The Okayama University Knowledge Fair 2012 was held on November 2 at the 50th Anniversary Hall to invigorate academic-industrial cooperation through introducing the fruits of our latest research and examples of local cooperation widely to society. The main theme of this year's fair, the seventh of its kind, was "Knowledge Communication with the Local Community," exhibiting a wide range of studies to arouse the interest of businesspeople and ordinary citizens while providing hints for joint research.

Panel sessions were held with 69 booths split into six sectors: new materials / manufacturing / information communications, regional partnerships, energy saving / new energies / disaster response, medical / drug-development / social welfare, the environment / agriculture, and actual displays. Presentation slides were used for some of the studies to make a more detailed explanation. The participants were enthusiastic about asking questions to the researchers and were happy to exchange business cards.

There was also a special lecture by Professor Yoshifumi Inatani of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, giving a clear explanation of the asteroid probe Hayabusa's mission including an insider's view. Professor Eizo Yoshimura of our own Institute for Study of the Earth's Interior also gave an in-depth description of the institute's work on particulate analysis of the asteroid Itokawa.