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■ Message
from NIH Japanese
scientists ■
To scientists and students affected by the
earthquake in Japan:
We are very concerned about the unprecedented
devastation in Japan caused by the earthquake,
tsunami and subsequent instability of the nuclear
reactors, and we realize there is a long road to
recovery ahead. We wish to express our deepest
sympathy to those victims who lost family members
and friends in the disaster.
We, as scientists abroad, are deeply troubled by
the news that many universities and research
institutes in the Tohoku and Kanto areas suffered
severe damage to their equipment, research
facilities and hospitals. Many scientists and
students could not recover their valuable research
materials and data.
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH)
community has expressed its heartfelt concern and
strong desire to help the victims, as Dr. Michael
Gottesman (NIH Deputy Director for Intramural
Research) detailed in his e-mail below. Under the
leadership of Dr. Gottesman, we have organized a
group called the NIH Japanese Scientists
Association (NJSA), which consists primarily of
senior Japanese scientists at NIH/FDA, to promote
the NIH relief initiative to support the affected
scientists and students. The NJSA will urge the NIH
to support the affected scientists and students in
a number of possible ways, including the provision
of temporary NIH lab space, samples and equipment.
As a first step to meeting your needs, we urgently
need to gather information from you regarding: 1)
Which institutions were affected and how severe the
damage was; 2) How many scientists and students are
in need of help; and 3) What the most urgent needs
are for you personally. Based on your feedback, the
NJSA will coordinate with the appropriate officials
to serve you as best as we can and to implement
this relief effort as soon as possible.
We are soliciting your requests and comments
regarding the NJSA aid program. Requests may
include:
- Inquiries about temporary research positions
available at NIH (including information about
timing and duration).
- The need for reagents and experimental
animals (e.g., replacement of materials that
were received from NIH scientists in the past
but were lost due to the disaster).
- The need for equipment (NIH Surplus
Equipment, e.g., parts for large equipment such
as rotors for centrifuges, and small equipment,
such as micropipettes).
Please send your requests/comments to NJSANIH@gmail.com
or info@nihjsa.org.
We wish you the best of luck in your recovery
efforts, and hope you are able to return to your
research as quickly as possible.
March 29, 2011
NIH Japanese Scientists Association (NJSA)
members
President, Keiko Ozato, Ph.D., NICHD
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