OIST FOUNDATION Year Anniversary Gala December 2, 2020 From 6:30 PM EST ABOUT THE OIST FOUNDATION & OIST OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION OIST FOUNDATION www.oistfoundation.org The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, promotes innovative global scientific breakthroughs through enhancing and strengthening science and technology research and related programs at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and empowers Americans to support the sustainable development of Okinawa and deepen U.S.-Japan relations through OIST. OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE UNIVERSITY OIST www.oist.jp The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) is an interdisciplinary graduate school offering a 5-year Ph.D. program in Science. OIST was founded by the Japanese government to contribute to science and technology worldwide, attract leading researchers from Japan and abroad to conduct high-quality research, advance the development of a world-class research hub, and nucleate a knowledge cluster that will catalyze technology transfer and industrial innovation in Okinawa. OIST Foundation First Year Anniversary Gala 02 THE EVENT WELCOMING REMARKS OIST FOUNDATION FIRST ANNIVERSARY GALA MESSAGES David P. Janes, Managing Director, OIST Foundation Minister Taro Kono, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern GALA PERFORMANCE Territory Affairs Ambassador Extraordinary Ms. Eiko Kano, Violinist and OIST Foundation Music Ambassador Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, Ambassador and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States Consul General of the United States to Mr. Karén Hakobyan, Pianist and Founder, Pegasus: Hon. Robert Koepcke, The Orchestra Naha, Okinawa FUTURE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ROUNDTABLE REMARKS MODERATOR Amb. Kanji Yamanouchi, Consul General of Japan in New York Dr. Nancy Snow, Pax Mundi Professor of Public Diplomacy, Kyoto University of Foreign Dr. Peter Gruss, President & CEO, OIST PANELISTS Dr. Peter Gruss, President & CEO, OIST Mr. James Higa, Executive Director, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation Dr. Sachiko Kuno, Founder, Halcyon Incubator Dr. Carla J. Shatz, Sapp Family Provostial Professor, The Catherine Holman Johnson Director of Stanford Bio-X, and Professor of Biology and Neurobiology, Stanford University Dr. Kenji Doya, Professor, Neural Computation Unit, OIST Ms. Amy Webb, Quantitative Futurist, NYU Stern School of Business Dr. Andrew Blake, Former Laboratory Director, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Former Director of the Alan Turning Institute, Chair of the Samsung AI Centre OIST Foundation First Year Anniversary Gala 03 GALA PERFORMANCE INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS Ryukyu Koten Afuso-ryu Ongaku Choichi Kai USA Dr. Misaki Takabayashi, Vice Dean, OIST Graduate School SUPPORTING COVID19 OUTREACH Ms. Miku Sugak a, High School Student and Past Participant in AND RESEARCH the OIST Mentoring Program College Student and Past Participant in OIST Provost, OIST Ms. Nina Harano, Dr. Mary Collins, Mentoring Program Dr. Amy Shen, Professor, OIST CLOSING REMARKS IMPACT OF THE OIST FOUNDATION Mr. Takeshi Ueshima, Chair, OIST Foundation Dr. Yuko Kakazu, Astronomer & Outreach Specialist, Subaru Telescope CLOSING PERFORMANCE Mr. Tomoyuki Uehara, President, Okinawa Kenjin Club of Washington State Ryukyu Koten Afuso-ryu Ongaku Choichi Kai USA Ms. Shoko Farmer, Russell Investments VIP SESSIONS FOR VIP TICKET HOLDERS Via Separate Link OIST Foundation First Year Anniversary Gala 04 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS DR. ANDREW BLAKE Former Laboratory Director, Microsoft Research Cambridge Former Director of the Alan Turning Institute Chair of the Samsung AI Centre Andrew Blake is a pioneer in the development of the theory and algorithms that make it possible for computers to behave as seeing machines. He is especially interested in segmentation as optimization, in visual tracking as probabilistic inference, and in real-time, 3D vision. He was an academic for 18 years, in Edinburgh and Oxford, ultimately as Professor of Information Engineering at Oxford University. He joined Microsoft in 1999 to found the Computer Vision group in Cambridge before becoming Director of Microsoft’s Cambridge Laboratory in 2010 and a Microsoft Distinguished Scientist. Currently he is a consultant in Artificial Intelligence. In particular he is Chairman of Samsung’s AI Research Centre SAIC in Cambridge, UK. He is consultant and Scientific Adviser to the FiveAI autonomous driving company and serves as an adviser to Siemens. DR. MARY COLLINS Provost, OIST Prof. Collins studied Biochemistry at Cambridge University then moved to the University of London at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund