Research Center on Environment and Energy

Center Director: Toshiharu Ikaga (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology)

Main Campus: Yagami Campus

It is of great significance for Keio University to disseminate wisdom that contributes to "security in the environment and energy fields." Many researchers specializing in the "environment and energy fields" are affiliated with Keio University, and the objective is to create a support hub at Keio University to return research results to society through interdisciplinary connections, thereby further vitalizing research and educational activities in this field at Keio University.

Environment, energy, fusion of humanities and sciences, secure society, Great East Japan Earthquake, natural energy, carbon dioxide emission reduction, energy conservation

■ Activities continuing from FY2019: Background, rationale, and goals for continuation

This activity is timely for advancing the construction of a new energy-use society that began with the liberalization of the electricity market in April 2016 and the gas market in April 2017. Additionally, centered on public funding such as the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) "Measurement of the Effects of the Living Environment on the Brain, Circulatory, Respiratory, and Motor Systems and Evaluation of Disease and Long-Term Care Prevention Benefits" (FY2017–FY2021), we will conduct interdisciplinary joint R&D in the fields of energy engineering, environmental science, environmental engineering, architecture, socioeconomics, and medical sciences. This R&D aims to create housing, buildings, and local communities evaluated on the criteria of environment, energy, and health. Furthermore, with designated donations from Osaka Gas and joint research with private companies such as Kansai Electric Power, Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Nice Corporation, Japan Sustainable Building Consortium, Shimizu Corporation, Azbil Corporation, Kajima Corporation, Panasonic, Panasonic Homes, Konica Minolta, and LIXIL, we will also strengthen R&D initiatives that lead to social implementation. We also plan to host the 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment of Residential Buildings (ICEERB2020, including a public symposium) from November 23 to 25, 2020, at the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex (Fujiwara Hiroshi Hall) on Hiyoshi Campus, and to share the research results of our center with society both in Japan and abroad.

■ New activity goals and content for FY2020, and background for implementation

As described above, our activity goal remains unchanged. We will continue our activities in the fields of energy engineering, environmental science, environmental engineering, architecture, socioeconomics, and medical sciences. By having our members respect each other's fields and apply for new projects as collaborative, multi-perspective initiatives, we aim to demonstrate the leadership of Keio University as a comprehensive university in the environment and energy fields and to return our findings to society.

■ Implementation details, research results, and degree of achievement relative to the fiscal year's activity plan

In FY2020, we continued to expand our fields of activity to include environmental science and engineering, architecture, and economics. We conducted active research, supported by joint and commissioned research from the electricity, gas, and other industries, as well as continued public funding from the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) "Measurement of the Effects of the Living Environment on the Brain, Circulatory, Respiratory, and Motor Systems and Evaluation of Disease and Long-Term Care Prevention Benefits" (FY2017–FY2021). Including lectures by a Project Professor, we believe we have sufficiently achieved our initial goals in both research and education. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, we were forced to postpone some field surveys, such as brain MRIs, and events like the 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment of Residential Buildings (ICEERB2020, including a public symposium) to the next fiscal year or later.

The main numbers of published papers, conference presentations, and achievements in social contribution related to the center are as follows:

Academic Journals

"Journal of Hypertension"

"Indoor Air"

"Urology"

"Int J of Environmental Research and Public Health"

"Plos One"

"Journal of epidemiology"

7 papers in international medical journals such as "Solar Energy"

1 paper in "Research in Exercise Epidemiology" (a domestic medical journal)

6 papers in the Architectural Institute of Japan, Journal of Environmental Engineering

International and Domestic Conference Presentations

4 international conference presentations and 80 domestic conference presentations/br>

Achievements in social contribution, including various academic society-planned events and invited lectures

20 events in locations including Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Mie, Kochi, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto

To maintain and develop the research results from the demonstration study on total environmental and energy management at Keio University conducted until FY2013, and research on the intellectual production environment of classrooms, we continued research on the sensor network for all classrooms in Building 12 on the Yagami Campus. As an outcome of the center's activities, the "University CEMS Package," which began as an interdisciplinary collaborative research project, aims to serve society as a pioneering example for introducing system design technology in the new environment and energy fields. We recognize that since FY2015, we have been developing these technologies for dissemination to the general public. Furthermore, we were able to advance developments useful for building a secure society, such as methane hydrate as an energy resource, the relationship between the natural environment and society, disaster countermeasures for earthquakes, power supply control technology, air environment conservation technology, and renewable energy utilization technology. In FY2016, this led to the adoption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Strategic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Programme (SCOPE) (R&D for International Standard Acquisition) "R&D of an Information and Communication Platform for Smart Community Services" and the Cabinet Office's ImPACT program "Realization of a Vibrant Life by Visualization and Control of Brain Information," R&D issue "Brain Information Cloud" (FY2016–FY2018). In FY2017, it led to the adoption of the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) "Measurement of the Effects of the Living Environment on the Brain, Circulatory, Respiratory, and Motor Systems and Evaluation of Disease and Long-Term Care Prevention Benefits" (FY2017–FY2021). Our research activities to date have been returned to society through the publication of many international and domestic academic papers and lectures that cross the interdisciplinary fields of environment, energy, and medical sciences.