On 24 June, a ceremony was held in the reception room of the Clock Tower Centennial Hall to honor the recipients of the second Kyoto University Shi-Shi Award.
Established in 2012, the Shi-Shi Award recognizes outstanding faculty achievements in education, research, and public service with the aim of promoting the University's ongoing development. The first awards were given in 2013 to six recipients.
This year's awardees, listed below in no particular order, were selected 2 June by the KU faculty recognition committee from among nominations submitted by deans, directors, and executive vice-presidents.
| Awardee | Citation |
|---|---|
| Kayo Inaba (Vice-President/Professor, Graduate School of Biostudies) | Professor Inaba has elucidated the role of dendritic cells in initiating immune responses, and made outstanding achievements in basic research for the development of cancer treatment that is based on this process. Additionally, in her capacities as Director of the KU Gender Equality Promotion Center, Assistant to Vice-President for Gender Equality, and Vice-President for Gender Equality, she made significant contributions to advancing the interests of women researchers and the cause of gender equality. |
| Tetsuro Matsuzawa (Professor, Primate Research Institute) | Professor Matsuzawa has successfully built a research project focused on Ai, a chimpanzee, and established comparative cognitive science as a scientific discipline. |
| Hiraku Nakajima (Professor, Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences) | Professor Nakajima earned the 2014 Japan Academy Prize for his achievements in geometric representation theory and mathematical physics. |
| Yoshimasa Nakamura (Assistant to the Executive Vice-President/Professor, Graduate School of Informatics) | Serving as Assistants to the Executive Vice-President for Education, Professors Nakamura and Moriwaki successfully led the implementation of special entrance examinations ( tokushoku nyushi ) and education reform based on increased collaboration with high schools. |
| Atsushi Moriwaki (Assistant to the Executive Vice-President/Professor, Graduate School of Science) |
The ceremony began with remarks by Professor Nobuyoshi Esaki, executive vice-president for general affairs, planning, and information infrastructure. President Hiroshi Matsumoto then presented the award certificate and prize to each awardee, before delivering a congratulatory address. Following the closing remarks by EVP Esaki, the award recipients posed for a commemorative photograph.
Note: "Shi-shi" is Japanese for "diligence".
From left: Assistant EVPs Nakamura and Moriwaki, VP Inaba, and Professors Nakajima and Matsuzawa
Shi-Shi Award recipients with President Matsumoto and EVP Esaki
