6th Lecture Series on Science and Technology
On April 27, the “6th Lecture Series on Science and Technology” sponsored by the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation, was held at Kyoto University.
This year again, the event was held in a hybrid format, i.e. at the venue and online, with a total of 124 listeners from Japan and abroad attending the lecture.
This lecture series is concerned with the current global issues of “effects of global warming” and “food issues.” In connection with these topics, lectures were held on how food and agriculture can contribute to the formation of a sustainable society, specifically under the topic of “Production of sustainable protein sources.”
In the first part, researchers from Germany and Japan were invited to speak on “Opportunities for the dairy industry emerging from sustainability” and “Can aquaculture save the world?”
Based on questions from the audience, an active exchange of opinion took place between the presenters and the audience, making the lecture a very meaningful event.
Right: Prof. Ikuo Hirono, Department of Marine Biological Resources, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
During the general discussion in the second part of the event, Prof. Goto of Hokkaido University served as moderator. In addition to the two speakers, Prof. Hirono and Prof. Bernhardt, two panelists were invited: Ms. Chihara, a student at the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University, and Mr. Li from Mongolia who is also a student at the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University. In addition to questions from the audience, the panelists discussed the “relationship between global environmental conservation, sustainability of production, and trade-offs in animal welfare,” which led to an active discussion among people from various backgrounds, namely Japan, Germany, and Mongolia.
Left: Prof. Takafumi Goto, Experiment Farm of the Agro-Ecosystem Research Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University
Center: Ms. Maho Chihara and Mr. Nandin Li
Right: Prof. Heinz Bernhardt, Prof. Ikuo Hirono
In a questionnaire to the participants of the event, some commented that they had learned a lot, saying “it was enlightening to learn about issues and new approaches to agriculture, fishery, and energy.” Many respondents said that they hoped the event would continue next year and beyond, stating, e.g., “I would like to watch such lectures again next year because they were excellent.”
On the following day, April 28, a discussion was held with Prof. Bernhardt, who had given a lecture during the Lecture Series on Science and Technology, and Prof. Naoshi Kondo of the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University, as well as eight of his students.
The purpose of this discussion was to give the students an opportunity to express their own ideas and opinions.
Students from Japan, China, Mongolia, and Thailand gave presentations on their research topics, and these students from various backgrounds shared their ideas and opinions with Professor Bernhardt, resulting in two hours of lively communication in English.
We hope that by the students presenting their opinions in this discussion, they were able to generate greater understanding of their research.
