ARC-iJAC Activities

Background:
Prof. Ruck Thawonmas, a research member of the Art Research Center (ARC), received his B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, in 1987, an M.Eng. degree in information science from Ibaraki University in 1990, and a Ph.D. degree in information engineering from Tohoku University in 1994.
He is a Full Professor at the College of Information Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, where he leads the Intelligent Computer Entertainment Laboratory (ICE Lab).

Prof. Thawonmas, thank you very much for your time today. Can you tell us how you joined Ritsumeikan University and the Art Research Center (ARC)?

Prof. Thawonmas: After I finished my Ph.D. at Tohoku University, I worked at several places in Japan. One day, I saw an interview with a non-Japanese professor at Ritsumeikan University. Seeing that the interviewee was a full professor doing well despite being non-Japanese in an international atmosphere environment encouraged me to join the university.

I joined Ritsumeikan University in 2002 when the university was planning to establish my current college--the College of Information Science and Engineering (CISE).

While my early research focused on data mining, upon joining Ritsumeikan, I decided to slightly change my research area to set myself apart from other professors. I started to look into entertainment computing and computer games, which were not yet well-recognized research areas at that time, either domestically or internationally.

From the beginning of my tenure at Ritsumeikan, I became involved in the ARC's research activities, including the application and subsequent execution of the 21st Century COE (Center for Excellence) Program of the Ministry of Education (MEXT) "Kyoto Art Entertainment Innovation Research." Guess who added the term entertainment there!

As the Head of the Intelligent Computer Entertainment Laboratory (ICE Lab), you have been engaged in research on game AI and intelligent techniques for increasing the entertainment value of computer games. Could you give us some examples of how digital resources of the ARC have been utilized in your research projects?

Prof. Thawonmas: As part of our effort to promote Japanese culture through games, ukiyo-e prints from the ARC Ukiyo-e Portal Database have been incorporated as background images in various projects on game AI.

On January 16, 2024, a group of students and faculty members of Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, South Korea, visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and digital archiving facilities, Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) gave an introductory lecture on the DH research activities of the Center.

Co-organized by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, the interactive online workshop 'Mitigation of Climate Change Impact on North Delta & Alexandria Cultural Heritage into a Global Environmental Context' was held on January 13 and 14, 2024.

>> Click here for the program.

Workshop Report (Author: Dr. Mohamed Soliman)

On January 13 and 14, 2024, an interactive online workshop on "Mitigation of Climate Change Impact on North Delta & Alexandria Cultural Heritage into a Global Environmental Context" was held. The workshop was organized by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, and the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage (DMUCH) of Ritsumeikan University, as well as the International Geodesign Collaboration (IGC), JSPS-Cairo Office, and (EECE)-Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST).

The workshop addressed climate change impacts, promoting renewable energy and resilient infrastructure for a just transition. It highlighted activities like energy consumption, land use changes, and transportation as major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change. The objective was to make action and understanding to mitigate these effects.

The consequences of climate change are far-reaching, encompassing rising global temperatures, water and food scarcity, biodiversity loss, health risks, extreme weather events, sea level rise (SLR), poverty, and displacement. In order to mitigate these effects, solutions must focus on reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. Implementing policies and investment strategies to decrease emissions and enhance carbon sequestration rates should consider the diverse geographic, cultural, and political contexts. Preserving and improving ecosystems, alongside other carbon-absorbing systems, are essential for maintaining consistent global carbon-negative progress, wherein the extraction of carbon from the atmosphere exceeds emissions on a daily, annual, and decade-long scale.

For these reasons, the workshop had focal objectives that included building two sustainable scenarios compatible with 2030 and 2050 SDGs strategies, identifying actionable measures for enhancing global climate challenges for urban mobility, improving environmental ecosystems, and managing cultural heritage climate resilience. Community engagement and establishing a network of stakeholders who can contribute effectively to the formulation and implementation of a mitigation plan for the climate change of Alexandria and North Delta were also one the main objectives of the workshop, as this collaborative approach ensures that diverse perspectives and expertise are included in the planning process, in addition to capacity building, to enhance the skills of interdisciplinary researchers and emerging leaders in utilizing the Geodesign methodology for addressing the Global Climate challenge (GC), as all the participants will receive a comprehensive scientific and technological support, including access to Esri and Geodesign hub software, through a series of webinars and tutorials, that enables them to apply the conceptual framework and practical tools of Geodesign effectively.

