Aramco Asia Japan (AAJ) recently signed an agreement with The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation aiming to contribute to the efforts of disseminating knowledge, enhancing public interest and understanding of science and technology among local residents.
Locally known as Miraikan, which broadly means “future museum” in the Japanese language, it is the latest partner of AAJ and Saudi Aramco corporate social responsibility endeavor of 2018 under the pillar of knowledge society.
Located in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, the museum attracts over one million visitors from all over the world every year. The experience-based exhibitions not only showcase the cutting edge science and technology, but also help the audiences understand how sci-tech can influence the future of the world.
At the signing ceremony, Omar Al Amudi, AAJ representative director, expressed his warm welcome and pleasure and looked forward to future collaboration. “Saudi Aramco, has recently inaugurated the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (iThra). The edutainment initiative is environed to promote cross-cultural development through its mutli-purpose facilities which include an auditorium, a modern library, an exhibition hall and a museum, among others. This is, of course, completely aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, especially in the areas of culture and entertainment. Thus, I hope this agreement will usher a new chapter of cooperation and collaboration between AAJ, iThra and Miraikan since they have wide range of commonalities.”
“We are truly privileged to establish this connection. It is our strong belief that science and technology are both integral and vital part of culture. By accumulating and combining wisdoms from various cultures, we, humans can create a better future. Such activities at both platforms can generate synergy,” said Dr. Mamoru Mohri, Chief Executive Director of Miraikan.
Interactive & evolving
The unique set-up of Miraikan is its design to prompt visitors to stop, ponder and discuss the future of science and technology. Miraikan's first-of-its-kind globe-like display “Geo-Cosmos” made with organic EL panels displays virtually real-time events of global weather patterns, ocean temperatures and other geographic, scientific and socioeconomic topics. It was created based on the desire of Dr. Mohri, who is also the first Japanese astronaut to fly on NASA space shuttle mission twice - first in 1992 and another in 2000, wishing to share with people the sight of the beautiful earth he had seen from space as an astronaut.
Visitors can also meet different types of active humanoid robots at Miraikan. They prompt and inspire you to imagine a future society with robots.
The museum also has the presence of science communicators. They provide easy-to-understand explanations of exhibits to visitors leveraging their specialized knowledge and communication skills to connect science with society.
The keyword of Miraikan's activities is TSUNAGARI - a Japanese word for linkage, relation, and connection. It recognizes the relationships between 10 billion people and the 4.6-billion-year-old earth, valuing the collaboration with national and international organizations to implement activities for the future. AAJ looks forward to the TSUNAGARI with Miraikan.