Dr. NISHIGAKI Tomohiro, Researcher of the Crop, Livestock and Environment Division of JIRCAS received the “Best Presentation Award for Cross-Fertilization” at the Science Academy of Tsukuba (SAT) Technology Showcase 2021 held online on February 19, 2021, for his research on “Development of a rapid soil fertility assessment technique for improving rice production in Madagascar”, and was awarded a certificate of recognition on March 15, 2021.
The SAT Technology Showcase is an interdisciplinary exchange meeting where researchers in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Tsukuba, interact and inspire across disciplines and organizations, and share the latest research results, ideas, and technologies with one another. Eighty-five research results were presented by universities, companies, and public research institutes and among them the research of Dr. Nishigaki received the award as a recognition of the innovative idea of fusing optical spectrum analysis technology and soil fertility evaluation used in this research.
In addition, the following young researchers from JIRCAS also presented their research.
- Dr. SAKAI Toru (Social Sciences Division): Development of forest management technology in highlands of Ethiopia
- Dr. AIKAWA Shimpei (Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division)): Suppressing the generation of greenhouse gases caused by tropical agriculture by purifying water with useful algae
This is the 20th time the event has been held and the first time to be held online but with various ideas from the organizer, live streaming of the one-minute presentation (indexing), poster presentation using a virtual conference tool, and exchange of opinions were successfully held. This event is expected to accelerate science and technology innovation, with new knowledge and enhancement of interaction across different disciplines.