Activities

2026.6.25

ASPIRE Graduate Students, ASPIRE PIs and WPI-AIMEC members Connect at the Earth, Sea and Sky XII Workshop

On 4-5 June 2026, ASPIRE‑selected graduate students, ASPIRE principal investigators (PIs) and WPI-AIMEC members participated in the Earth, Sea and Sky XII: Workshop for the International Joint Graduate Program & Core Research Cluster in Earth and Environmental Sciences, held at Tohoku University. The workshop brought together Tohoku University graduate students and researchers from overseas and across Japan to present and discuss research in Earth and environmental sciences. The workshop was co-hosted by the International Joint Graduate Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences (GP‑EES) and the Core Research Cluster in Earth and Environmental Sciences (CRC‑EES), with support from WPI-AIMEC.

Oral and poster presentations covered a wide range of Earth and environmental topics. Among them, ASPIRE overseas PI Professor Peter Strutton (University of Tasmania) delivered a talk on autonomous observation of Southern Ocean biochemistry, while WPI‑AIMEC UREX-PI Justin L. Penn (Associate Professor, Tohoku University) discussed research on climate change as a driver of past and future marine extinctions. All nine JST-ASPIRE-selected graduate students delivered poster presentations, several students chaired sessions and facilitated post-talk discussions.

The workshop fostered meaningful academic exchange by bringing together researchers and students from different countries, fields, and career stages. Participants gained experience in international scientific communication through presentations, session chairing and active discussion. From master’s students to senior researchers, attendees benefited from cross‑disciplinary dialogue and opportunities to build new professional connections.

The workshop supported the objectives of the JST‑ASPIRE project, which aims to establish an international ocean-brain circulation platform. Through such workshops and ASPIRE activities, WPI-AIMEC continues to support the next generation of researchers working to understand marine ecosystem change.