JASSO short term scholarship program

We are now inviting applicants to our “Short-term Research Program for Studies on Biological and Environmental Resource in North Africa“, supported by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) as a short-term scholarship program. Details are shown below.

Objective:

In North African region, especially semi-arid and arid areas, many problems on life and environment are waiting for being solved urgently. They include desertification, decrease of agricultural productivity caused by drought and salinity, management of safe water resource, and sustainable utilization of bioresource in harmony with conservation of biodiversity. To tackle the issues, it is necessary to develop human resource with high specialty and research skills in the field. The program aims to contribute the human resource development by providing an opportunity to graduate students in Tunisia, Egypt ant Morocco for training related research skills in Japan.

Objective:

In North African region, especially semi-arid and arid areas, many problems on life and environment are waiting for being solved urgently. They include desertification, decrease of agricultural productivity caused by drought and salinity, management of safe water resource, and sustainable utilization of bioresource in harmony with conservation of biodiversity. To tackle the issues, it is necessary to develop human resource with high specialty and research skills in the field. The program aims to contribute the human resource development by providing an opportunity to graduate students in Tunisia, Egypt ant Morocco for training related research skills in Japan.

Description of the program:

This program provides an opportunity for training on researches on life and environmental issues in semi-arid and arid regions in North Africa. For example, the following research topics will be expected:

• Improvement of soil condition for increasing productivity,
• Risk assessment of water resource and its effective usage,
• Valorization of bioresource in North Africa.

The training will be carried out in Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba in cooperation with Alliance for Research on North Africa (ARENA), University of Tsukuba. The period will be 10 months (planned as from December 2009 to September 2010). Before coming to Japan, the trainees will be required to have preparatory study such as field research, sampling of materials and collection of field data, in cooperation of Japanese host professors. Also they will be required to submit their final reports one year after their completion of the training in Japan.

The program students will receive the following amount of scholarship from JASSO:

• 80,000 Japanese Yen (equivalent to 800 US Dollars) for preparation of the trip,
• 80,000 Japanese Yen/month for living expenses in Japan.

The program is intended for graduate students (master or PhD course) who belong to the universities that have established Agreement for Academic Exchange and Cooperation with University of Tsukuba, that is University of 7th November at Carthage, Sfax University, Tunisia, Cairo University, Egypt, and Mohamed V University Agdal, Morocco. Six students will be accepted.

Schedule of the procedure:

~ July 2009: matching between candidates and host professors, and preparation of documents for application to JASSO.

28 August 2009: Deadline of submission of the application to JASSO via Japanese host professor.

October 2009: Return of the results of evaluation by JASSO.

1 December 2009: Start of training.

Program Coordinator:

Dr. Takahiro MORIO, ARENA, University of Tsukuba

FAX: +81-29-853-5776, e-mail: morio(at)sakura.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp

(For sending an e-mail, replace “(at)” to “@”.)

「北アフリカの舗床モザイク」講演会

「古代ローマとカルタゴ展」が2009年6月12日より仙台市博物館を皮切りに全国8カ所を巡回して開催されます。この展覧会のオープニングに合わせ、チュニジア国立文化財研究所所長ファトゥヒ・ベジャウィ先生の講演会が以下の要領で開催されます。

日時：2009年6月13日（土）15時-17時

場所：東京藝術大学美術学部（上野校舎）中央棟第3講義室

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Desert Technology 9 (12-16 November 2008) (updated)

 

The 9th conference of Desert Technology 9 (DT9) will be held on 12 – 16 November 2008, at Hotel El Mouradi – Douz, Tunisia. Detailed information is here. Registration form can be downloaded from here.

Update!! The format for the Proceedings can be downloaded from here. The page size will be B5 4 pages.

Update!! DT9に関する日本語のご案内はこちらからご覧になれます。

Update!! Important dates were rescheduled as follows:

• 1 Sep.: Deadline of registration (Registration form and *Transport & Accommodation form) and abstract (*will be soon distributed)
  
• 10 Sep. istribution of abstracts to the members of the International Scientific Committee
  
• 1. Oct.: Notification of acceptance of presentations to participants
  
• 1. Nov.: Deadline of submission of full paper
  

Suggested fields of topics discussed are as follows;

• Desert energy
• Stress biology & desert agriculture
• Soil and water technologies combating desertification, remote sensing and GIS
• Desert human and social sciences societies
• Other related topics

Also, here is the tentative schedule (update!);

 

Day 0: 11 November 2008

Arrival to Djerba

Night in Djerba: Yadis hotel-Djerba (75 TND/night/person, half board, +10 TND single supplement)

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Day One: 12 November 2008

08:00                       Departure

09:00-11:00             Visit of IRA

13:00-14:00             Lunch in Matmata

16:00-18:00             Tour of Ksar Ghilane / Sunset on the desert dunes

                                Night in Ksar Ghilane (tents)

 

 Campement Ghilane (desert tents) (15 TND/night/person, B&B, tents to be shared with 5-6 people; toilets and showers are shared too.)

