On May 13, in parallel with the G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in Sendai, Kei Koizumi, Principal Deputy Director for Policy for the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Mark Wuebbels, the Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General Sapporo, visited Tohoku University. They enjoyed discussions with faculty members and students, met with Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi, and were given a tour of the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems.
The theme for the discussions with faculty and students was ‘promoting women’s participation in science and technology fields’. Representing Tohoku University were two female faculty members, one of whom was Vice President Noriko Osumi, three Science Ambassadors, and two students who took part in the TOMODACHI Initiative, a student exchange program jointly organized by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the U.S.-Japan Council. Vice President Osumi started by introducing the university’s efforts to promote women’s empowerment and DEI, and this was followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the current situation and issues with respect to the career development of researchers in the fields of science and technology. The student participants shared their opinions and details of their own experiences.
Following the discussion on women’s participation, Mr. Koizumi and his party met with Vice President Yamaguchi, who introduced the university’s international joint graduate programs and its efforts to foster early-career researchers. Mr. Koizumi asked many questions about the university’s efforts, and the two parties enjoyed a lively conversation on several topics, including examples of programs underway in the United States.
Mr. Koizumi and his party then visited the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems, where its director, Prof. Tetsuo Endoh, spoke about R&D being conducted in the field of semiconductors and also industry-academia collaboration, and he also highlighted some recent research results. Mr. Koizumi was very interested in Prof. Endoh’s overview and showed great enthusiasm to learn about developments in the semiconductor field.
Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Wuebbels discuss matters with female faculty and students
Vice President Yamaguchi introduces the university’s exchange programs
Prof. Endoh explained the nature of the R&D being conducted at the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems