Library offers great service!

  The main building of the Tohoku University library is now under construction, and the annex building is the only one that you can enter. But the library continues to provide service for the students and will be even better from April.
 The most popular service is a concierge desk for international students. There, you can receive help in four languages—English, Chinese, Korean and Indonesian. Each concierge is a native speaker of each language, and they are all fluent in Japanese too. A Japanese concierge also exists for the Japanese students. According to Ms. Mika Yokoyama, a librarian, the number of Indonesians utilizing the library is rapidly increasing. 

 “Inquiries by students vary extremely,” Ms. Yokoyama said. They are from how to find books suitable for a certain theme to how to utilize the library. Some students actually ask about how to write papers for assignments, or about unclear points in some lectures, etc. Whatever the question is, the concierge tries to relieve students’ concerns. On the third floor, you can find a section of displayed books recommended by the concierge.

 On the second floor, you will find shelves of English books on the left side. That place is called the “Extensive English Reading and Readers Corner.” It was founded based on the idea that reading as many books in English as possible naturally improves English proficiency. Each book is color-coded. Red is the easiest level. The next level is orange then yellow, green, and finally blue—the most difficult. As the difficulty level increases, the amount of reading increases too. At the beginning of the school year, this corner got so crowded with students that the library staff was very surprised.
 The fourth floor is an archive where books from the Edo and Meiji Periods are stored. Many hand scrolls are preserved in good condition too. There is another room there for “The Kano Collection.” It is the private collection of the educationist Kokichi Kano who was a president of Kyoto University, and active in the Meiji Period. A limited number of graduate students were able to view the materials, and according to Ms. Yokoyama, “they always gasp in pleasure, feeling as though they time-traveled!” 

 The library offers a wireless internet access service, so you can bring your own laptop, or your smartphone. When the construction is completed in October, the whole library will be renewed, including the annex building. Tohoku University’s library is free from fixed concepts (e.g. that a library is just for quietly studying), and aims at being a space for spending enriching time. There is a lot to look forward to at the library.

Lecture by a Nobel laureate, Prof. Koichi Tanaka

  On January 29^th, a visiting professor, Koichi Tanaka, will give a lecture on the 2^nd floor of Center Hall on Aobayama Campus from 13:00. Prof. Tanaka is one of Tohoku University’s alumni. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. At that time, he was a corporate employee at Shimadzu Corporation contributing to technology research, and he is still affiliated with the company. His lecture will be held on the theme of “environments for interdisciplinary research—developing mass spectrometry”

Thanks to the prize, he has taught at many prestigious universities in Japan so far. This is a rare chance to meet a Nobel laureate and hear his story. The lecture will be in Japanese, and will be aimed at Master’s level students. However, if you are interested in joining the event you can register your name by writing the School of Engineering at event@eng.tohoku.ac.jp .

 

 For more information, please click here.


Map of the venue on Aobayama Campus

 

University Fair in Russia

Last week, the 6^th university fair in Russia was held. This event was hosted by Tohoku University, and was realized thanks to cooperation from Novosibirsk State University and M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.

On the rainy day of October 8^th, the fair started in Novosibirsk. There were five participating universities—Chiba University, Hokkaido University, Meiji University, Tokushima University, and us. Our President Prof. Susumu Satomi also participated in it, and gave a speech at its opening ceremony. Although it took place on a weekday, many students came to the event. In addition, many of them have been studying Japanese, and even spoke Japanese well! So it is no wonder they were looking for a faculty of Asian studies to enhance their knowledge of Japan.

Report on the Japan Education Fair in India!

 As though reflecting the social situation, which is filled with feverish energy, the Japan Education Fair in New Delhi and Bengaluru, India, ended on a high note. About 100 people came to Tohoku University’s booth in each city, asking questions about courses, application procedures, and student life in Sendai.

Open Campus on July 30th & 31st!

Tohoku University’s annual Open Campus event will be held on July 30 and 31 this year. Every year during this event, countless high school students come by tour bus. Some people come from far away especially for this occasion. So our university becomes packed.

