A New Research Group Started in the Field of "Creating the Brain" Lecture held at Shotoku Gakuen High School in Musashino City This April, the "Brain-Style Intelligence Research Group" (Group Director, Dr. Shun-ichi Amari) was started as the third research group in the field of "Creating the Brain". The main objective of this research group is to actualize technological systems for actualization of high-level functions that take part in intelligence, in order to elucidate the basic styles of information processing within the brain and to create new information processing technology. This research group consists of the following three laboratories: The Laboratory for Language-based Intelligent Systems (Head, Dr. Michio Sugeno) aims to actualize technological brain-style intelligence systems into which the human language system can be integrated by utilizing various information technologies, the results of brain science and linguistic findings. In addition, the research will contribute to the elucidation of higher-order language-related functions such as memory, cognition, and cogitation. The Laboratory for Dynamics of Emergent Intelligence (Head, Dr. Yoko Yamaguchi) aims to theoretically elucidate the principles of the emergent-creativity of intelligence by grasping the brain as a complex system. To put it in concrete terms, the major tasks of this laboratory are to generate context information in the hippocampus and to search for a point of agreement between theory and experiments in the recognition mechanism of auditory sensation. The Lab. for Behavior and Dynamic Cognition (Head, Dr. Jun Tani) conducts research on the adaptation and the development of cognitive behavior. More specifically, we attempt to understand how the dynamic organization from the sensory-motor level to the higher-order cognitive one can be generated autonomously by conducting multi-disciplinary researches including robotics, experimental psychology and phenomenology. RIKEN Open Day RIKEN Open Day (upper and down) On April 15th, the annual "RIKEN Open Day" was held at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute as one of the event for Science and Technology Week. The laboratories of BSI put on well-planned activities such as hands-on experience corners and panel exhibitions in which many visitors, including children and the elderly, could actively participate. In the experience corners, racing against the brain computer, along with aquatic animal breeding facility in addition to other attractions were a big hit with the children and the place was a buzz with their attentive and eager voices. Despite the rainy weather that day, a total of 4,600 participants visited the RIKEN facilities, with 3,000 of them visiting the BSI. The figures were a substantial increase compared to last year's totals. In recent years, it has often been said that children are gradually losing their interest in science, so this annual event was a golden opportunity for children and the general public to experience science in a very practical and hands-on way which will hopefully help spark new interest in entering scientific field and create greater familiarity with science at large. World Brain Awareness Week From March 13th to 19th, the worldwide campaign, "World Brain Awareness Week", was held in order to raise the publicﾕs awareness of the meaning and social importance of brain science as a scientific field. As part of this campaign, BSI held several lectures. One of them was held on March 19th for high-school students living or studying in Musashino City, and another was held for the citizens of Wako City on March 25th. At the lecture in Musashino City, which was cosponsored by the city, Dr. Ito, Director of BSI, and others gave lectures to more than 500 participants on the themes of ﾒThe Brain and the Mindﾓ and "The Brain and Computers". At the lecture in Wako City, cosponsored by the city as part of a Wako-shi open lecture series, Dr. Mikoshiba, Group Director of the Developmental Brain Science Group, and others gave lectures to about 130 participants on the themes of "Challenge to Elucidate the Functions of the Brain", "Mind of the Brain"and "Can we conquer Alzheimer's Disease". Both lectures, during which questions and answers were actively exchanged between lecturers and participants, were valuable opportunities for increasing the publicﾕs awareness of brain science.