Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University welcomed Shunichi Yamaguchi, the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territory Affairs and the Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, on September 10th, 2014. Minister Yamaguchi arrived just one week after his appointment to Prime Minister Abe’s cabinet.
“Thank you so much for coming so soon,” said President Jonathan Dorfan, greeting Minister Yamaguchi. “It is really something to see the university rather than just hear about it.” President Dorfan introduced the minister to the interdisciplinary nature of OIST, pointing to a map to show how a physicist and a biologist shared neighboring offices. President Dorfan then led Minister Yamaguchi on a tour, where they looked at nanoparticles in Prof. Mukhles Sowwan’s Nanoparticles by Design Unit. Prof. Sowwan described how his research thrives because of collaboration between biologists, engineers, and physicists. “All of this is part of the unique multidisciplinary structure at OIST,” said Prof. Sowwan. “No departments; no boundaries.” Minister Yamaguchi noted that interaction amongst departments was indeed a unique trait amongst universities in Japan.
Next on the tour, Minister Yamaguchi learned about Prof. Noriyuki Satoh’s Marine Genomics Unit, which succeeded in sequencing the world’s first coral genome. Minister Yamaguchi inquired about how OIST teaches ethics to young researchers. “We’re one of the six founding universities in a society for ethics in Japan,” answered Robert Baughman, OIST Executive Vice President for Sustainable Development of Okinawa. Baughman took this opportunity to describe the professional development course at OIST, where PhD students can interact with professionals working in all fields of science. This way, they can learn by example how to study science successfully and ethically.
“This is my first visit of this kind and I really enjoyed it,” commented Minister Yamaguchi. He signed the golden book before he left, leaving a note in Japanese that reads “OIST is the hope of Japan.”
by Poncie Rutsch