 

Gala diner (local meal, animation, etc): Approx. 50 TND/person

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Day two: 13 November 2008

08:00                      Registration at Hotel Touareg- Douz

(40 TND/night/person, full board, +15 TND single supplement)

08:00                      Departure to Douz from Ksar Ghilane

10:00-13:00             National day of desert tourism

13:00-14:00             Lunch

15:00-16:00             Opening ceremony

16:00-16:30             Coffee break

16:30 -18:30            Keynote presentations

18:30-19:00             Discussions

19:00- 20:00            Poster session

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Day three: 14 November 2008

08:30-10:30            Session I: Desert energy 

10:30-11:00             Coffee break 

11:00-13:00              Session II: Stress biology & desert agriculture 

13:00-14:00             Lunch 

14:00-16h00            Session III: Soil and water technologies combating desertification,     remote sensing and GIS

16:00-16:30              Coffee break

16:30-18:30            Session IV: Desert human and social Sciences societies

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Day four: 15 November 2008

 

08.00 – 18.00          Field trip to Regim Maatoug

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Day five: 16 November 2008

08:30-10:30             Session V: Biotechnology

10:30-11:00              Coffee break

 

 

Closing session

11:00-13:00              Presentation and approval of recommendations of the technical sessions

13:00-14:00              Lunch

 Departure

 

Update!! Transportation from Douz to Tunis by Bus on 17 Nov. will be provided (requires some charge).

Kantaoui Forum/TJASSST (10-11 November 2008 at Sousse)

The 9th edition of Kantaoui Forum/Tunisia-Japan Symposium on Society, Science and Technology (KF/TJASSST) will be held on 10-11 November 2008 at Sousse, Tunisia. It is one of the biggest opportunities where Tunisian and Japanese researchers in various fields share their works. KF/TJASSST welcomes contributions in the following fields;

• Biotechnology
• Energy & materials
• Humanities and social sciences: OVOP, heritage and economic development
• Information & communication technologies
• Innovation management
• Water & environment
• Cultural forum

Registration and submission of abstracts can be done here. Also, please note the following important dates;

• Deadline of registration and abstract submission: September 15, 2008
• Notification of acceptance: by October 15, 2008
• Full paper submission: by November 7, 2008

12th Congress of the African Association for Biological Nitrogen Fixation and 7th Congress of the Tunisia Association for Biotechnology (15-18 December 2008, Hammamet – Tunisia)

The 12th Congress of the African Association for Biological Nitrogen Fixation (AABNF2008 ) will be held on 15-18 December 2008 in Hammamet. The objective is to share experience and information, to evaluate the accomplished progress and to plan for an efficient exploitation of the biological nitrogen fixation systems in Africa. AABNF2008 is co-organized by the Centre of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria and the Tunisian Association for Biotechnology. For more information, visit the web page of AABNF2008.

In conjunction with AABNF2008, the 7th Congress of the Tunisian Association for Biotechnology will be held. The essential scientific themes are as follows;

• Biotechnology and agriculture (improvement of plants, biotic and abiotic stress, interaction between plant and microorganisms, and bioactive molecules)
• Biotechnology and health (vaccines and diagnostics, genetics of hereditary diseases and cancer, and genomic and proteomic approaches)
• Biotechnology applied to industry and environment (applied microbiology, enzymes and their applications, bioactive molecules, fermentation, bioprocesses, bioremediation, genomics and proteomics)

For more information, visit the webpage.

 

The 20th International Biology Olympiad 2009 in Tsukuba

 

In 12 July – 19 July 2009, the 20th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) will be held in Tsukuba, Japan.

IBO is a competition for secondary school students.

Their skills in tackling biological problems, and dealing with biological experiments are tested. Interest in biology, inventiveness, creativity and perseverance are necessary.

In bringing together gifted students, the IBO tries to challenge and stimulate these students to expand their talents and to promote their career as a scientist.

Every participating country sends four students, who are the winners of the respective national competitions. They are to be accompanied by two team leaders as representatives of each country.

The information about the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is available here and the guide can be downloaded from here. It contains the Organization Rules of the IBO which are officially accepted by all IBO members and have to be strictly followed by all participants. It also includes a brief history of the IBO and necessary information for new participating countries and future host countries.

University of Tsukuba and African Development Bank (AfDB) Signed Memorandum of Understanding

On 28 May 2008, the University of Tsukuba President Dr. Yoichi Iwasaki and the African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Donald Kaberuka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions. The purpose of this MOU is to contribute to the sustainable development of African nations through capacity-building in higher education and collaborative research in the field of science and technology.

The MOU primarily focuses on achieving the following areas: (1) capacity-building in higher education; (2) collaborative research and joint forum; (3) exchange of knowledge and information on research and education; and (4) South-South cooperation in science and technology.

This is the first MOU to be signed by the AfDB with a Japanese university.

