Message from the Director

This Institute was created in 1985 and originally called the Nationwide Joint-use Research Center. A reorganization in 1995 created and established the framework for research and educational structure of the Center, which from then on was called the Institute for Study of the Earth's Interior (ISEI). The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) renewed the Institute’s mandate for another 10-year period on April 1, 2005. ISEI’s mission is to conduct research into the origin, evolution, and dynamics of the Earth by applying advanced experimental and analytical techniques. It seeks to contribute to the development of solid earth sciences in Japan by making available to researchers ISEI’s state-of-the-art facilities and its staff’s expertise in experimental and analytical techniques.

ISEI has established world-class, high-level techniques for ultrahigh-pressure and -temperature experiments and comprehensive geochemical and geochronological analyses. These techniques enable extraction of the most basic physicochemical information, requisite for deciphering the 4.6 billion-year history of the Earth and other planets. We write with great pleasure and pride that the unique research environment established at Misasa has made this Institute very attractive to many researchers worldwide from a broad range of geo- and planetary-science fields.

In 2003, MEXT selected ISEI as a Center of Excellence for the 21st Century (COE-21 Program, entitled “Establishment of International Research Center of Solid Earth Science”). The Institute’s domestic and international experience, and vision to serve both Japanese researchers and worldwide collaborators is in consonance with MEXT’s mandate to form a combined research and educational system that is international in scope. ISEI’s successes as a Nationwide Joint-use Research Center, progress within the COE-21 Program, development of highly advanced experimental and analytical techniques, and determination to expand and enhance international collaborations, served as a firm basis. ISEI was then ready to be a “real” COE that leads its research field internationally. A change in its Japanese name to “Institute of Terrestrial Material Science” encapsulates a shift in the focus and philosophy of ISEI. [Note that the English name of the institute, “Institute for Study of the Earth's Interior” (ISEI) will continue to be used.]

The support from MEXT and Okayama University, and from the domestic and international geoscience communities enable ISEI to inaugurate the “new” ISEI. Many financial impediments associated with the incorporation of national universities in Japan would have been very detrimental to any such plan.

As we continue to pursue our aim to understand the Earth in the framework of material science and to become an international collaborative research center, we are certain that our unique research capabilities will nucleate new research directions in the solid earth and planetary sciences. We will contribute to the improvement of research and educational standards through careful training of the next generation of scientists and fostering human exchange at ISEI.

We welcome your participation in our scientific activities at ISEI.

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