Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo improve the accuracy of land surface models in capturing terrestrial water and energy budgets. Their combined hillslope water dynamic and vegetation model predicts the division of precipitation into soil moisture, evapotranspiration and runoff with improved accuracy. This new approach to land surface modeling is hoped to inform sustainable land and water management.

The most recent call for proposals for the Starting Grants offered by the European Research Council (ERC) saw a successful submission by Junior Professor Manuel Krannich from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): Funds amounting to EUR 1.5 million enable the mathematician to realize his project MaFC. The basic research project focusing on manifolds and functor calculus links multiple fields of pure mathematics. With his work, Krannich unveils surprising relationships between symmetries of high-dimensional manifolds and laws of algebra.

English proficiency is crucial for Japanese STEM students, but validated and robust methods for assessing their language learning strategies (LLSs) are lacking. In a recent study, Associate Professor Akihiro Saito from the Tokyo University of Science developed and validated a new instrument specifically tailored for this group. The proposed tool offers key insights into LLSs, paving the way for better English learning.