Professor Ian Jackson, from the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University spent three months from the end of May in Matsuyama as a guest of GRC. His principal research interests are in the laboratory measurement of the physical properties of rocks and minerals and the application of such information to the structure and processes of the Earth's deep interior. The measurement of elastic wave speeds at both very high (ultrasonic) and low (seismic) frequencies has been a major focus of Professor Jackson's recent work. High-frequency ultrasonic techniques developed by Li and others at Stony Brook have recently been successfully implemented at the GRC for measurement of elastic wavespeeds on small specimens of high-pressure silicate minerals at high pressure in multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus. This growing interest in ultrasonic interferometry in the GRC was part of the motivation for Professor Jackson's visit. Through interaction with Higo-san, Irifune-san and Inoue-san, he sought to establish a deeper understanding of the key aspects of the new 'transfer-function' method.
　Another major commitment was the preparation and presentation in late July of a two-day lecture course entitled Elasticity and Anelasticity of Earth Materials - Theoretical Background, Laboratory Measurements and Selected Seismological Applications, along with a research seminar Laboratory measurements of seismic wave speeds and attenuation in olivine.
　He also found some time to continue with his personal research work on seismic wave attenuation in upper-mantle materials, working with ANU colleagues Faul and Fitz Gerald on the revision of two major manuscripts describing laboratory measurements of attenuation in melt-bearing olivine and on some calculations for a third manuscript describing the seismological application of such laboratory work. 　　　Professor Jackson reports having had a productive and enjoyable stay in Matsuyama - attributable he says to 'the warm hospitality, willing assistance of staff and students, and the excellent facilities of the GRC'. He describes Matsuyama as 'a pleasant, utterly unpretentious, somewhat provincial environment with a sub-tropical summer climate - reminiscent of the Brisbane of my childhood'. Away from work, 'living in an apartment a few km off-campus, commuting by bicycle, shopping locally for essentials, studying the Japanese language, and swimming for exercise at the nearby Community Center combined to make for a varied and interesting experience of the Japanese way of life'.

　　

　
　Dr. Yanbin Wang is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Chicago, visiting GRC from July to September, 2003. He is the lead scientist of the large-volume press synchrotron facility at Center for Advanced Radiation Sources' (CARS) Sector 13 at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the U.S. third-generation synchrotron source at Argonne National Laboratory.
　Dr. Wang's research interests are primarily related to mineral physics. Using the multi-anvil apparatus and synchrotron X-radiation, his research areas range from physical properties of high-pressure minerals (including P-V-T equations of state, acoustic velocities, viscosity of melts, and rheology of solids) to crystal structure and crystal chemistry under conditions corresponding to the deep interior of the Earth. He also conducts modeling on composition and mineralogy for the Earth's mantle, in collaborating with scientists in other fields. He is currently involved with two major technical developments at the APS: the Deformation DIA (D-DIA) and a high-pressure tomography apparatus.
　While visiting GRC, Dr. Wang gave a one-and-a-half day lecture series entitled "P-V-T Equations of State: Fundamentals, Practices, and Applications" and presented a seminar "Towards high-pressure rheology: Deformation experiments in the D-DIA with High-Resolution Monochromatic Diffraction". He enjoys interacting with the faculty, staff, and students at the GRC and is collaborating with them in analyzing synchrotron data and synthesizing samples of high-pressure minerals for future rheological studies in the D-DIA. He is looking forward to joining the synchrotron experiments at Spring-8 in the coming beam time in September.
　Dr. Wang's wife, Mei, and two children Vania (16 years old) and Erik (11) had a wonderful time during their one-month stay in Matsuyama. They enjoyed fishing and picnicking on Kashima island with GRC faculty, staff and students. They also enjoyed taking Japanese classes, walking around Matsuyama castle, bathing in Dogo Onsen, and, of course, the food! They had a rare opportunity to visit Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima during the Obon season in August. The visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial was an especially unforgettable experience, which will benefit the children for the lifetime. In addition, Vania had a unique opportunity to help GRC students practice conversational English in her informal evening classes. Now back in Chicago, Mei and the children would like to express their gratitude to all the faculty, staff, and students of GRC for the warm hospitality: Hontoni Doumo Arigatou Gozaimashita!