A new school year commenced this week at OIST with its second class of doctoral students. At the welcome ceremony on September 2, OIST faculty and staff gathered in the auditorium to warmly greet the new students and their family members.
The class comprises of 21 students from 14 countries and regions, with highly diverse scientific backgrounds in disciplines ranging from life science to physics to engineering. In the ceremony, the students introduced themselves, telling the audience about their scientific interests and expressing their delight at becoming members of the OIST community. The auditorium was filled with laughter and applause.
In his opening remarks, President Jonathan Dorfan welcomed the students by saying, “Students must be educated to be effective citizens and leaders in the new world reality – a world that is truly diverse and highly globalized.” He then talked about the financial support from the Japanese government, the world-class faculty, and the interdisciplinary environment, which together constitute the keystone for the success of the graduate university. “What several years ago was a vision for change is now a reality and we are proud to invite into that exciting OIST reality the students of 2013, ” he said.
By mentioning the start of construction of Lab 3 and the plan to bring in five new professors, Provost Robert Baughman pointed to the rapid growth of the OIST Graduate University and encouraged the students to participate in the process. “As new students, you will have an opportunity to play a role in building the future of OIST,” he said. Jeff Wickens, Dean of the Graduate School stressed the significance of the doctoral program by saying, “Being a PhD student should be a thrilling adventure. It is less about receiving knowledge from the past, and more about creating new knowledge for the future.”
The ceremony culminated in enthusiastic performance of drum and dance by Ryusei Daiko which blended Okinawan arts like Ryukyu Dance, Shishi Dog performance, Karate, Kobudo, and Eisa.
