News
This page provides the laboratory activity log (archive since April 2025). Newer entries appear at the top. In principle, the log is maintained in an append-only manner and can be filtered by tag as needed.
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto gave a talk on “Understanding and Applying Future Design in Education” at the 194th Tsukuba Science and Technology Industry Initiative (TSTI) Lecture and Discussion Session.
- Rio Takahashi, a graduate student in the laboratory, presented at a conference.R. Takahashi, S. Fujita, : Psychophysiological study on the effects of seasonal plant fragrances on emotional responses. 2026 Annual Meeting of the Kyushu Branch of the Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering, Fukuoka, Japan.
[Oral presentation / Research Encouragement Award] - Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory, presented at a conference.C. T. Q. Tran, S. Fujita, : Effects of Executive Function on EEG Activity under Essential Oil Exposure. 2026 Annual Meeting of the Kyushu Branch of the Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering, Fukuoka, Japan.
[Oral presentation] - Tsuyoshi Okamoto has been appointed as an advisor to the International Sleep Environment Research Association.
- The Tsuyoshi Okamoto Laboratory website has been fully redesigned. In conjunction with the redefinition of our research field (Future Brain Science) and updates to the logo and mascot, the site structure and publication records have been reorganized.
- The Mainichi Shimbun featured Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s campfire research: “Campfires are entertainment for the five senses”: what a neuroscientist concluded after examining their healing effects (Web: 2026-01-31; print: 2026-02-02 morning edition, p. 8).
- ZHANG Jingna, a graduate student in the laboratory, received the “Beautiful Poster Award” and the “Nice Presentation Award” at the 20th All-Lab Poster Contest, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences.
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s work and the Future Design Consortium were introduced in Professor Tatsuyoshi Saijo’s book, Practical Future Design: A Quiet Social Revolution (Nikkei BP).
- “Kumanichi Spice” (Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun) featured Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s book The Neuroscience of Campfires in its wood-stove special issue: Warm winter outings: cafés, hot springs, and lodgings with wood stoves (Kumamoto).
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto gave a lecture on “The Brain, the Future, and Learning at University” in the SPARC Emergent Design Program “Futures Studies” at Yamanashi Prefectural University (Instructor: Associate Professor Ryuji Yamazaki-Skov).
- Asahi Shimbun’s Think Campus published an article featuring our fried-rice research: Can delicious food improve study concentration? Kyushu University’s findings on “motivation” and brain responses using fried rice.
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s Future Design activities were featured in the U.S. environmental & culture magazine Atmos: What Happens When a Town Governs From the Future?
- Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory, presented at a conference.C. T. Q. Tran, S. Kinoshita, S. Fujita, : Physiological activities in response to the impacts of essential oils on executive functions. The 54th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (Neuroscience 2025), San Diego, CA, USA.
[Poster presentation (November 18)] - Tsuyoshi Okamoto gave a talk on “The current state, challenges, and outlook of future-oriented education” at the Japan Foresight Community.
- Two representatives, one from Japan’s Ministry of Finance and one from the Japan Public Relations Society, observed the “Problem Discovery” course (Instructor: Tsuyoshi Okamoto). After class, an active discussion was held.
- Yuichi Takahashi (Fukushima Medical University) and Tsuyoshi Okamoto presented a conference report on the clinical application of The Neuroscience of Campfires.Yuichi Takahashi, , et al.: A preliminary randomized controlled trial on the effects of observing flames on mind and body in healthy adults (interim report). The 55th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology.
[Poster presentation (November 13)] - Three members from The Japan Research Institute observed the “Problem Discovery” course (Instructor: Tsuyoshi Okamoto). After class, we discussed the course design and thinking process, and exchanged views on how Japan should approach “future-oriented education and research.”
- Eriko Kiriyama (Saitama University) and Tsuyoshi Okamoto presented research on Future Design.E. Kiriyama, : Future Design for the plastics problem. JASRIM 40th Annual Conference, online.
Abstract book 1B24, pp. 172–175. [Oral presentation (November 8)] - Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s work and the Future Design Consortium were introduced in Professor Saijo’s paper: Future design: futurability, presentability, and pastability (Global Sustainability).
- Three students from Fukushima Prefectural Fukushima High School visited the laboratory as part of their research training program.
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto and Hongjia Li (graduated in September) were interviewed by NHK Fukuoka and appeared on Rokuichi! Fukuoka.
- The new university-wide mandatory first-year course “Problem Discovery,” which Tsuyoshi Okamoto helped design, develop, and operate, began.
- In MEXT Education Communication No. 612 (Sept. 22 issue), Ms. Masami Shiokawa’s series “Society and Universities through the Lens of Future Design” (Ryukoku University) featured Tsuyoshi Okamoto’s Future Design activities in depth.
- The public symposium “Future Design 2025” (organized by a joint subcommittee of the Science Council of Japan and Canon Institute for Global Studies) concluded successfully (Sept. 13–14, 2025). Thank you to all participants. (Tsuyoshi Okamoto, organizing committee member)
- At the public symposium “Future Design 2025”, Hoyo Kitamura, a graduate student in the laboratory, and Tsuyoshi Okamoto presented.
- Rio Takahashi, a graduate student in the laboratory, presented at a conference.R. Takahashi, S. Kinoshita, S. Fujita, : Psychophysiological investigation of emotions induced by seasonal plant scents. The 59th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell (JASTS), Osaka University.
[Poster presentation (September 9)] - Our fried-rice research was featured in the Asahi Shimbun (print; Sept. 6, 2025; p. 27).
- Kyushu University published coverage of the award ceremony and an interview with the winner for the 3MT competition, featuring Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory.
- Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory, won 1st place in the 2025 Kyushu University 3MT competition.
- Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory, participated in the 2025 Kyushu University 3MT competition.
- Our fried-rice research was featured in the Yomiuri Shimbun (print; July 10, 2025).
- A project module on developing a dynamic well-being index for architecture (computational environmental analysis) was accepted within the Institute for Advanced Energy, Kyushu University. (PI: Assistant Professor Yusuke Arima; Tsuyoshi Okamoto participates as a module member.)
- Tsuyoshi Okamoto appeared on NHK Science ZERO: Approaching the essence of fire: the forefront of combustion science (broadcast: 2025-06-15 and 2025-06-21).
- An article by Tsuyoshi Okamoto, “The mind and society shaped by smell,” was published in Kagaku (Science), June 2025 issue (special feature: well-being of the five senses and the body).
- Our fried-rice research was featured by multiple media outlets: TNC Television Nishinippon (2025-05-20), Fukuoka TNC News (2025-05-20), Fuji TV “It!” (2025-05-22), FNN Prime Online (2025-05-22), TBS “THE TIME,” (2025-05-27), and Asahi Shimbun (online 2025-06-04; print 2025-06-30 evening edition).
- We issued a research press release: “Deliciousness” activates the brain!
- Chi T. Q. Tran, a graduate student in the laboratory, was selected for QREC’s Academic Challenge (AC) 2025.
- Hongjia Li, a graduate student in the laboratory, Tsuyoshi Okamoto, and colleagues published a paper.Hongjia Li, Siyao Li, Kenji Matsuo, *: Brain activity during a cognitive task after consuming food of varying palatability. Frontiers in Psychology 16, 1522812, 2025.
- Hoyo Kitamura and Jingna Zhang, graduate students in the laboratory, were selected for the Next-Generation Researchers Challenging Research Program (K2-SPRING, FY2025).
First published: April 1, 2025.
Last updated: April 16, 2026.
