On March 10, Dr. Thomas Schneider, who assumed office as the Chief Executive of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) in January, visited Tohoku University and met with President Hideo Ohno.
President Ohno welcomed Dr. Schneider and his party, and he began by speaking about Tohoku University’s role as the hub for the APRU Multi-Hazards Program. The university has been leading exchanges between higher-education institutes in the field of Disaster Science for about 10 years, especially through the holding of summer programs. President Ohno also spoke about the next-generation synchrotron radiation facility ‘NanoTerasu’ which is scheduled to start operation this year, the third-generation cohort survey being conducted at the Tohoku Medical Megabank, and the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems’ efforts to realize energy-saving semiconductors. The president also said that there is a possibility that the university will be able to contribute to APRU’s activities in the field of biodiversity.
In response, Dr. Schneider expressed his gratitude for Tohoku University’s contributions to the multi-hazards program, and he spoke of his hopes that the university and APRU will together aim for a higher level of cooperation in the future. He also explained APRU’s new plans for its activities, such as support for students’ career development and an examination of how universities will look in the future.
After a lively discussion, both parties agreed to continue to strengthen their collaborations and to make the most of APRU’s strengths as a multinational platform.
Group photo (From left: Assoc. Prof. Takako Izumi (International Research Institute of Disaster Science, IRIDeS), IRIDeS Director Prof. Fumihiko Imamura, Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki, President Hideo Ohno, APRU Chief Executive Dr. Thomas Schneider, Ms. Christina Schönleber (Chief Strategy Officer, APRU), Ms. Adriana Rojas (Senior Director, Network and Student Programs, APRU))
Contact:
Tohoku University Global Engagement Division
Tel: +81 22 217-5578
Email：kokusai-k@grp.tohoku.ac.jp