The event was the culmination of six months of activities for the Stellar Science Foundation (hereafter referred to as SS-F), which was established in December 2021. About 50 people attended, including Stellar Inventors, supporters, and staff. As this was the first year of the event and the first time that all Stellar Inventors had gathered together, the event was planned with a focus on fostering a sense of community among the Stellar Inventors.
The event opened with former NHK announcer Izumi Tanaka as the host. First, Takanori Takebe, the founder of SS-F, explained the reasons for founding SS-F, its vision, mission, and values. Next, Sean McKelvey, SS-F Strategic Designer, summarized the results of six months of interviews with dozens of Stellar Inventors and discussed the similarities and differences among these extraordinary researchers.
As an icebreaker, original cocktails named after concepts such as “Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells” and “Spintronics,” inspired by each Stellar Inventor, were served to help guests deepen their understanding of the SS-F value of “people-centric. In the second half of the event, an art project was conducted in which teams composed of first-time Stellar Inventors and guests from the industry drew pictures based on the theme “What if we started a lab together?”. Participants exchanged bold ideas, fostered deeper connections, and created a variety of artworks.
Finally, Takebe explained SS-F’s specific activities and medium- to long-term vision. In addition, an announcement was made that Mariko Kita, co-founder and executive director, had given birth to a child that day, and the entire room was filled with a celebratory atmosphere, bringing the event to a successful close.
The SS-F GALA was an event that brought out the creativity of the inventors and supporters and successfully connected people from different fields. The event was also featured on NHK’s “News Watch 9”.
Group photo in front of the artwork from the art project.
Movie of the SS-F GALA 2022
