The main purpose

○ Construction of a "pan-planetary system model"

  The planetary science group of Kobe University had been accepted as a participating member of the "21st-Century COE Program", which was a predecessor of the present Global COE program. The program of our group entitled "Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems" (COEPS) conducted numerous activities such as observations of extra-solar planetary systems and Kuiper-belt objects and theoretical researches associated with the observations,development of the laser altimeter onboard the Hayabusa spacecraft and the early analysis of the Hayabusa data,laboratory analyses of primordial planetary materials and analogue experiments for resolving their original states, theoretical researches regarding planetary atmospheres, etc. Through those diversified activities, a standard model for the origin and evolution of planetary systems named "Kobe model"was established. This model links a variety of methods for researching planetary sciences and makes a crossover approach to the objects to open a new stage of planetary sciences. In Hokkaido University, the department of cosmosciences which was founded in the graduate school and faculty of science in 2007 have promoted a wide range of educational research under a flag of "seamless cosmogony" which is a comprehensive theory of educational research that fuses cosmosciences and planetary sciences. Moreover, every efforts have been made to construct a information base and accumulate archives of finding information of planetary sciences to show them a wider public. These two universities which share the same motivation to promote planetary sciences synthetically, collaborate each other to accomplish the goal which aims for constructing an integrated model that provides comprehensive understanding on the origin,evolution and diversity of planetary systems, which shall be called a "pan-planetary system model".

  • publications
2008 2009 2010    

○ Foundation of the "international education and research center for planetary sciences": educational research of planetary science and developing a place for raising researchers

  With the continuous expansion of the frontier in planetary science and sophistication of the specialized fields,it is becoming increasingly more difficult to balance our efforts for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the origin,evolution,and diversity of planetary systems with those for maintaining the high level of expertise in specialized fields. In order to develop a pan-planetary system model it is essential to form a place which provides us with an overall view of the field and enables us to carry out inter-field education and research.

  Our plan is to expand the "Center for Planetary Science (CPS)", which was launched at Kobe University under COEPS, to function as a coordination center that has the capacity to oversee project planning and management, information orientation, international cooperation, etc. As a coordination center, the CPS will act as a catalyst for personnel training and research activities in the community and will function as a base where people gather from various area of planetary science to accumulate knowledge and overlook a comprehensive understanding of the expanse of planetary science.

  Within 5 year period, we hope that the CPS will be transformed into a global center for international collaboration in education and research activities in planetary science. The purpose for creating such a center is to establish its name as one of the internationally-recognized centers where domestic and foreign scientists may assemble and where information will be concentrated.

Outline of plan for establishing "international education and research center for planetary sciences"

○ Open management

  In order to establish a community-based governance, in addition to the expansion of the faculty lineup with the cooperation of Hokkaido University, we will request the participation of scientists in other universities as management commission observers. The project management will be operated and integrated by utilizing the internet.

○ Establishing the function of coordination

 We will set up coordination groups (CGs) that will provide multilateral support for the networking of various education and research activities in the planetary science community.
  • education and research CG
      This CG is engaged in offering a design of the education programs, supporting to hold the meetings and schools, and planning and adjustment of a joint research.
  • infrastructure CG
      This CG is engaged in the development of a basic resource necessary for the educational research activity which includes shared software and adjustment support of the development activity should be done. And it is also engaged in the management of the internet server archives of finding information.
  • international cooperation CG
      This CG is engaged in exchanging people with the educational research laboratories overseas and also promoting and supporting to send information to foreign countries.
  • social interchange CG
      This CG is engaged in promoting of research cooperation with private enterprises and supporting job hunting of doctor students.
  • future conception CG
      This CG is engaged in designing the future of planetary sciences with young researchers and a necessary proposal is done.

