate in the planning and operation of exhibitions held by AIST Tokyo Waterfront, and AIST Tokyo Waterfront researchers will collaborate in the planning of new Miraikan exhibitions. The heightened levels of exchange and interaction by academic research and exhibition staff for both institutions will hopefully afford society with enhanced benefits from cutting-edge technology.

On October 13, 2004, AIST Tsukuba Central 2 and AIST Tsukuba East provided the venues for presentation exhibits detailing the accomplishments of 25 research projects. This was the fourth in a series of annual events designed to allow corporate and university researchers an opportunity to directly observe the accomplishments of AIST research in a research setting and foster consideration for future cooperative ties with the institute. Although a recent typhoon had left rainy skies in its wake on the day of the event, many delegates were on hand from as far away as Kyushu, representing companies and universities as well as government-affiliated institutions for science and research and facilities for public welfare.

In addition to providing details on the research exhibits themselves, the AIST website also contains the text of interviews with exhibitors, highlights of the presentations and exhibits, pages devoted to interesting aspects of research, and a listing of research fields in which AIST has been involved to date. Many of the exhibits comprised actual demonstrations or video presentations. The opportunity to experience this many research demonstrations in one location comes only once each year. Persons interested in obtaining information on the next Open House are urged to utilize the following contacts. (Materials are in Japanese)

E-mail: is-weboffice@m.aist.go.jp
Website: http://unit.aist.go.jp/is/