Newsletter No. 20
Friends of UTokyo needs your support!
Dear Supporters of Friends of UTokyo, Inc. (FUTI): I trust that everyone is healthy and in good spirits as the autumn nights grow colder. It is now more than ten years since the inception of FUTI, and I am full of gratitude to all the generous contributions we receive every year in support of our primary focus, the FUTI Scholarship programs. As we had announced in our Newsletter No. 19, the 2018 FUTI Scholarship program was able to award 30 scholarships, including the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship which is in its third year. Of those 30 awards, 18 (six University of Tokyo students and 12 students at U.S. universities) are for the summer programs and 12 (11 University of Tokyo students and one student from a U.S. university) are for the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship. This year, in addition to Teruo Fujii, Executive Vice President of University of Tokyo, who became a board member last April, we welcomed Takatoshi Ito, Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, Tai Hasegawa, president of the Henry Taube Institute, and Junji Takegami, Managing Partner of Tiger Pacific Capital LP, to the FUTI Advisory Committee, strengthening the organization even more. In recent efforts to globalize itself, the University of Tokyo has introduced new measures to encourage more students to exchange new ideas with foreign colleagues, broaden international views, and build up a desire to study abroad. As a result, there are more students now who are eager to study internationally. It gives FUTI great encouragement to see our Scholarship recipients grow a great deal and succeed in various global competitions. Additionally, we continue to give research grants supporting Columbia University and Yale University in their research exchanges with the University of Tokyo. All of this is made possible through the support and generosity of your donations and I would like to express my sincerest gratitude. The Friends of UTokyo also collaborates with alumni organizations such as the Akamonkai and Ichokai who provide opportunities in New York and all over the world to UTokyo students in order to help as many of our young colleagues as possible to succeed globally and become leaders in Japan and abroad. As our treasurer and vice-president Yuichiro Kuwama emphasizes in his letter, individual donations are more important than ever. We are enormously appreciative of your contributions and belief in our mission, and we ask for your continued support to maintain and cultivate our programs. Yours sincerely, Masaaki Yamada President, Friends of UTokyo, Inc. A Message from the Treasurer: Thanks to your generous support, donations from individuals increased slightly in 2017-18 compared to the prior year. To accept large gifts, we must stay qualified as a public charity. Maintaining this status requires that the total amount of individual gifts be at least a third of all donations. Donations from our individual supporters are the foundation for large donations, making every individual gift three times more valuable. It is essential to have as many of our supporters as possible to contribute. I believe the easiest methods for donating are either online by making a secure credit card payment or sending a check by mail. For those who prefer sending a wire transfer to FUTI, please email donation[at]friendsofutokyo.org for instructions. We will send you the necessary FUTI account information to complete the transfer. Yuichiro KuwamaVice-President and Treasurer, Friends of UTokyo, Inc. Eri Furusawa Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation/Urban Program ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship Program (2016-2018) With the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship I was able to study Urban Planning at Columbia University in one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world. At the graduation ceremony this May, I received the American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student Award, a prize granted to one student in the graduating class for outstanding performance. After graduation, I have been working in the Urban Design and Zoning Division at the New York City Department of City Planning. This position enables me to marry my architecture education from the University of Tokyo and my planning expertise from Columbia, and I will strive to absorb everything I can in order to contribute to Japanese cities in the future. Natsuki Furukawa University of Tokyo, Pharmacology, MA Program, 2nd year Global Leadership Program (2015) With the FUTI scholarship, in 2015 I took biology courses at the Harvard University summer school where I became acutely aware of the depth of cancer issues and the high social expectation for cancer research. My experience at Harvard was not only a catalyst for my cancer research, but also a strong motivation to study at a foreign facility, which led me to my internship in structural biology at Oxford University last summer. I am very grateful for the support from FUTI, which has given me such a valuable experience three years ago. David Burke Northwestern University, Chemistry, PhD program FUTI Global Leadership Award (2016) I found the UTRIP program at Mitsuhiko Shionoya’s bioinorgnic chemistry laboratory to be a highly rewarding and beneficial experience that shaped my future research interests and career plans. I’m currently enrolled in the Chemistry PhD Program at the International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, conducting research under the supervision of Professor William Dichtel. Our work is focused on designing new membrane technologies capable of performing environmentally relevant chemical separations such as water purification and desalination. Ayu Yoneda University of Tokyo, Medicine, 6th year FUTI Global Leadership Award (2018) I did a pediatric clinical clerkship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School. It was a very valuable to experience medical practice in the United States. I was struck by the speed at which research results are reflected in clinical practice. In the New York Life Science Forum sponsored by the Japanese Medical Association (JMSA), United States, I received the Award for Excellence in the Student Division. I am determined to develop myself further by taking advantage of what I have learned.
