University of Aizu Gazette, No. 16 (November 2003)


Address by Mr. Shigeaki Tsunoyama on his appointment as Vice President

he University's application accepted in the Ministry of Education's Program for Supporting Unique Higher Education Programs

The University's tenth anniversary ceremony, memorial speech and party held
The University's tenth anniversary memorial round-table conference
Opening of the Kunii Collection
Supporters' Association and Alumni Association's project
Exhibition on the 300th anniversary of the foundation of St.Petersburg

Faculty personnel affairs

Academic societies and events 　

Address on the appointment of Vice President

 It is indeed my honor to be appointed Vice President of the University of Aizu after just eleven months of joining the University.
I also realize that I carry the weight of responsibility that comes with the appointment.
Last June, the University was selected as one of the universities to which an adviser for intellectual property management would be dispatched from Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII), and in September, it was chosen as a university offering unique educational programs by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
It is my impression that this recognition is the result of the University's staff and students working together daily for the further development of the University guided by the University's founding principles.
In October, various events were held in commemoration of the University's tenth anniversary.
These achievements of the past encourage those of us now enrolled at the University as we turn the page for the next decade.
The University has many opportunities for meeting new challenges.
In the area of university-industry partnership, which is in my charge, the Star Wars Exhibition will be held in Aizu next year, and the University will also be tying up with China's Northeastern University.
The Bank of Japan has reported that the total sales of venture businesses in the Aizu region are approaching those of Aizu's traditional miso and soy sauce industries.
We would like to make a further leap forward together with the local people of Aizu.


The University's application accepted in the Ministry of Education's Program for Supporting Unique Higher Education Programs

In 2003, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology started a Program for Supporting Unique Higher Education Programs. In the program, the ministry identifies and publicizes widely to the public universities that are making notable efforts in the field of education so that such efforts will lead to improvement in higher education.
The University established a project team last May to prepare an application for the program. The application was made to the program's executive committee in July, and on September 18, the University's "Advanced Computer Science Education" was accepted. The University's application was one of 80 applications that were accepted out of 664 applications filed nationwide. The acceptance rate was 12.0 percent.



The University's tenth anniversary ceremony, memorial speech and party held

The University's tenth anniversary ceremony, a memorial speech and a party were held on October 23 (Thursday).
It was an occasion to reflect on the University's past and to confirm the University's resolve for further advance forward.

 The ceremony, which was held in the Auditorium, was attended by some 300 guests from both inside and outside the prefecture who were accompanied by the faculty staff.
Awards were given out to winners of CG Contest and College Song Contest, and a student representative made a declaration on the occasion of the tenth anniversary.
For the memorial speech, Mr. Masakazu Yamazaki, playwright and President of the University of East Asia, spoke on the theme of "Lifestyles of Japanese in the 21st Century" in the Auditorium.
The memorial party was held in the cafeteria, where the Aizu Noh-Gaku (Noh dramas) Kai performed a celebration dance and students' circles made musical performances in a festive mood.


The University's tenth anniversary memorial round-table conference

 On September 8, a round-table conference was held attended by Fukushima Prefecture Governor Eisaku Sato, the 1st President of the University Toshiyasu Kunii (currently Director of IT Laboratory at Kanazawa Institute of Technology), the 2nd President of the University Shoichi Noguchi (currently Chairman of the Board of Sendai Foundation for Applied Information Sciences), and the current President of the University Tetsuhiko Ikegami in the University's conference room.
On the occasion of the University's tenth anniversary, Governor Eisaku Sato and the University's former and current presidents, who oversaw the University's establishment and administration, spoke about the events that led to the University's foundation, the steps it has taken in the last ten years, and its future. For those of you who are interested, the discussions will appear in the Tenth Year Commemorative Magazine.


Opening of the Kunii Collection

 On September 8, the opening ceremony of the Kunii Collection was held in the University Library. The collection comprises some 3,200 books donated by the 1st President of the University Toshiyasu Kunii for the development of the University.
The collection was unveiled before some 90 people, including Mr. Kunii, Governor Eisaku Sato, and members of Aizu University-Industry Circle and Aizu-Wakamatsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.


Supporters' Association and Alumni Association organize tenth anniversary memorial lecture and party

 On October 12 (Sun.), the University of Aizu Supporters' Association and Alumni Association jointly organized a lecture and party commemorating the University's tenth anniversary. For the memorial lecture, Mr. Peter Frankl, mathematician, street performer and fluent speaker of 11 languages, talked on the subject of "An Equation for Making Life Fun" in front of an attentive audience of about 500 people, including students, alumni and alumnae, currently enrolled students' parents, who make up the Supporters' Association, and the public.
After the speech, there was a party in the Keyaki restaurant where Mr. Watanabe, the chairman of the Supporters' Association, presented the school flag to University President Tetsuhiko Ikegami.


