---------------------------------------------------------
INAMORI FOUNDATION E-mail News Vol.010
31 August 2011
---------------------------------------------------------
This E-mail News is distributed to those who have registered subscription or given us a business card.
---------------------------------------------------------
01: Topics related to the Kyoto Prize
- 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium held in San Diego, U.S.A. (April 4-6)
- Dr. Shinya Yamanaka gave his lecture in Boston, U.S.A. (June 9)
- Kyoto Prize Intellect Network - visit to Dr. Gromov and Dr. Whitesides, the former Kyoto Prize laureates (May 16, June 11)
- Launch of New website “Kyoto Prize eMuseum”
- Workshop by Mr. William Kentridge on YouTube
---------------------------------------------------------
01: Topics related to the Kyoto Prize
- 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium held in San Diego, U.S.A. (April 4-6)
Kyoto Prize Symposium (KPS) is held each spring in San Diego, California, U.S.A. and features the latest Kyoto Prize laureates. The 2011 Symposium, which was 10th, was held over three days from April 4 and was hosted jointly by the Kyoto Symposium Organization and three San Diego-based universities (San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego and University of San Diego).
Dr. Shinya Yamanaka’s commemorative lecture was held at San Diego State University, Dr. László Lovász’s was at University of California, San Diego and Mr. William Kentridge’s was at University of San Diego. More than 1,800 people including local residents, neighborhood high school students and university people came to listen to the inspiring talks by the laureates.
Prior to the lectures, the benefit dinner (referred to as the Gala) was held on April 4. The Gala started off with a silent prayer for the victims of the recent Great East Japan Earthquake. After a speech by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, the president of the Inamori Foundation, and the introduction of the laureates, college scholarships of US$10,000 each were awarded to six high school students entering universities from San Diego County and greater Tijuana, Mexico.
+[Photo News] - 2011 Kyoto Prize Symposium held in San Diego, U.S.A. (April 4-6)
+The 2010 Laureates / Advanced Technology Category / Biotechnology and Medical Technology Shinya Yamanaka
+The 2010 Laureates / Basic Sciences Category / Mathematical Sciences (including Pure Mathematics) László Lovász
+The 2010 Laureates / Arts and Philosophy Category / Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Craft, Architecture, Design) William Kentridge
- Dr. Shinya Yamanaka gave his lecture in Boston, U.S.A. (June 9)
On June 9, at a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., a lecture was given by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka. This event was sponsored by the Japan Society of Boston and supported by the Inamori Foundation.
Dr. Yamanaka gave his lecture. He spoke about what got him started in doing basic research, and then got him started in studying iPS cells. He also gave his thoughts on drug discovery using iPS cells in the near future.
Great things are expected of Dr. Yamanaka’s work in the future. In March, he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize by the King Faisal Foundation of Saudi Arabia, and in May, he received the Wolf Prize in Medicine from the Wolf Foundation of Israel.
+[Photo News] Dr. Shinya Yamanaka gave his lecture in Boston, U.S.A. (June 9)
+The 2010 Laureates / Advanced Technology Category / Biotechnology and Medical Technology Shinya Yamanaka
-Kyoto Prize Intellect Network - visit to the former Kyoto Prize laureates
Dr. Mikhael Gromov (May 16)
On May 16, we paid a visit to Dr. Gromov who lives in Paris, France. We had last met with Dr. Gromov nine years ago when he received the Kyoto Prize in 2002. Focusing his present research on the application of mathematics to biology, Dr. Gromov has defined the mechanism for transforming incoming and outcoming signals by the brain as an ergosystem (also referred to as an ergobrain, which is a word he coined). His research thesis on this subject can be found at his website; http://www.ihes.fr/~gromov/PDF/ergobrain.pdf. Furthermore, he has also been providing support for research on the application of mathematics to shed light on the causes of heart attacks.
Dr. George Whitesides (June 11)
On June 11, we visited Dr. Whitesides at his laboratory at Harvard University in Massachusetts, U.S.A. In spite of just having returned from a business trip abroad, Dr. Whitesides made time to meet with us for an enthusiastic discussion, primarily about the research activities he is currently involved in.
As he has long been a strong advocate of interdisciplinary efforts, he shows a keen interest in social issues and problems, such as health care and education, that are outside of his own specialty (the field of chemistry), and he is currently putting his energy into carrying out research activities and developing businesses in these areas. Dr. Whitesides emphasized his views, saying, “In order to give back to society the results of our research in a concrete form, interaction should not be restricted to the academic community. It is necessary to approach and form collaborations with the government, which has the power to execute policies, as well as corporations, NPOs, and other bodies.” Dr. Whitesides expressed his hope as a Kyoto Prize laureate to continue making contributions to the betterment of human society, the objective of the Inamori Foundation.
+[Photo News] Kyoto Prize Intellect Network - visit to the former Kyoto Prize laureates
+The 2002 Laureates / Basic Sciences Category / Mathematical Sciences Mikhael Leonidovich Gromov
+The 2003 Laureates / Advanced Technology Category / Materials Science and Engineering George McClelland Whitesides
- Launch of New website “Kyoto Prize eMuseum”
On June 24, the new website “Kyoto Prize eMuseum” was launched. The varied contents of the Kyoto Prize eMuseum include the life histories of Kyoto Prize laureates past and present, the texts of their commemorative lectures and the videos of their “Message to the Future”.
+Kyoto Prize eMuseum
- Workshop by Mr. William Kentridge on YouTube
The video of the 2010 Kyoto Prize Workshop in Arts and Philosophy can now be seen on YouTube Inamori Foundation Channel. This video is truly invaluable, as it shows highlights from each of these three segments and provides a glimpse of Mr. Kentridge’s creative essence and philosophy, as well as his personality. We hope you will take a moment to look at this video.
+Inamori Foundation Channel on YouTube
+The 2010 Laureates / Arts and Philosophy Category / Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Craft, Architecture, Design) William Kentridge
---------------------------------------------------------
- If you wish to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Inamori Foundation E-mail News, or if you have no idea why you received this e-mail, please contact us. We also welcome your comments or suggestions:
mailnews_e@inamori-net.jp
- Inamori Foundation Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/InamoriFoundationE
- Back numbers of the Inamori Foundation E-mail News:
http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/e_mailnews.html
---------------------------------------------------------
Inamori Foundation
620 Suiginya-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
JAPAN 600-8411
Tel : +81-75-353-7272
Fax : +81-75-353-7270
E-mail : comm@inamori-f.or.jp
URL : www.inamori-f.or.jp
---------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2011 Inamori Foundation. All Rights Reserved.