On July 2nd, commemorative lectures for the MIDORI Academic Prize for 2017 were held at the Miraikan-The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, and Professor Jian-Ren Shen, Vice Dean of the Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, gave a lecture as one laureate of the Prize for 2017 (11th Award).

Professor Shen was awarded for his contribution to the elucidation of the oxygen generation mechanism of photosynthesis at the atomic level. During the lecture, he explained the mechanism of photosynthesis that plants acquired over a long period of time and how the black box of how photosynthesis works was uncovered. Additionally, he shared how plants still have a lot to teach humans and that it is a joy to learn from them. More than 100 audiences deeply learned about the plants and photosynthesis.
Professor Shen and his co-workers’ work published in Nature was selected as one of the top ten breakthroughs of the year in 2011.

*1 The MIDORI Academic Prize http://www.cao.go.jp/midorisho/