OIST and Okinawa National College of Technology sign cooperation agreement

 

ONCT Student Shunichiro Kaneshiro

 

On May 22, OIST President Jonathan Dorfan and Okinawa National College of Technology (ONCT) President Shigeru Ito met at OIST to sign an agreement of cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement states that areas of cooperation will include exchange of students, researchers, and faculty for training; joint research projects; and mutual use of research infrastructure. The agreement will be renewed automatically every five years.

Both presidents spoke briefly after the signing. President Dorfan’s remarks emphasized “the many opportunities this agreement creates for students from both institutions” and the collaboration’s potential to promote sustainable development in Okinawa. President Ito said the agreement was a major step toward collaborative efforts that will benefit education, research, and development of human resources.

In response to a reporter’s question about the institutions’ specific plans for collaboration, President Dorfan said that collaboration is already taking place, and he invited ONCT student and former OIST intern Shunichiro Kaneshiro to speak about his experience. Mr. Kaneshiro, an information technology major, said that working for six weeks on OIST’s server and database had been beneficial to his studies. President Dorfan also spoke about possible teaching opportunities for OIST graduate students at ONCT. President Ito mentioned the potential for more of such internships in the future, as well as for joint research projects and use of OIST facilities by ONCT students.