FUTI Global Leadership Scholarship Recipient, Ayu Yoneda, Receives a Future Scientist Award
Ms. Ayu Yoneda, a sixth-year student at the UTokyo School of Medicine and recipient of the FUTI Global Leadership Award won the Future Scientist Award, the highest award in the student category, for her poster-presentation at the JMSA (Japanese Medical Society of America) NY Life Science Forum 2018. Co-sponsored by the JMSA and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the forum aims at promoting exchanges among Japanese doctors, researchers, and students working in the U.S. and communicating the excitement of life sciences to the general public through presentations of research results. Ms. Yoneda comments on her experience: “I was able to participate in this forum because it overlapped with the time when I was doing a pediatric surgery clinical clerkship for one month at Harvard Medical School under the support of FUTI. My poster presentation was about the research I conducted in the pediatric laboratory at the University of Tokyo. It identified a genetic mutation that causes a rare disease which develops due to a congenital abnormality of a single gene encoding histone acetyltransferase. My research also analyzed the result of gene mutations and pathogenic mechanisms. I am honored to receive such an award. It was also very valuable to receive feedback from those who are interested in my research. Additionally I met many medical professionals who were active in the United States. From them, I was able to learn that various career paths are possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to FUTI which made my internship in the U.S. possible, the JMSA which organized the forum, and my professors and staff at the pediatric lab at UTokyo, who taught me how to conduct high-quality research.” Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Vice-President of Friends of UTokyo and a faculty member of Mount Sinai Medical School commented, “We are very pleased to support Ms Yoneda’s clinical clerkship at the Harvard Medical School. Our sincere congratulations to her receipt of the Future Scientist Award.” Dr. Masako Osako, FUTI Scholarship Committee member and the Executive Director of New York-London based International Longevity Center Global Alliance, Ltd added, “We have high expectations for Ms. Yoneda to become a leader in her field not only in Japan but also around the world.”
Newsletter No. 19
Prestigious American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student Award to Ms. Furusawa, Ito USA-FUTI Award Recipient
Ms. Eri Furusawa was awarded the American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student Award in May 2018. It is granted to one student each year in the Urban Planning master’s program in Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), as in urban planning programs in other accredited universities, for “outstanding attainment in the study of Urban Planning”. This award was granted not only for high academic performance but also for leadership, teamwork, and the future prospects of contribution to the field of urban planning. This is the most prestigious award given to GSAPP Urban Planning program students. She is a recipient of ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI scholarship in 2016 and 2017, and has finished the second and final year studying urban planning in the master’s course in Columbia University. Starting this June, she works as an urban designer in New York City government. Ms. Furusawa comments, “I hope to learn as much as possible about how planning is conducted in the U.S., then use my experience to contribute to the field of urban planning in Japan. I am deeply thankful to ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. and FUTI for their assistance and encouragement throughout my time at Columbia.” Dr. Shigenori Matsushita, chair of FUTI’s Scholarship Committee remarks, “we are very pleased that we could support her for two years of graduate work and are genuinely proud of her accomplishment.” Her position at Columbia granted Ms. Furusawa the opportunity to connect the school and her home country; Professor Ebru Gencer of Columbia GSAPP recently led a team including Ms. Furusawa on a study trip to Japan to discuss disaster-resilient urban planning with Kobe City officials, experts working for non-profit organizations in Kobe City, and academics in the University of Tokyo, Keio University, and Ritsumeikan University. The photo shows the group with Kobe City officials.
