■Engineering Graduate, Huang, Inducted into Industry Hall of Fame
Robert Huang, a Kyushu University graduate (Department of Engineering, Electronic Engineering, 1968) has been inducted into the Industry Hall of Fame.
This honor is reserved for IT inventors and those who have had a significant impact in advancing the high-tech industry. Inaugurated in 1997, this was the 8th induction ceremony held and only six people were honored.
Huang founded the computer-related company Synnex and has served as CEO for 24 years developing it into a major company with annual sales of \400 billion. Even greater things are expected of Huang in the future.
For more details on Huang’s induction, please refer to
http://www.crn.com/sections/special/hof/ industryhof_main.jhtml.
Synnex’s homepage can be accessed at:
http://www.synnex.com/.
Also, an interview with Huang can be found in this issue(page5).
■Kim Jong-Pil, Former South Korean Prime Minister, Visits Kyushu University
“I’ll Lend a Hand to My Alma Mater”
Former South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil, at the invitation of the Research Center for Korean Studies, visited Kyushu University on December 8, 2004. The purpose of Former Prime Minister Kim’s visit was to tour the Research Center for Korean Studies, which marked its fifth anniversary last December, and to meet with university officials. After Kyushu University Vice President Yanagihara (in charge of international affairs) discussed the current status and future promise of Kyushu University’s international exchange activities, Former Minister Kim’s first words were a firm commitment to, “lend a hand to my alma mater.” Former Prime Minister Kim referred to Kyushu University as his alma mater because the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in November 1998.
Afterward, Vice President Yanagihara led Former Prime Minister Kim on a tour of the Research Center for Korean Studies, which he did much to create. Former Prime Minister Kim viewed descriptions of the center’s achievements with great interest. He later engaged in a discussion with 20 people, comprised mainly of students, for about 40 minutes and expressed his fervent expectations to the university’s next generation of Korea researchers.
■OECD Secretary-General Johnston Speaks at Kyushu University
OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Secretary-General Donald J. Johnston came to Kyushu University, where he gave an address to faculty and students on July 22, 2004.
The theme of his talk was, “A Message from the OECD: The Road Ahead for the Japanese Economy and Remaining Issues.”
The first half of his talk was a discussion of the history of the OECD, which got its start as the OEEC and was created in 1948 to deal with economic difficulties in post- WWII Europe, and its current activities and principles. The second half was an analysis of economic conditions in Japan, which joined the OECD exactly 40 years ago, and the OECD’s involvement.
After his talk, Secretary-General Johnston politely responded, sometimes humorously, to a string of questions and ended the session by telling students that, “the OECD Secretariat wants to increase the number of specialists on its staff and needs people with varied backgrounds and from various cultures from throughout the world.”
Secretary-General Johnston’s visit to Japan lasted about one week, during which he gave this type of talk only at Kyushu University. Faculty and students crowded the International Hall, where the event was held, listening intently and expressing their appreciation to the Secretary-General with a big round of applause at the end.
■Movement on Overseas Offices
In April 2004, Kyushu University established four Kyushu University Overseas Offices, one each in London, California (Silicon Valley), Munich, and Seoul, to gather and disperse information. These offices in the UK, US, Germany, and Korea serve as bases and now will not only disperse information on Kyushu University but also gather information and perform roles such as providing advice for various activities by the university.
Office Directors are as follows:
① London Office (UK)
Tadashi Yamada
International Visiting Researcher,
National Institute of Science and Technology Policy, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
② California (Silicon Valley) Office (US)
Masato Matsuo
Technology Consultant, Advisor to the President of Zeon Medical Inc.
③ Munich Office (Germany)
Hikaru Tsuji
Councilor Emeritus, Munich University (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo)
④ Seoul Office (South Korea)
Park Kwan-Sun
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) , SY Hitech
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■11th JTW Gets Under Way
Japan in Today’s World (JTW), a short course for foreign students, has gotten under way again, this time. This is the eleventh time the course is being offered and its participants are comprised of 33 foreign students from eight countries in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Orientation was held over a three-day period, beginning on Saturday, October 2nd, and ending on Monday, October 4th, in the natural surroundings of the Kuju Training Center for the Joint Use of National Universities in Kyushu. During the session, students listened intently to information provided on the content of the year-long program and on life in Japan and then were permitted time for recreation in the form of mountain climbing and gymnasium activities, so that they could get to know fellow students. Additionally, students from various cultures and backgrounds engaged in discussion in a seminar on understanding other cultures given by Ateneo De Manila University professor Rudolpha An, who traveled with the students to the orientation. The trip was a very meaningful one for these students who now will live in a country with a culture different from their own. On Saturday, October 23rd, and Sunday, October 24th, the students went on the first field study of the 11th JTW, visiting Nishi Arita-machi in Saga Prefecture’s Nishi Matsuura-gun. There, they stayed with farm families and got to know members of the Gaku Shintaro Tanada-kai through activities such as rice harvesting. Despite never before having harvested rice, the students, with the kind guidance of Tanada-kai members, were able to perform the work well. At a later gathering, they had fun talking with Tanada-kai members and, before leaving Arita-machi, promised to get together in the future.
With cooperation and support by many people, JTW students will spend the next year learning and accumulating new experiences both inside and outside the Kyushu University campus.
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