Many high school students look forward to seeing futuristic machines and experimental tools on Aobayama Campus, and others anticipate trial lectures on Economy and Law on Kawauchi Campus.

At the medical school on Seiryo Campus, you can experience experiments, and campus tours will let you see various laboratories. Then a 10-minute walk from Seiryo Campus will take you to the Department of Agriculture on Amamiya Campus.

The engineering department is even planning to hold a special forum solely for female high school students. Many student activities will be introduced through concerts and demonstrations.

You may be overwhelmed by the number of high school students, but university students looking for suitable graduate schools are warmly welcomed too. Anyone who is ambitious about learning something is invited to join! 

Power of Music

This week, the rainy season has started in Sendai.

It is hard to find a clear day in June, but when it does happen, you can find events going on during lunch time on campus.

Today, members of Tohoku University’s Gospel circle “GO∞HIP” were singing beautifully under the sun. They are going to have a live concert on June 29^th from 18:00 at LIVE STUDIO RIPPLE.

You can reserve tickets by going to their website.

With their music, any dismalness will be gone for sure!

Student Circle: @home

Today we’d like to introduce “@home,” one of the student circles at Tohoku University. It was founded 16 years ago with the aim of organizing events for both Japanese and non-Japanese students. We had a chance to talk with a sophomore physics major, Arihiro Kamada, who led the planning and organizationrganize aim of16 years ago aimi of the most recent event, an udon (wheat noodle) making party.

“The number of active members is about 30 people plus new 50 freshmen,” Arihiro says. The members get together every week to discuss the content of events which are carried out every month. This meeting is a good occasion for members to catch up with each other as well. Every event is planned to show interesting Japanese culture to foreign students, and make it a place for international exchange. When asked about which event had the highest number of participants and was enjoyed the most, Arihiro said the “Christmas Party” without hesitation. “At the venue a jazz band played music, and the atmosphere was great, although I was too busy working behind the scenes to enjoy it,” he recalled.

On May 12^th, the udon making party was carried out at Kitayama Shimin Center close to University House Sanjo (the Tohoku University students’ dorm). Out of 20 participants, 10 people were international students. For most of participants, it was the first time to make udon noodles from scratch, and they were very excited to press the dough with their feet, roll out it, and cut it finely to make noodles. The event was much appreciated and the noodles tasted great. They also experienced Origami folding by making flying carps and Japanese helmets (called kabuto) that are characteristic decorations for May in Japan.

When it comes to student circles related to the humanities, some may have the impression that they are less active without much to do compared with sports-related ones. “@home” is, however, always filled with ideas and activities with various people. “All foreign students can be members of @home too,” Arihiro added at the end of our conversation.

New Professor!!

Dr. Martin Robert arrived at Tohoku University in April, and is in charge of two lectures this semester.  Here is an interview with Dr. Robert.

Where are you from?
I’m originally from Montreal, Canada.

Entrance Ceremony 2013

The 2013 school year has started.
On April 4th, the entrance ceremony was held, and 2,581 undergraduate as well as 2,418 graduate students became new members of Tohoku University.

School visit in Malaysia 2013

A presentation on Tohoku University’s FGL program was given in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March. This was our first visit and it was one of the most fruitful, with many discoveries.

Classroom Visitation

Since the fall semester is almost over, we visited some classes to see the professors and students in January.  At some classes, the atmosphere was very relaxed, while at others students seemed more eager to listen to what their professors were saying.

In the “Linear Algebra” class, Prof. Igor Trushin was teaching ardent students who were working as hard as possible to prepare for an exam.  The class was mixed, with both international and Japanese students, so there were almost 30 people in the classroom. 

International Symposium at Tohoku University

On Saturday December 15th the international symposium titled “The Great East Japan Earthquake’s Lesson on International Cooperation” was held at the Multimedia Education and Research Complex on Kawauchi Campus.  Eight presenters from five different countries delivered lectures, and about 130 people took part in the symposium.  The opening address was made by President Susumu Satomi, followed by Ms. Emiko Okuyama, the Mayor of Sendai, conveying her congratulations to Tohoku University.
http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/english/2012/12/news20121226-01.html 

The first presenter was Dr. Nobuyoshi Hara, Executive Vice President of Tohoku University.  Dr. Hara discussed how various institutions and research teams from Tohoku University contributed to disaster reconstruction and regeneration in the affected areas.  

