Report: TIER Symposium "Cultivating Global Leaders through World-Class University Collaborations"

On January 17, 2013, TIER Symposium titled "Cultivating Global Leaders through World-Class University Collaborations" was held at Kuramae Hall on Tokyo Tech's Ookayama Campus. This event served as a platform for Tokyo Tech and its world-class partner universities to introduce their own leading international programs, exchange information and discuss about international collaborations in order to cultivate global techno-scientific leaders. Approximately 150 guests from various world-class partner universities, embassies, associated organizations as well as Tokyo Tech's own faculty members were in attendance for this one-day event.

The event started off with opening remarks by Tokyo Tech President Yoshinao Mishima. He stressed the importance of Tokyo Tech hosting such an international event to further improve international collaborations and emphasized Tokyo Tech's goal of becoming one of the world's top ten research universities by 2030. His speech was followed by greetings by Guest of Honor Dr. Osamu Aruga from the MEXT and a keynote lecture on Introduction of Tokyo Tech Activities under the TIER Program by Vice President Toshio Maruyama.

The symposium was then broken down into three sessions where several renowned scholars from Tokyo Tech's partner universities from Asia, Europe and the US were invited to speak about the unique international exchange programs and activities of their own universities. A short Q&A session at the end of each presentation offered event participants an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with guest speakers.

Professor Jeffery S. Cross wrapped up the event by moderating a very engaging open discussion session that focused on such issues as how the quality assured international programs could be implemented and improved, how the framework of exchanges that are beneficial for both sides could be developed, and how the differences of educational system such as accreditation between universities could be solved.

The discussions and presentations throughout the day offered many great ideas and approaches for improving international collaborations between Tokyo Tech and its partner universities. Tokyo Tech would like to thank everyone involved in making this event successful and will continue to work diligently towards becoming one of the top science and technology universities in the world.

OPENING

(Clockwise from top left) Associate Professor Tom Hope was the MC for opening the symposium; President Yoshinao Mishima giving the opening remarks; Guest of Honor Mr. Osamu Aruga from MEXT giving greetings; Vice President Toshio Maruyama introduced Tokyo Tech activities under TIER.

SESSION 1

(Clockwise from top left) Prof. Peter Wieringa, Delft University of Technology; Prof. Carmen Leicht-Scholten, RWTH Aachen University; Prof. Shinnosuke Obi, Keio University; Prof. Naoto Sekimura, University of Tokyo.

LUNCH & SESSION 2

(Clockwise from top left) Lunch buffet; Prof. Joseph Shepherd, California Institute of Technology; Prof. Brian Woodall, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tokyo Tech Prof. Kikuo Kishimoto (on behalf of absent Prof. Masayoshi Tomizuka), University of California, Berkeley.

SESSION 3

(Clockwise from top left) Prof. YongTaek Im, KAIST; Prof. Hong Gao, Tsinghua University; Prof. Meng Hwa Er, Nanyang Technological University; Prof. Neil Mickleborough, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

For more information on the TIER Symposium and the two exchange programs under TIER, please visit:
TIER Symposium website: http://www.ipo.titech.ac.jp/tierforum/e/index.html
TiROP website: http://www.ipo.titech.ac.jp/tirop/
TKT CAMPUS Asia website: http://www.ipo.titech.ac.jp/campusasia/