The University of Tsukuba’s research centers, Alliance for Research on North Africa (ARENA), and its overseas base, North African and Mediterranean Center for Research and Education (CANMRE), located in Tunis, Tunisia, have already established extensive relationship with the region through academic and human resources exchange. Building on successful relationship thus far, the University and the AfDB mutually found it suitable to formalize the partnerships and cooperation to promote science and technology in Africa.

The MOU was signed at a hotel in Yokohama on the first day of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), in which the AfDB President Dr. Kaberuka is attending.

While the quality of primary and secondary education in Africa has improved, and literacy rates have risen as a result of the recent aid assistance, such as PRSP, by the donor community, human resources development in higher education remains to be one of the urgent and crucial agenda in Africa for sustainable development. With the close collaboration with the AfDB, which has extensive experiences and information of economic and social development in Africa, the University of Tsukuba expects to further strengthen its ties with the nations in Africa and to enhance its contribution to the region. 

The University of Tsukuba will work closely with the AfDB and contribute to strengthening the amicable relations between Japan and African nations.

Remarks by Prof. Dr. Yoichi Iwasaki, the President of University of Tsukuba, and Dr. Donald Kaberuka, the President of the African Development Bank Group are here.

2008年5月28日、筑波大学（学長：岩崎洋一）とアフリカ開発銀行(総裁：ドナルド・カベルカ、African Development Bank Group) は、アフリカ諸国を対象に高等教育・科学技術分野における人材育成や研究協力を通じてアフリカ諸国の持続的発展に寄与するため、

① 高等教育レベルでの人材育成

② 共同研究、共同フォーラム等の開催

③ 研究・教育における知識・情報の交換

④ 科学技術分野における南-南協力の推進

などを目的として覚書（Memorandum of Understanding: MOU）を締結しました。これは、アフリカ開発銀行が日本の大学と締結する初めての覚書です。

筑波大学はこれまでに、北アフリカ研究センター及びチュニス市（チュニジア）に設置した海外拠点を通じて、北アフリカ地域との学術・人材交流を進めてきました。同市に本部を置くアフリカ開発銀行と筑波大学は、両機関のこれまでの取り組みを踏まえ、第4回アフリカ開発会議（TICAD IV）へ参加のため来日したドナルド・カベルカ総裁と岩崎洋一学長が横浜市内のホテルにおいて覚書を締結しました。

アフリカでは、近年の国際援助が、若年層を中心とした識字率の向上等、初等中等教育分野での成果に結実しつつある一方、高等教育分野での人材育成が重要な課題となっています。アフリカ開発銀行は、アフリカ全域に関する経済インフラのみならず医療や教育の分野でも豊富な情報と業務経験を有する機関です。両機関の連携によって、北アフリカのみならず広くアフリカ諸国との連携・協力がさらに強化されることが期待されます。

このたびの覚書締結とそれを機にしたアフリカ開発銀行と筑波大学との協力関係が、我が国とアフリカ諸国との友好関係のさらなる強化に資するように、覚書の趣旨に沿った取り組みを進めていきたいと考えています。

Special seminar in March

A special seminar will be held on 16 March 2008 at Tokyo-Campus of University of Tsukuba. Detailed program is below.  

Special Seminar

“Intellectual Partnership between North Africa and Japan: Achievements and Perspectives of Academic Exchanges and Cooperation with Tunisia”

Organized by Alliance for Research on North Africa (ARENA), University of Tsukuba & Centre de l’Afrique du Nord et de la Méditerranée pour la Recherche et l’Enseignement (CANMRE), University of Tsukuba

 

Program (draft)

Date: March 16, 2008

Venue: Room G204, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo-Campus

13:00-13:10  Welcome Remarks  Prof. Kazuko Shiojiri, Director, ARENA, University of Tsukuba

13:10-13:55  Special Address I

“Embedding Assurance Quality and Entrepreneurship Values within the University: Case of High Education in Tunisia and the University of Sfax”

Speaker: Prof. Hamed Ben Dhia, President, University of Sfax-Tunisia

13:55-14:40  Special Address II

“Hereditary Diseases and their Social Impact in Tunisia” (temporary title)

Speaker: Prof. Hammadi Ayadi, Director, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax-Tunisia

Moderator: Prof. Hitoshi Miyazaki

14:40-15:00  Coffee Break

15:00-15:45  Special Address III

(Title is not specified)

Speaker: Prof. Marouane El Abassi, Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciale Carthage-Tunisia

15:45-16:30  Special Address IV

“Religious Studies Perspectives in North Africa”

Speaker: Prof. Mohamed Bouhlel, Senior Lecturer, University of Sousse-Tunisia

16:30-17:15  Special Address V

(Title is not specified)

Speaker: Mr. Isao Kiso, Director-General for International Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan

17:15-17:35  Discussions, Questions & Answers

Moderator: Prof. Hiroko Isoda

17:35-17:45  Closing Remarks  Prof. Mitsutoshi Nakajima, ARENA, University of Tsukuba

18:00-19:30  Party

Language of the Special Seminar: English