Field
Concluded Laboratory 2014/03/31
Director : Yoichi NAKAO
Professor,Faculty of Science and Engineering
Research theme
An investigation of what is needed for scientific/social action toward the prevention of health hazards brought about by the Great East Japan Earthquake
Overview of research
Academic Background of Research
The Great East Japan Earthquake completely destroyed many of the man-made structures of modern society, and caused the extreme damage to long-sustained and widely dispersed living environments, thereby affecting the complex biological, chemical, physical, and social factors related to the health of every generation over a wide area. In order to prevent an cure the health problems brought on by the earthquake, a rapid comprehension and systematic clarification of the mechanisms by which these problems occur – through the fusion of the latest science and technology, including the social sciences – is essential. However, organizing action on these issues by bringing together so many fields is not likely to be easy given the current state of our value pluralistic society, which encourages the increased compartmentalization and complication of specialized fields driven by academic study. The Great East Japan Earthquake presented many lessons and raised clear research topics regarding the current state of affairs. It is now widely expected that Waseda University integrate the academic knowledge and technology it has thus far accumulated for the purpose of making social contributions, and work toward the solving of the aforementioned problems through the promotion of fusion research. Under the strong leadership of this projectfs group leader, success has already been seen with industry-academia collaborations that have injected the results of basic academic research into the R&D activities of the business sector. Furthermore, a number of proposals and organizations have been created with the strong intention of contributing to society and the people leading academia. These initiatives have already received been subject to high praise.
What will be clarified in the research period and to what extent?
In the main research sectors, information from the region in which the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred will be adequately collected on a continuous basis. After a systematic organization of the scientific/social responses deemed absolutely necessary for the Great East Japan Earthquake and other great earthquakes expected in the future, an investigation will be made into what is needed in order to actually implement those responses. Research will be done by the following two investigative research units and four groups, and multidisciplinary studies will be undertaken toward the implementation of actions that consider the full range of scientific knowledge and technology available for disaster response efforts.
Researchers
Yoichi NAKAO (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Tetsuya OSAKA (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Haruko TAKEYAMA (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Toru ASAHI (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Yasuhiko TERADA (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Takafumi INOUE (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Naoya TAKEDA (Associate professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Yasuo IKEDA (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Shiro SEGAWA (Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics)
Kazuyuki SAKATSUME (Professor, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences)
Adjunct Researcher
Hiroshi NOSE