○ Various human resource educations

  The educational programs mentioned below will be developed with the support of the CGs and the cooperation from planetary science community obtained through such support. With these educational activities, we will realize the CPS for the accumulation, access and development of knowledge and information in planetary science.
  • School program
     This program offers an educational program such as Internet lecture, seminars, and the study camps in which participants stay overnight to have the lectures by invited famous researchers at home and abroad.
  • Practical training program
     This program gives practical training at the research level which include experimental technique such as a collision experiment and an analysis technique, the observation technology,data processing of planetary exploration and a large-scale simulation technology. It also contains remote observation by Hokkaido University.
  • Exchange program
     In this program students and staff are dispatched to abroad to join the schools organized by the international center for planetary science and students from other countries are invited to the above mentioned programs to raise researchers with ability to play an active role internationally.
 In addition we will encourage young scientists and graduate students to participate in the establishment and management of the CPS as the coordination center. This will give them an opportunity to cultivate a wide range of skills associated not only with research abilities, but also with those needed for planning , organization, management, and infrastructure construction required for the future advancement of planetary science.

○ Promotion of research toward the construction of pan-planetary system model

  We will strive to construct a pan-planetary system model by taking advantage of such a facility of the CPS and the human resources made available through it, by promoting a spectrum of research which will span the origin,evolution,and diversity of the planetary systems. Research promotion is executed by the following two main programs.
  • Theory and modeling research program
       This program focuses on theory and numeric technique. The program also contains research for the model development.
  • Planetary exploration and experimental research program
       This program focuses on a research executed through experiment, analysis, observations and a planetary exploration.
  Staff team consists of people in charge of G-COE promotion, related teachers of department of planetary sciences of Kobe university and department cosmosciences of Hokkaido university and postdoctoral researchers of center for planetary sciences of Kobe university.
   Kobe university    Hokkaido university
  • AIKAWA, Yuri
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems
  • ARAKAWA, Masahiko
     Experimental study on the origin of planetary materials
  • ITOH, Yoichi
     Experimental study on the origin of planetary systems, Experimental study of evolution of planetary systems
  • IWAYAMA, Takahiro
     Theory and modeling of diversity of planets
  • OHTSUKI, Keiji
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems
  • OTOFUJI, Yoichiro
     Experimental study on diversity of planets
  • GUNJI, Yukio
     Theory and modeling of diversity of planets
  • SEAMA, Nobukazu
     Experimental study on diversity of planets
  • SETO, Yusuke
     Experimental study on evolution of planetary materials, Experimental study of diversity of planets
  • TOMEOKA, Kazushige
     Experimental study on evolution of planetary materials, Experimental study of diversity of planets
  • NAKAGAWA, Yoshitsugu
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems
  • NAKAMURA, Akiko
     Experimental study on the origin of planetary materials
  • HAYASHI, Yoshi-Yuki
     Theory and modeling of diversity of planets
  • MUKAI, Tadashi
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems, Experimental study of the origin of planetary systems
  • YAMANAKA. Manabu, D.
     Experimental study on diversity of planets
  • KATO, Kiyoshi
     Theory and modeling of evolution of planetary materials
  • KURAMOTO, Kiyoshi
     Theory and modeling of evolution of planetary materials
  • TANAKA, Hidekazu
     Theory and modeling of evolution of planetary materials
  • HABE, Asao
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems, Experimental study on the origin of planetary systems
  • FUJIMOTO, Masayuki
     Theory and modeling of the origin of planetary systems, Experimental study on the origin of planetary systems
  • YAMAMOTO, Tetsuo
     Experimental study on the origin of planetary systems, Theory and modeling of evolution of planetary materials
  • WATANABE, Shigeto
     Experimental study on diversity of planets

○ Toward the foundation of the "international education and research center for planetary sciences"

 Center for planetary science aims for growing up to be a international research center that plays a role as a node of COE network of planetary science.
Center for Planetary Science Kobe University
Dept.of Earth and Planetary Sciences		 Hokkaido University
Observation and Data Center for Cosmosciences, Faculty of Sciences		 Hokkaido University
Dep. of Cosmosciences, Graduate Sxhool of Science		 Hokkaido University
Institute of Low Temperature Science		 staff only