The workshop was supported by partners from various entities interested in research and keen on finding solutions to decrease the risks, sustain the resources, and save the planet. These supporters were: DMUCH and ARC at Ritsumeikan University, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Inc., International Geodesign Collaboration (IGC), The Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development GmbH, EECE-Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), and The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Mohamed Soliman (Visiting Collaborative Researcher, Ritsumeikan University), Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University), and Prof. Carl Steinitz (Harvard University), with the assistance of a diverse project team led by Dr. Soliman and Prof. Yano. This team included Prof. Heidi Shalaby (Head of the Central Administration for Technical Affairs, National Organization for Urban Harmony, Egypt), Ms. Raghda El-Nezory (Department of Historic Cairo, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities), Dr. Nermine Moustafa (National Egyptian Museum of Civilization (NMEC)), Ms. Doaa Ali (Alexandria Department, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities), and Dr. Marwa Hafez (Alexandria Governorate), and an environmental team at E-JUST led by Prof. Mona Gamal Eldin, Dean of the School of Energy Resources, Environmental, and Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering (EECE), Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST).

In order to make the best of this workshop, the supporters collaborated with stakeholders from different sectors and organizations, such as the Alexandria Governorate, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), the Syndicate of Engineers-Alexandria, and Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage. Hence, the actual stakeholders were represented by more than 30 participants assigned in four working groups to reach the best opportunities for mitigating climate change.

The workshop had 30 participants representing several entities in Egypt and two participants from Japan, including universities, institutes, offices of the government sector, health centres, and private firms. The participating entities from Egypt were EECE, Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST), Helwan University, Alexandria University, Ministry of Tourism & Antiquitis (MoTA), Ministry of Social Solidarity, Alexandria Governorate, Western District, Administration of Planning and Urban Development, German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAI-Kairo), San Stefano Health Center, Al-Muntaza Medical Area, Tail & Partners Law Firm, and Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage, from Egypt, while the participants from Japan were from Nagasaki University.

The 129th International ARC Seminar will be held as a webinar on Wednesday, January 17, from 18:00 JST.

The program is as follows:

Speaker: Tomoyuki NAKAO (Senior specialist for museums support, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan)

Topic: Issues and Prospects in Digital Transformations in Museums

Date: Wednesday, January 17, 18:00 - 19:30 JST

Participation: online via Zoom, free of charge (no reservation required)

*This webinar is open to everyone, and non-ARC members are also invited to participate via YouTube.

Titled The Intangible Culture that Japan is proud of makes its World Debut, Ritsumeikan University's Research Report RADIANT Issue #20 introduces the digital archiving projects of Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC).

In particular, the report focuses on his research endeavors in digital archiving and preserving intangible Japanese cultural heritage, such as Japanese folk performing arts, for future generations.

>> Click here to read the full article (in Japanese).

On October 12, 2023, a group of Japan Foundation Fellows visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and digital archiving facilities, a networking session with Ritsumeikan University graduate students and a career discussion with Dr. Travis Seifman (ARC Research Manager/Associate Professor, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University), a former JF Fellow, were held.

>> Click here for the full report on the Japan Foundation website (in Japanese).

The 128th International ARC Seminar will be held as a webinar on Wednesday, December 20, from 18:00 JST.

The program is as follows:

Speaker: Hiroyuki YAMAUCHI (Associate Research Professor, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University)

Topic: Applications for geography education using Virtual Reality technologies and three-dimensional geospatial data: focusing on practices teaching terrains and historical sites

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 18:00 - 19:30 JST

Participation: online via Zoom, free of charge (no reservation required)

*This webinar is open to everyone, and non-ARC members are also invited to participate via YouTube.

On December 18, 2023, Prof. Soo-chul Kim (Provost, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage) and Prof. Yi Kisung (Dept. of Archaeology, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

The Call for Applications for FY 2024 International Joint Research with Research Fund is open until January 22 (Mon), 2024, 12:00 noon (JST). Successful projects will receive research funds from the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University.

Learn more about the application here.

• Guidelines
• Application Form