"Dyslexia" is more easily manifested in English than in Japanese because of the complex relationship between letters and sounds. English education in Japan has undergone significant changes starting from the 2020 academic year. Currently, fifth and sixth graders in public elementary schools engage in English activities once a week, playing games and singing songs in English as part of their "foreign language activities." However, starting the next academic year, English will be introduced as a subject for fifth and sixth graders, while foreign language activities aimed at familiarizing students with English will be conducted in the third and fourth grades. This means that dyslexia, which neither the individual nor those around them may have noticed, will start to become apparent at an earlier stage. Associate Professor Mutsumi Iijima has been researching the issue of "reading and writing disabilities" in English education for about 20 years. She has been engaged in activities to deepen the understanding of elementary and middle school teachers. She is at the forefront of this topic. She holds a passionate belief in "leaving no one behind" and is very enthusiastic.

　The tobacco whitefly is feared worldwide as a pest that causes significant damage to agriculture. It possesses a specialized organ for hosting symbiotic bacteria; without the nutrients produced by these bacteria, the tobacco whitefly cannot survive. Akiho Fujiwara, a lecturer at the Center for Food and Health Science Education and Research, is studying this symbiotic mechanism. She believes that it may be possible to establish effective and safe agricultural pest control methods by elucidating the mechanism and developing methods to inhibit symbiosis.