2014.11.26
SFC Open Research Forum (ORF) 2014 was held for approximately one week, including the main event. It began with satellite events from Monday, November 17, at various locations in Tokyo, including GREE, Inc., as an attempt to incorporate a sense of place and simultaneity into the research presentations. On Thursday, November 20, the night before the main event, a preliminary session titled "Live" featured talk sessions and live performances with guests from various fields.
ORF is held every November, hosted by the Keio Research Institute at SFC. Its purpose is to widely showcase the advanced research initiatives of the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) to the public, return its results (seeds) to society, and further develop industry-government-academia collaboration.
The theme for this 19th installment was "PROTO-UNIVERSITY." PROTO refers to a primitive and undifferentiated state before a subdivided and optimized structure is obtained. "PROTO-UNIVERSITY" embodies the passion behind SFC's challenge to envision the future of the university as a potential state, capable of evolving into any form, much like an immature fetus in the womb.
The main event on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 was held at Nicofarre in addition to Tokyo Midtown. The excitement reached not only the many visitors on-site but also a large audience via Niconico Live Streaming. On the 22nd, an initiative characteristic of SFC was also held at Nicofarre, titled "Future Policy Contest!" For this contest, policy proposals to improve society in the 22nd century were widely solicited from students, who then gave presentations on their ideas.
At the exhibition, one of the central features of the main event, booths were constructed with wooden frames inside the hall at Tokyo Midtown. Amid the scent of wood, a wide range of unique research activities were introduced to visitors. At the exhibition booths, lively discussions took place not only between researchers and visitors but also among the researchers themselves, fostering a broad exchange of knowledge once again this year.
Additionally, as a new initiative, workshops on various themes were held, allowing visitors to participate in the creative process and gain hands-on experience. A design workshop using image processing software was among the most popular.
Photo by Aketoshi Takematsu