On 14 March, a ceremony was held to honor those who were selected to receive the FY2015 Kyoto University President's Award. The annual award was established during the 2005-2006 academic year to honor students -- both individuals and groups -- who have contributed to furthering the University's excellence through outstanding achievements in scholarship, extracurricular activities, or public service.
This year, eight individuals and one group were selected out of 15 nominees for recognition.
Speaking as chair of the award committee, Professor Shinsuke Kawazoe, Executive Vice-President for Student Affairs and Library Services, reported on the 2015-2016 selection process, after which 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. The presentations proceeded in a lively atmosphere, with President Yamagiwa and EVP Kawazoe asking questions, concluding on a high note.
| Awardee | Category | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto University team that competed in the 10th CFA Institute Research Challenge (Represented by Ryutaro Sato, 4-year student, Department of Economics and Management, Faculty of Economics) | Scholarship | Mr Sato, along with Mr Atsushi Urashima, Mr Shuhei Oba, Mr Takaki Oya, and Ms Maki Nagata, became the first KU team to win the Japanese round of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, qualifying to represent the country in the forthcoming Asia-Pacific competition. |
| Yutaro Nishijima 6th-year student School of Medicine Faculty of Medicine | Scholarship | Mr Nishijima won the first prize in an essay competition organized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, with a paper that examined the diversity of the readings of medical terms and the history of efforts to standardize them, and discussed possible outcomes of these efforts. |
| Hidemasa Matsuo 1st-year doctoral student Human Health Sciences Department Graduate School of Medicine | Scholarship | Mr Matsuo received certification as an International Medical Technologist -- a first for a resident of Japan -- and authored papers and delivered presentations about the IMT qualification system. In addition, he identified multiple prognostic factors in childhood leukemia, and served as the lead author of numerous papers on related research. Some of those papers were published in international journals, and one was recognized by the American Society of Hematology with a 2015 ASH Abstract Achievement Award. |
| Kana Waki 2nd-year doctoral student Division of Biological Science Graduate School of Science | Scholarship | Researching the development and gene network of ascidians, which are a class of tunicates, Ms Waki received the best poster award at the 8th International Tunicate Meeting, and served as the lead author for a paper, "Analysis of genetic pathways of the peripheral nervous system", which was published in Nature Communications . |
| Shota Hagio 3rd-year doctoral student Department of Human Coexistence Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies | Scholarship | Investigating muscle synergies, Mr Hagio received four awards for early-career researchers in the fields of physiology, biomechanics, and physical education from domestic academic societies. In addition, during the period covered, he was the lead author of five papers published in international journals on motor control, neurophysiology, bioengineering, and biomechanics. For these efforts, he received the Emerging Scientist Award from the International Society of Biomechanics, becoming the first Japanese national ever to do so. |
| Yoko Yoshimura 3rd-year doctoral student Division of Chemistry Graduate School of Science | Scholarship | Ms Yoshimura was awarded the 10th L'Oréal–UNESCO Japan National Fellowship for Women in Science for her work in the category of Life & Physical Sciences. The research for which she received this recognition was subsequently published in Nature Physics with Ms Yoshimura herself listed as the lead author. |
| Taku Yanai 4th-year student Undergraduate School of Global Engineering Faculty of Engineering | Extracurricular activity | Mr Yanai won second place in the 4x4x4 Rubik's Cube blindfolded event at the World Cube Association's biennial world championship. |
| Yukiko Hamaguchi Member of the Kyoto University Rowing Club (1st-year master's student, Environmental Management, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies) | Extracurricular activity | Ms Hamaguchi became the first female member of KURC to earn seventh place in the women's single-sculls event at the Intercollegiate National Championship. In addition, she came in third at the East Japan Championship, which is open to members of corporate teams. |
| Tonghwi Soh 3rd-year professional degree student Law School Program Graduate School of Law | Public service | During the period covered, Mr Soh led ivote Kansai, a student organization, and was involved in the operation of SeiZee, an internet media outlet, and in the organization of the START fair for newly enrolled KU students. For these contributions, he was named a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum, selected as an under-25 representative of G1 College, Japan's equivalent of WEF; and awarded Kyoto Ningenryoku Taisho ("human skill prize") by Junior Chamber International Kyoto. |
President's Award recipients with President Yamagiwa and other senior administrators
