On March 11 (Tuesday) and 12 (Wednesday), 2025, Doshisha University, in collaboration with the University of Tübingen, held the 5th International Interdisciplinary Symposium. The symposium took place at the Kambaikan Hardy Hall and the Ryoshinkan R305 at Doshisha University.

The theme of this symposium was “Humans and AI: Coexistence and Conscience – Toward a Future Where Humans and AI Develop Together for the Improvement of Society.” Researchers from various fields at Doshisha University and the University of Tübingen engaged in multi-perspective discussions.

During the keynote speech at Kambaikan Hardy Hall, President Katsuhiro Kohara of Doshisha University delivered a lecture titled “AI and Conscience: From the Perspective of Religious and Cultural Diversity.” During his lecture, President Katsuhiro Kohara emphasized the importance of constructing environmental ethics in light of the ongoing societal shift from natural and cultural environments to a digital one. He discussed how this transition calls for thoughtful consideration of environmental ethics in the midst of these changes. Professor Katja Schenke-Layland, Designated Vice President of the University of Tübingen, spoke about the Tübingen AI Center, a hub for AI in Europe, and the ELLIS-Institute Tübingen, a European network of excellence focusing on fundamental science, technological innovation, and societal impact. She highlighted how these initiatives are creating excellent research environments to attract top-level machine learning researchers from around the world.

In Panel 1, discussions were held on the transformative effects of large language models (LLMs) on communication and community-building, social robots and their role in communication, and the potential of AI’s massive visual data processing and modeling of neural processes. Ethical challenges in communication were also discussed.

On the following day, Panel 2 focused on the applications and developments of AI in space technology and medical sciences, while Panel 3 addressed legal issues surrounding regulation in marketing and organoid intelligence.

The symposium saw a total of 110 participants, including graduate students, engaging in lively discussions. New connections were formed in each of the thematic panels. The DU-UT Symposium is expected to contribute to the further development of research collaboration between both institutions.

Program

Keynote Lecture I

Keynote Lecture II

Discussion

Panel Ⅰ　【Humans and AI】

Panel II　【AI in Space Technology】

Panel II　【AI in Medical Sciences】

Panel III　【AI and Legal Challenges】

Group photo

Title: Comparison between the proposed computer-automated assessment method and the established manual scoring method
Caption: The good linearity depicted in this plot indicates excellent agreement between manual scoring and fully automated scoring, showcasing the potential of the proposed system.
Credit: Michael McGuire from Doshisha University, Japan
Image license: CC BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: You are free to share and adapt. Attribution is required.

Image title: Instantaneous streamwise velocity fields with Galilean transformation by the half bulk velocity in the x-y plane
Image caption: Visualization of instantaneous streamwise velocity fields in the x-y plane for different Weissenberg numbers (Wi = 0.0, 0.019, 0.022). The meandering motion emerges at higher Wi, enhancing turbulence and heat transfer in the backward-facing step flow.
Image credit: Dr. Shumpei Hara from Doshisha University, Japan
Image link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0017931025001346?via%3Dihub
License type: CC BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: You are free to share and adapt. Attribution is required.

Title: vmTracking enables accurate identification in crowded environments
Caption: Conventional markerless tracking methods struggle with body part misestimations or missing estimates in crowded spaces. In vmTracking, markerless multi-animal tracking is performed on a video containing multiple individuals. The resulting tracking output may not always be fully accurate. However, since some of these markers are extracted and used as virtual markers for individual identification, high overall accuracy at this stage is not required. By applying single-animal DeepLabCut to the generated virtual marker video, more accurate pose-tracking results can be obtained compared to conventional methods.
Credit: Hirotsugu Azechi from Doshisha University, Japan
Image license: Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be used without permission

Image title: Overview of the proposed mechanism of 25-OHC-induced ferroptosis 
Image caption: This image summarizes the main findings of the study, showing the multifaceted effects that exposure to 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-OHC) has on Schwann cells. 
Image credit: Professor Yasuomi Urano from Doshisha University, Japan
License type: CC BY 4.0
Image source link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584925000103?via%3Dihub
Usage restrictions: You are free to share and adapt but credit must be given to the creator.

On September 26 and 27, 2024, Doshisha Week 2024, an academic exchange event between Doshisha University and Germany’s University of Tübingen, was held at the historic Alte Aula in Tübingen. Organized by Doshisha EU Campus in collaboration with Tübingen University, this event has become an annual fixture, fostering regular academic and cultural exchange between the two institutions.

This year’s Doshisha Week carried the theme, "The Challenge of Next-Generation Researchers," and was uniquely integrated as part of the overseas activity of students funded by the Doshisha University SPRING Program, a government-supported initiative for challenging and interdisciplinary research at the doctoral level. The event facilitated a valuable research exchange between SPRING-supported doctoral students from Doshisha and their PhD peers from Tübingen University.

Three SPRING-supported students from Doshisha University traveled to Tübingen: Ria Yano (Theology, D1), Saki Yamaguchi (Global Studies, D3), and Riko Adachi (Economics, D1). Another student, Haruka Makita (Psychology, D3), joined the event virtually. Each student delivered a 15-minute research presentation, followed by discussions with local students and researchers. The event’s themes were “Gender & Religion; Gender Studies” on the first day, and “Social Sciences (Economics, Fiscal Policy/Psychology)” on the second. Tübingen’s PhD candidates with expertise in these areas also presented their research, fostering mutual exchange and learning across disciplines.

Doshisha students received valuable feedback from Tübingen researchers and engaged in lively exchanges with fellow students, enhancing their research skills and sparking new insights. This first-ever doctoral-level research exchange was highly appreciated by Tübingen University, highlighting the potential for further collaboration between the two universities.

The SPRING Program aims to support doctoral students in developing a global perspective and building networks through international research exchange, and Doshisha Week 2024 provided a meaningful opportunity for students to engage in these pursuits.