for her Ph.D. Prof. Collins worked as a post-doctoral fellow on molecular immunology at University College London, then at the Whitehead Institute, MIT. She started her own group at the Institute of Cancer Research in 1987. Collins moved to University College London as Professor of Immunology in 1997. From 2005 to 2015 she was Director of Britain’s Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Molecular Virology. After heading the Division of Infection and Immunity at University College London for 10 years, Collins was Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at University College London from 2009 until 2014. In September 2014 Prof. Collins took up a position at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control to head a new Division of Advanced Therapies. OIST Foundation First Year Anniversary Gala 05 DR. KENJI DOYA Professor, OIST Dr. Kenji Doya is a Professor in the Neural Computation United at OIST. He has received numerous awards for his research including the Donald O. Hebb Award, International Neural Network Society (2018), a Commendation for Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2012), the Brainscience Award on Creativity (2009), the Nakaaki Tsukahara Memorial Award (2007), and the JSPS Award (2007). From 1999-2002 he served as Vice President, Japanese Neural Network Society, and from 1999-2003 he was Director of the Neuro-Informatics Summer School. He has also served on the Board of Governors of the International Neural Network Society. MS. SHOKO FARMER Senior Project Manager, Russell Investments Ms. Shoko Farmer grew up in Okinawa and attended the University of the Ryukyus. She currently works as a Senior Project Manager at Russell Investments in Washington State. She has been deeply engaged with the Japan-America Society of Washington State. DR. PETER GRUSS President and CEO, OIST Peter Gruss ranks among the most productive scientists in his field, with more than 500 publications. He has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements, including the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation, the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German President’s Award for Innovation in Science and Technology) and the Lower Saxony State Prize. Gruss became President of the Max Planck Society in 2002. Securing ‘high-trust’ funding from German federal and state governments, he was able to launch eight new Max Planck Institutes addressing innovative topics such as the biology of aging, the physics of light and empirical aesthetics. He also established two Max Planck Institutes overseas, in Florida, U.S., and Luxembourg. The establishment of the Max Planck Foundation took place in 2006 and supports projects and scientists of the Max Planck Society. A pioneer in the internationalization of research and education, Gruss expanded the presence of the Max Planck Society abroad. Max Planck Partner Institutes were established in Buenos Aires and Shanghai. He also established 14 Max Planck Centers around the world in cooperation with major scientific institutions. Gruss is a leader in technology transfer and innovation. At the Max Planck Society, he strengthened Max Planck Innovation, channeling inventions from Max Planck Institutes to industry and helping scientists register patents and create companies. Business incubators were created in four German cities, taking research findings to market maturity. He co-founded a biopharmaceutical company and serves as Chair of the Siemens Technology and Innovation Council. OIST Foundation First Year Anniversary Gala 06 MR. KARÉN HAKOBYAN Pianist & Founder and Artistic Director, Pegasus: The Orchestra Armenian-American pianist and composer Karén Hakobyan has emerged as a versatile force on the international music scene. Since his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of seventeen, he has been performing in major concert halls in Armenia, Argentina, Mexico, Germany, France, Japan and the United States. Karén won a Bronze Medal in the World Piano International Competition, 1st prize in the Pinault International Audiotape – Videotape Piano Competition and 2nd prize in the Armenian Legacy Pianists International Piano Competition. Karén is the Founder and Artistic Director of Pegasus: The Orchestra based in New York City, and he is also the Cultural Program Advisor of Armenia Fund, USA. MS. NINA HARANO Undergraduate, Columbia University Ms. Hirano is a sophomore at Columbia University in New York City. Having grown up in Okinawa, Nina participated in the International School of Science Japan, a summer camp hosted at OIST, and the OIST Summer Mentoring program. These inspired her to pursue academic studies in neuroscience in the United States. She hopes to become a Ph.D. student at OIST one day. MR. DAVID P. JANES Senior Advisor