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On 16 March, a ceremony was held to honor those who were selected to receive the FY2014 Kyoto University President's Award. The annual award was established in FY2005 to honor KU students -- both individuals and groups -- who have contributed to elevating the University's prestige through outstanding achievements in scholarship, extracurricular activities, or public service.
For FY2014, nine individuals and two groups were selected out of 28 nominees to receive the Award.
Speaking as chair of the award committee, Professor Toshio Sugiman, Executive Vice-President for Student Affairs and Library Services, reflected on the FY2014 selection process, before President Juichi Yamagiwa presented a certificate and commemorative gift to each awardee, and shared his thoughts on the achievements selected for this year's Award.
A photo session was then followed by presentations by the award recipients. This segment of the event proceeded in a lively atmosphere, with President Yamagiwa and EVP Sugiman asking questions, concluding on a high note.
| Awardee | Category | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshihiro Maruyama 3rd-year doctoral student Division of Contemporary Culture Graduate School of Letters |
Scholarship | Mr Maruyama had a paper accepted by a world-leading philosophy journal (likely a first for a Japanese student). In addition, he has authored 15 published and soon-to-be published studies on a wide range of topics, spanning ethics, mathematics, computational science, artificial intelligence, and physics, as well as philosophy. |
| Kota Kitagawa 3rd-year doctoral student Graduate School of Economics |
Scholarship | Mr Kitagawa became the first student ever to receive the EAEPE-Simon Young Scholar Prize, which recognizes outstanding studies authored by researchers aged 35 or younger and presented at the annual conference of the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy. |
| Daiki Umeyama 3rd-year doctoral student Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering |
Scholarship | Mr Umeyama has succeeded in developing a new fuel cell material, and earned student awards with presentations on this topic. In addition, he has worked with a company on a project that has led to a patent application. |
| Daichi Kozawa 3rd-year doctoral student Department of Energy Science and Technology Graduate School of Energy Science |
Scholarship | Mr Kozawa elucidated the unique optical properties of atomically-thin layered materials, a key component of the next-generation energy solution. His research has paved the way for light-energy application of those materials, and earned him junior-researcher awards from scientific societies. He has also actively participated in international exchanges and research collaborations. |
| Eisuke Tanaka Member of the Kyoto University Baseball Club Kyoto University Sports Union (4th-year student, Undergraduate Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering) |
Extracurricular activity | Playing eight seasons in the Kansai BIG 6 Baseball League, Mr Tanaka won eight games and was voted the best pitcher twice. Upon graduation, he became the first-ever KU alumnus to join a professional club. |
| Masayuki Kawakatsu Member of the Kyoto University Barbell Club Kyoto University Sports Union (2rd-year student, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine) |
Extracurricular activity | As leader of the KU Barbell Club, Mr Kawakatsu has won: 1. the Japan Junior Bodybuilding Championship 2. Kansai Student Bodybuilding Championship 3. Japan Student Bodybuilding Championship Mr Kawakatsu became the first KU student in 34 years to win 3, and the first-ever bodybuilder to win both 1 and 3. |
| Hiroki Yokoyama Member of the Kyoto University Track and Field Club, Kyoto University Sports Union (1st-year Master's student Department of Environmental Engineering Graduate School of Engineering) |
Extracurricular activity | Mr Yokoyama won the Kyoto Marathon 2014 and 2015, finishing the latter race, held on 15 February, in 2:21:14, an improvement of four minutes over the 2014 run. |
| Daisuke Sakurai Member of the Kyoto University Track and Field Club, Kyoto University Sports Union (3rd-year student Department of Forest and Biomaterials Science Faculty of Agriculture) |
Extracurricular activity | On 7 September 2014, Mr Sakurai won the men's 800-meter run in the 83rd Imperial Cup Inter-University Track and Field Competition, finishing the race in 1:51.34. |
| Kentaro Hirai Member of the Kyoto University Track and Field Club, Kyoto University Sports Union (3rd-year student Department of Food and Environmental Economics Faculty of Agriculture) |
Extracurricular activity | On 5 September 2014, Mr Hirai won second place in the men's 10,000-meter run in the 83rd Imperial Cup Inter-University Track and Field Competition, finishing the race in 28:36.72. |
| Kyoto University Orienteering Club (Orientierungs-Lauf Club, OLC) Represented by Yu Hamada 3rd-year student Faculty of Science |
Extracurricular activity | In addition to having its members represent Japan in three international competitions, OLC won the 22nd Orienteering Club 7 Relay -- an unprecedented feat for a student team -- and one other domestic race, coming in second in another. |
| SHINOBI Represented by Takuya Ikeda 2nd-year Master's student Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science Graduate School of Engineering |
Extracurricular activity | SHINOBI, a rescue robot development team consisting of members of the Mechatronics Laboratory, won the Rescue Robot league in RoboCup Japan Open 2014. The team issued a press release and gave media interviews following this achievement, helping raise public awareness for rescue robotics. |
President's Award recipients with senior administrators
