October 15, 2020

On October 14, representatives from the Tara Ocean Foundation, including Tara Ocean Foundation General Manager Patouillet Yumiko and Tsukuba University Assistant Professor Agostini Sylvain, paid a courtesy call to President MAKINO Hirofumi.　

The meeting was organized as a public relations event between JAMBIO （Japanese Association for Marine Biology; World Association of Marine Stations）and the Tara Ocean Foundation, after the organizations jointly launched an oceanographic survey on microplastics along the coast of Japan. Okayama University’s Ushimado Marine Institute Director SAKAMOTO Tatsuya, a member of JAMBIO and one of four members on the steering committee, facilitated the event.

At the meeting, President Makino; Vice President, Executive Director for Research NASU Yasutomo; Vice President for Global Engagement Strategy, UNESCO Chairholder YOKOI Atsufumi; Vice President for International Affairs KIMURA Kunio; Okayama University’s Ushimado Marine Institute Director Sakamoto; and Assistant Professor HAMADA Mayuko expressed their desire to cooperate with JAMBIO and the Tara Ocean Foundation in the near future.　In addition, Okayama University will promote joint research and outreach activities with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Prior to the event, informative posters promoting the oceanographic survey mentioned above were exhibited on campus, at the main building and J Terrace.