2023 Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

The 2023 Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering symposium was held July 17-20 in Tokyo, Japan. Sixty of the most promising early career engineers from Japan and the United States met for an intensive 2-1/2 day symposium on developments at the cutting edge of engineering technology in four areas: Materials by Design; Computational Approaches to Address Infectious Diseases; The Arduous and Exciting Path to the Development of Successful Mobility Exoskeletons; and Circular Economy. The event is intended to facilitate international and cross-disciplinary research collaboration, promote the transfer of new techniques and approaches across disparate engineering fields, and encourage the creation of a transpacific network of world-class engineers. The JAFOE meeting is carried out in cooperation with the Engineering Academy of Japan and is supported by The Grainger Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS), and the Waseda University faculty of science and engineering.

LIST OF SESSIONS

Symposium co-chairs:  Christopher Schuh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Chiharu Tokoro, Waseda University

MATERIALS BY DESIGN
Session co-chairs:  Andrew Detor, formerly GE, and Keiji Numata, Kyoto University
Introduction

Molecular Design and Chemical Synthesis of Carbon Nanomaterials
Akimitsu Narita, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Designing Nanomaterials to Sneak into Plant Cells for Biomolecule Delivery
Markita Landry, University of California, Berkeley

Construction of a Computational Materials Database for Oxides
Yu Kumagai, Tohoku University

Alloy Development and Material Design Criteria for the Aerospace Industry
Austin Mann, Boeing

COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES TO ADDRESS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Session co-chairs: Yayoi Natsume-Kitatani, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), and Amanda Randles, Duke University

Toward Ultra-fast Drug Discovery for Hundreds of Pathogens
Hideyuki Shimizu, Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Application of Computational Approaches to Drug Discovery for Infectious Diseases
Yasuaki Komuro, Eisai Inc.

Engineering Principles in Epidemiological Forecasting and Scenario Analysis: From “choosing the right tool for the job” to “checking your work” and beyond
Anna Bershteyn, NYU Langone Health

Computational Models of Infectious Disease Transmission and Intervention to Help Guide Health Decision Making
Jaline Gerardin, Northwestern University

THE ARDUOUS AND EXCITING PATH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCCESSFUL MOBILITY EXOSKELETONS
Session co-chairs: Tetsuro Miyazaki, University of Tokyo, and Elliott Rouse, University of Michigan
Introduction

Improving Mobility and Neuromuscular Function with Wearable Robots
Zach Lerner, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, and Biomotum, Inc.

Advancing Personalized Motor Rehabilitation: Insights from Human-Human and Human-Robot Interaction
Asuka Takai, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International

The Arduous and Exciting Path of Commercializing Consumer Exoskeletons
Kathryn Zealand, Skip Innovations

Accelerating Towards a Digital Cyborg Society: Approaching Hardware Acceptance through Software
Zendai Kashino, Ghelia Inc.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Session co-chairs: Eri Amasawa, University of Tokyo, and Yu Gan, Argonne National Laboratory
Introduction

Role of Technology Assessment toward Achieving Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality
Hajime Ohno, Tohoku University

Li-ion Battery Recycling in Practice: Technical and Operational Challenges and Opportunities
Ryohei (Hachi) Yagi, Umicore

Life Cycle Systems Modeling for Forest-Based Circular Bioeconomy 
Yuan Yao, Yale University

Quantifying Gaps for Achieving the Net-zero GHG Emissions Target in the US Vehicle Market through Electrification
Shawn Ou, Oak Ridge National Laboratory