The second colloquium between Mapúa University (MU) in the Philippines and Okayama University of Science (OUS) took place on January 18th at MU in Manila. Five OUS students, three faculty members, and one staff member participated, engaging in dynamic academic exchange through mutual research presentations. The next colloquium will be held at OUS in the upcoming academic year.
 
In the morning session on the 18th, Professor Haruki Akashi from the Institute of Frontier Science and Technology, Organization for Research Development and Outreach at OUS elucidated the process of oxidizing organic substances using metal complexes as catalysts. Professor Kaoru Yamamoto from the Department of Physics and Lecturer Ryosuke Iwai from the said institute shared their latest research findings. Two faculty members from MU also presented their research work. The introduction of the OUS researcher navigator generated significant interest, fostering expectations for heightened academic exchange in the future.
 
During the afternoon, students participated in a poster session. Shino Nakajima, a master's student from the Graduate School of OUS, presented the synthesis and properties of gold (Au) porphyrin complexes, which are gaining attention as materials for anticancer drugs. Five students from OUS and seven from MU actively exchanged ideas during the poster presentations.
 
On the second day, January 19th, guided by MU students, the delegation visited environmental science laboratories, visited labs to observe MU students working on experiments, and toured the other campus facilities. Additionally, students visited nearby museums, strengthening friendships among themselves.
 
Students from OUS shared their impressions, stating, "It was a valuable experience. I want to apply what I have seen and learned to future research" and "I was nervous due to the language barrier, but everyone was friendly, and we had meaningful conversations. It was a lot of fun." They appeared greatly inspired by the exchange.