Next was Dr. Holger Finken of DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) in Tokyo.  Dr. Finken stressed the importance of academic mobility between Japanese and German universities, intensive and careful communication required in consideration of legal and societal conditions, and sustainable funding secured by both sides.

Professor Cheng-Hung Hang of National Cheng Kung University (国立成功大学) in Taiwan not only talked about the responses of the university after the earthquake on March 11^th, but also about concern over the future of nuclear power and alternative forms of energy.

Ms. Kumiko Tsukamoto is a senior education manager at the Australian Embassy in Japan.  She introduced the strong bonds in the field of education between both countries, and Australian governmental support for the areas affected by the earthquake.

Dr. Lalit Acharya, director of international relations of Riverside City, California, explained about his energetic activities so far as a liaison between his city and its many sister cities (Sendai is one of them), universities and high schools.  Riverside City is one of the strongest supporters of Sendai City.

Mr. William McMichael of Fukushima University reported on the situation in Fukushima then and afterward.  Many foreigners left Fukushima out of fear over radioactivity. Mr. McMichael did his best to ensure foreign students’ security and took part in community projects to support students as well as Fukushima itself.  He showed various photos of his vigorous activities.

Prof. Onaka of Iwate University and Prof. Suematsu of Tohoku University presented results of surveys conducted at each university.  From the results of each, we could see how students at both universities assessed the situation, what actions they took, their thoughts, and so on.

A panel discussion followed the presentations, and the audience asked many questions even after the symposium.  This was a good opportunity to face the tough reality of the disaster as well as to recognize the fact that countless people battled and overcame difficulties.

In the venue, a giant cloth, produced through group effort, was exhibited. It was a gift from Riverside City of California, USA, sent to Tohoku University just after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

School visit in Turkey 2012

So far, the FGL program has been presented at many high schools all over the world.  In November, our visit extended to Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey.

We presented at two schools in each city this time.

At Istanbul Lisesi, we were welcomed by 50 students who sincerely listened to our presentation.  

Tohoku University Student Festival! (Nov. 2 & 3, 2012)

Tohoku University is holding a festival today (Nov. 2) and tomorrow (Nov. 3).  Student organizations from extra-curricular activities show their achievements or run a booth to sell food and goods.  This festival is an important opportunity for the students to show what they do at their club activities and also to raise funds to manage their organizations.

A Day in the Life of an Economics Department Student

Ms. Dan Li

Today, I want to show you one “day in my life” so that it may provide some direct information about an foreign student’s daily life in Tohoku University.

At first, I would like to show you my dorm. I live in the International House of Tohoku University, it is one of the students‘ dormitory. I strongly suggest you live here as there are lots of activities going on this place. You can always get information in time and keep contact with other students. 

2011 Tohoku University Festival

In Japan, school festivals are an important autumn event, whether at the primary, secondary, or university levels. Tohoku University is no exception, and the students enjoy their festival a lot! This year the school festival was held from November 3^rd to the 5^th under the theme of “Link Tompei” (Tompei is a nickname for Tohoku University).

Visitors, which included both students and the general public, were able to sample a variety of food at stalls set up around Kawauchi campus. There were art exhibitions, concerts, and various entertainment provided by the students. The annual school festival is an opportunity for the different student-organized clubs to publicize their activities, and for students with hidden talents to perform in front of their peers.

The school festival also provides a chance for the school’s cosplayers to show off the fruits of their labor. Cosplay (costume play) is a hobby that has spread from Japan to other countries in recent years. Cosplayers enjoy constructing hand-made costumes inspired by their favorite manga, anime, or video games and wearing them out to public events. It's not just a hobby; it's a way of life!

-FGL Staff