2025-08-04　Glocal Summer!
QURIES Program and Multicultural Exchange 

“Glocal” is a concept that blends the global and the local—think globally, act locally.

As part of the Ito Sanae Memorial QURIES Program, a local high school student is currently visiting our lab! She will stay with us until August 8, eagerly engaging in research experiences and international exchange, soaking up knowledge with her boundless intellectual curiosity.

And that's not all! Around the same time, Dr. Yi-Sheng Lai and his group from National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan also visited our lab. Now that, students and researchers from Japan, China, the U.S., Taiwan—and of course, our local high school participant—all gathered in one place, creating a truly global and lively atmosphere.

It was a perfect example of "a once-in-a-lifetime encounter", the Japanese concept of treasuring once-in-a-lifetime encounters.

Our research discussions centered around exciting, future-focused themes such as “Coexistence of AI and Humanity” and “Demonstrating Computer Operations Using Plants.” Despite differences in language and culture, the conversation was rich and dynamic—often filled with laughter—and the group naturally became like one international team. We truly felt our horizons expanding.

For both the visitors and our lab members, this summer has been an incredibly stimulating and meaningful experience.

We remain GLOCAL, committed to fostering both international and local exchange, and we look forward to deepening these meaningful connections.

>> Ito Sanae Memorial QURIES Program
>> Optoelectronic energy material integration and conversion lab, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
>> Demonstration of Venus Flytrap Biological Logic Gates