The FUTI Board Appoints Dr. Teruo Furui as a New Member
At the Board meeting held on April 16, 2018, the FUTI Board elected Dr. Teruo Fujii, Executive Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo, as a new Director. He is also the head of the Division of External Relations at the University. He succeeded Dr. Norio Matsuki, former Executive Vice President of UTokyo, who had been a FUTI Director since April 2017. Prof. Teruo Fujii received his Ph.D. degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) in 1993. After working at the RIKEN Institute, he was appointed as Associate Professor in 1999 at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), University of Tokyo, and promoted to Full Professor in 2007. Currently he is Executive Director and Vice President of UTokyo in charge of External Relations. He also serves as President of the Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society (CBMS), which is the governing body of the MicroTAS conference, the most important scientific meeting in the field of Microfluidics. Note: The bio has been provided by Prof. Fujii’s office.
Sudden Passing of Longtime Supporter, Asao Kasumi
(This article only in Japanese) 霞朝雄先生が２０１７年１０月２０日に急逝されました。ここに冥福をお祈り申し上げます。 霞朝雄先生は東京大学医学部1963年卒、胃内視鏡検査を世界に先駆けて開発し、早期胃がん検診で世界をリードしていた東大医学部消化器内科研究室や国立がんセンターに属し、この知見を世界に示す大望を持ち、１９７６年に渡米されました。
Former UTokyo President Komiyama Receives the Knowledge Award from the Emirate of Dubai
Former University of Tokyo President Hiroshi Komiyama received the international prize “Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award (Knowledge Award)” of the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Founded in 2014, the prestigious prize recognizes the contributions to education, science, research and development, and leadership. This award was given to President Komiyama to recognize his leadership and accomplishments in promoting a vision aimed at creating a better future for mankind. His innovative concept of building a “Platinum Society” is the basis for this achievement. (For details, see http://platinum.mri.co.jp/platinum-society/preface/index.) A Few Words from FUTI: This is a reprint of an article by Tokyo University Public Relations Office. President Hiroshi Komiyama is Chairman of the Institute, Mitsubishi Research Institute and an honorary director of the Friends of UTokyo. We at FUTI are very proud of this award and congratulate Prof. Komiyama on this accomplishment. Related URLs: UTokyo’s original article: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/news/notices/notices_z0508_00023.html Dr. Komiyama’s speech at the award ceremony Knowledge Award website: http://www.knowledgeaward.com/news Dr. Komiyama on the Platinum Society: http://platinum.mri.co.jp/platinum-society/preface/index.
Newsletter No. 18
Tohru Asami, University of Tokyo Professor Emeritus, Appointed President of the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
Professor Tohru Asami was appointed president of the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) on June 23 after retiring this March from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communication Engineering. Congratulations, Prof. Asami. All of us at Friends of UTokyo send our heartfelt wishes on your success. ATR is a private-sector research institute established in Keihanna Science City for the fundamental and innovative research and development encompassing telecommunications. In 1986, preparatory meetings were held by the then Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone), Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Kankeiren (Kansai Economic Federation), and universities; and the institute was founded using funds from government owned shares of the then privatized NTT. Since its establishment, steadfast research developments have been made in artificial intelligence, neuroinformatics, robotics, voice translation, and wireless communication; while also having an active exchange of personnel overseas, resulting in foreign researchers making up more than a fifth of the researchers. Recently, ATR has been expanding its field to include life sciences, environment, and food and agriculture. After graduating in 1976 with a Master’s Degree in Electronics Engineering from the Kyoto University, Tohru Asami joined KDDI Research to work on internet related service research development. He received his Doctor of Information and Technology from University of Tokyo. In 2001 he was appointed president of KDDI R&D Labs., Inc., and in 2005 was appointed its vice-chairman. He became Professor of the Graduate School of Information and Technology at University of Tokyo in 2006. President Asami is a long-time supporter of FUTI, and also maintains a continuous dialogue with Prof. Hisashi Kobayashi (Sherman Fairchild University Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, former President of Friends of UTokyo).