zum Symposium „Food Science and Society“

Alsace (22.05.2010) (52,8 KB)

JSPS Quarterly No. 33, Autumn 2010 (160 KB)

JSPS French and German Alumni Associations Hold First Joint Forum

On 21-22 May, the forum “Food Science and Society” was held jointly by JSPS French and German alumni associations and the JSPS Strasbourg and Bonn Offices. It marked the first time for the JSPS alumni associations and centers of two countries to co-organize a forum. Venued at the Institute of Chemistry of the co-sponsoring University of Strasbourg, this ground-breaking event was successful in attracting some 300 French, German and Japanese participants.

The German JSPS Club was established in 1995, and the JSPS French Alumni Association in 2003. In 2005, the executives of alumni associations in Europe got together and formed a council of European alumni associations (currently comprising five associations), which meets once a year for the purpose of promoting alumni activities on the Continent. This jointly implemented forum had its beginnings in an effort to catapult the council’s international agenda. Strasbourg was chosen as an ideal location for holding the forum as it is situated in the middle of Europe on the border between France and Germany.

The forum itself featured an interdisciplinary dialogue among French, German and Japanese researchers of the subject of “food.” The theme was explored and advanced from a wide variety of angles, including philosophy, social science, medicine, nutrition, neurology, geology, culinary science and gastronomy, with presentations and discussions held on the latest research results in areas related to health, food supply, and palatability. It was amply demonstrated that “food science” is grounded in a great many diverse fields, while “food culture” is imbuing the French, German and Japanese peoples with a wealth of wisdom.

The forum proceedings were broadcast over and archived in the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research’s Canal-U (http://www.canalc2.tv/).

JSPS Strasbourg Office