Student Forum Held to Commemorate the Awarding of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Physics to Professor Emeritus Toshihide Maskawa
October 8, 2008
A forum for Kyoto University students was held to commemorate the awarding of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Physics to Kyoto University Professor Emeritus Toshihide Maskawa. Although the event was held without much prior notice, the 300-seat hall in the Faculty of Science Building No.6 was filled to capacity, with many participants having to stand, and many more unable to enter auditorium. The gingko tree-lined pathway leading to the faculty building was lined with students, who greeted Professor Maskawa’s arrival with applause and cheers of congratulations.
During the forum, Professor Maskawa spoke about his student days, and advised the students, “You don’t have to speak a foreign language to be a researcher, but it will be vital in the coming era of internationalization, so please be sure to study languages.” Drawing on his own personal experiences of studying at high school and university to answer the students’ questions, Professor Maskawa’s responses often entertained as they informed, his humor occasionally filling the auditorium with laughter. Other topics, however, were treated with great gravity, such as Professor Maskawa’s continuing passion for his field of specialization, and his interaction and disputes with his peers. The professor’s good nature and warm character was also revealed as the discussion digressed into topics such as social and personal relationships.
During the forum a congratulatory video message was delivered from Kyoto University president, Dr. Hiroshi Matsumoto, who was on an overseas business trip to London at the time.
The students showed their gratitude to Professor Maskawa for being so generous with his time, despite his undoubtedly busy schedule due to the Nobel Prize recipients having been announced only the previous day. The closing of the forum was met with vibrant applause, and the professor was presented with a bouquet of flowers.