Exhibition on the 300th anniversary of the foundation of St.Petersburg

 An exhibition on the 300th anniversary of the foundation of St.Petersburg was held from May 27 (Tuesday) to June 6 (Sunday) in the first-floor lounge of the Administration Complex. The exhibition was part of an effort to promote exchange with St.Petersburg State Electrotechnical University and St.Petersburg State Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, with which the University signed an international exchange agreement in June 2002.
Panels were displayed for the viewers to learn about the two institutions and the history, culture and well-known people of St.Petersburg. Associate Professor Vitaly Klyuev of the University of Aizu, who is a native of St.Petersburg, gave lectures. During the exhibition period, about 800 people saw the exhibition, which drew many favorable comments.


  • Mr. Shigeaki Tsunoyama was appointed to Vice President as of August 1, 2003.
 
  • Mr. Stephen G. Lambacher (Center for Language Research) was promoted to Associate Professor as of October 1, 2003.


Computer Science Summer Camp 2003
 
 Computer Science Summer Camp 2003 was held from August 5 (Tue.) to 8 (Fri.), 2003 at the University of Aizu and other locations. The summer camp was the seventh camp since its inception. Junior and senior high school students, 104 in all, from all over Japan took courses in geometric modeling and puzzle/game programming under the guidance of TAs.
At first, some students found the material too difficult and were reluctant to continue. But with the dedicated support of TAs and cooperation of their friends, they managed to create excellent pieces of work and appeared to experience a sense of accomplishment.


The 8th Asia-Pacific Computer Systems Architecture Conference 2003 (ACSAC) held in commemoration of the University's tenth anniversary
 
 For four days from September 23 (Tue.) to 26 (Fri.), the 8th Asia-Pacific Computer Systems Architecture Conference (ACSAC 2003) was held in the Auditorium and Lecture Hall to commemorate the University's tenth anniversary. The conference attracted researchers from Japan, Russia, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
The keynote speaker, 31 presenters of papers, more than 40 members of the public, and faculty staff and students of the University participated in the conference for exchange of information on research.


Open Campus
 
 The summer tour was organized on August 1 (Fri.) with the participation of 358 visitors. In the morning, they listened to Associate Professor Hiroshi Toyoizumi's lecture, saw a demonstration in the LML room, and used the workstations. In the afternoon, they attended an orientation course in the Auditorium.
The autumn tour was held on October 12 (Sun.) on the day of the university festival with the participation of 145 visitors. After a prep test on English, the visitors listened to a lecture on the trend of the University's English exams and how to prepare for them.


Extension courses

 Extension courses for the academic year 2003 started in June. On October 17 (Fri.), the extension course "Electronic Regional Government," presided by Associate Professor Takafumi Hayashi, was held specially to commemorate the University's tenth anniversary. With the cooperation of NTT East, the University Auditorium was linked with Corasse Fukushima and Big Palette Fukushima in a live broadcast and live Internet broadcast. More than 300 people at three sites participated.
Off-campus extension courses in which the University's teaching staff members are dispatched to various locations within Fukushima Prefecture were also started to further increase the University's contribution to the region.


University-Industry Cooperation Forum

 On October 17 (Fri.), a special University-Industry Cooperation Forum was held in the Auditorium in commemoration of the University's tenth anniversary. Honorary Professor Heisuke Hironaka of Kyoto University spoke on the theme of "Future University-Industry Cooperation."
After the speech, a panel discussion was held on the theme of university-industry cooperation with Vice President Shigeaki Tsunoyama as a moderator and Mr. Rokuro Funayama, Mr. Shigetaka Suzuki, Mr. Kazutaka Suzuki, and Mr. Yoichi Miyazawa as panelists.


Aizu Regional Contest for ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) Asian Region Preliminaries

 From November 1 (Sat.) to 3 (Mon.), Aizu Regional Contest for ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) Asian Region Preliminaries was held to commemorate the University of Aizu's tenth anniversary. Entered in the contest were a total of 34 teams, including 27 teams from 18 Japanese universities and 7 teams from 6 schools from overseas. After the competition over programming skills was concluded, the participating students and coaches had time to have exchange with other students and coaches.
In the final standing, Floating Cloud of Zhejiang University placed first, followed by Torus also of Zhejiang University and vertices of Tokyo Institute of Technology. Of the three teams entered from the University of Aizu, Team86 placed sixth.
 


University of Aizu Symposium on Intellectual Property Management

 On November 6, 2003, Symposium on Intellectual Property Management was held in the Auditorium. The symposium was jointly organized by the University of Aizu and Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry. Mr. Keishin Terayama of Japan Patent Office, Mr. Akihiko Shigeta, Intellectual Property Management Advisor to the University of Tokyo, and Mr. Rensei Baba, a science journalist, were invited to give lectures.
They spoke and gave valuable information on the use of intellectual property and patent strategies for strengthening industrial competitiveness to an attentive audience of about 240 people from private firms and the public.

Copyright (c) 2003 by the University of Aizu

cl-plandget@u-aizu.ac.jp
November 2003