The 11th Annual Symposium

Time	Program / Presentation Title	Speaker	Affiliation
13:30-13:35	Opening Remarks	NANBA Kenji	Director, IER/Professor, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science
13:35-14:00	Learning from tritium radioisotope in Fukushima waters	Maksym GUSYEV	Project Associate Professor, IER
14:00-14:25	Environmental modeling for radiocesium in watershed scale	SAKUMA Kazuyuki	Researcher, Japan Atomic Energy Agency Center for Computational Science & e-Systems/Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science
14:25-14:35	Break
14:35-15:00	The Fukushima paradox of plankton: hot zooplankton in clean waters	NISHIKAWA Jun	Professor, Department of Marine Biology, School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University
15:00-15:25	Radial Distribution of 137Cs in Japanese Cedar: Review and Ongoing Research	Muyiwa Michael OROSUN	Researcher, IER
15:25-15:35	Break
15:35-16:00	Radioecology in agricultural systems: interception, weathering, translocation, and soil-to-crop transfer	TAGAMI Keiko	Group leader, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Institute for Radiological Science, Department of Radiation Measurement and Dose Assessment, Radioecology and Biosphere Research Group
16:00-16:25	Integrating Ecosystem Services in Radiological Protection	Deborah Oughton	Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
16:25-16:55	Discussion	Vasyl YOSCHENKO	Professor, IER
16:55-17:00	Closing Remarks	Aleksei KONOPLEV	Vice Director/Project Professor, IER

Time	Program / Presentation Title	Speaker	Affiliation
10:00-12:00	Poster Presentations for Experts
13:00-13:05	Opening Remarks	MIURA Hiroki	President, Fukushima University
13:05-13:10	Overview	NANBA Kenji	Director, IER/Professor, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science
13:10-13:35	Tree ring and past environment	KIMURA Katsuhiko	Project Professor, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science
13:35-14:00	Elucidating of tritiated water cycle in Atmosphere-plant-soil system	HIRAO Shigekazu	Associate Professor, IER
14:00-14:10	Break
14:10-14:35	Why does radiocesium remain in freshwater fish?	WADA Toshihiro	Professor, IER
14:35-15:00	Tritium in the marine environment after discharge of ALPS treated water	TAKATA Hyoe	Associate Professor, IER
15:00-15:10	Break
15:10-15:35	Long-term changes in ecosystems radioactive contamination: legacy sites and Fukushima	Aleksei KONOPLEV	Vice Director/Project Professor, IER
15:35-16:00	Why are the radiocaesium activity concentrations in rice so low?	TSUKADA Hirofumi	Professor, IER
16:00-16:25	Discussion	NANBA Kenji	Director, IER/Professor, Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science
16:25-16:30	Closing Remarks	Aleksei KONOPLEV	Vice Director/Project Professor, IER

On March 10th and 11th, 2025, the 11th Annual Symposium of the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University (IER), titled “Ecosystems from the Environmental Radioactivity Perspective,” was held at CORASSE Fukushima (Fukushima City). Approximately 290 people participated, including online attendees.

On the 10th, an “Oral Presentation for Experts (in English)” was held, and on the 11th, a “Symposium for the General Public (with simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English)” and a “Poster Presentation for Experts (in English)” took place. In the Symposium for the General Public, six faculty members from IER and the Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science presented on the following topics: “Tree ring and past environment,” “Elucidating the tritiated water cycle in the Atmosphere-plant-soil system,” “Why does radiocesium remain in freshwater fish?” “Tritium in the marine environment after discharge of ALPS treated water,” “Long-term changes in ecosystems radioactive contamination: legacy sites and Fukushima,” and “Why are the radiocaesium activity concentrations in rice so low?” During the subsequent general discussion, all presenters took the stage, and a Q&A session and exchange of opinions with the audience took place in an open atmosphere. Additionally, in the poster presentations, outstanding presentations were made by KUROSAWA Honoka (a third-year doctoral student majoring in Environmental Radioactivity), Rashedul Islam RIPON (same), and ENDO Toyoaki (a third-year undergraduate student at Fukushima University’s Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science), and they received the “Student Award.”

Finally, the closing remarks were delivered by Aleksei KONOPLEV, the IER Vice Director, who will be retiring this year. He emphasized the importance of sharing research findings and exchanging opinions between researchers and citizens on issues of interest and concern.