Soka and Pukyong National University; Two faculties of engineering ink agreement
2008.07.25
Left; Prof.KazuhiroWatanabe, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Soka University |
On July 25, Soka University’s Faculty of Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding with the College of Engineering of Pukyong National University in South Korea, to initiate an academic exchange program. Moreover, the two engineering faculties agreed to cooperate in a wide range of educational and research activities. A major focus will be on the development of fiber-optic sensors, in which the public and private sectors, including venture companies, of both countries will participate. Under the agreement, engineering students of Pukyong National University will be able to carry out fiber-optic sensor and other research at the Japanese university, while Soka students will study shipbuilding and large-scale production monitoring know-how. Dedicated in 1946, Pukyong National University is one of the most prestigious public institutions of higher learning in South Korea. |
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Japanese space agency selects Soka microsatellite for 2010 launch
2008.07.11
Members of Prof. Seiji Kuroki’s team |
On July 9, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected a satellite developed by Soka University students for launch in 2010. The Soka satellite, Negai (“wish”), will be part of a four-satellite payload slated for a piggyback launch with PLANET-C, which will explore the atmospheric dynamics of the planet Venus, by the H-IIA rocket. The “Negai” is a microsatellite—it measures just 10 centimeters cubic and weighs a mere kilogram—being developed by Soka’s engineering students led by Prof. Seiji Kuroki, who specializes in information systems science. It will be inserted into a near-Earth orbit of 300 kilometers and, after a few weeks, is expected to plunge back into the atmosphere, creating an artificial “shooting star.” Which is why it was named Negai, or to “wish upon a shooting star.” |
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Negai’s mission will be two-fold. It will serve as a test bed for a highly advanced information processing system presently being developed by Soka students that is extremely reliable and resistant to intense cosmic radiation. It also aims to spur interest in space exploration among children. The microsatellite will contain on microfilm the names and dreams of children recruited through a public campaign, and photographs taken of the Earth by Negai’s onboard camera will be distributed to campaign participants.
“The most important aspect of this satellite is that it is hand-made by the students” of Soka University, noted Prof. Kuroki. While underscoring Negai’s technical potential, the students believe mission should prove as meaningful in broadening vistas of the future for children. “Negai is a shooting star that has captured their dreams,” said the professor.
JAXA also chose microsatellites under development by Waseda University and Kagoshima University. The fourth is being developed by a space engineering consortium comprised of universities.
In addition, the Soka team hopes ham radio operators will also participate in the project if they live within a latitude range of 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south. Operators in that range can tune into a radio signal broadcast by the Negai.
Soka founder conferred 240th academic honor
2008.07.10
BSU President Colting (4th from left) and Soka President Yamamoto (4th from right) at the Central Tower conferral ceremony |
Benguet State University (BSU) of the Philippines conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, upon Soka University founder Daisaku Ikeda on July 10, in recognition for his contributions to peace on a global scale. BSU President Rogelio D. Colting and BSU Alumni Association President Jesson Y. Del-Amen traveled from the Philippines to confer the award in a ceremony that took place at the Soka University Central Tower. Dr. Colting entrusted the degree certificate for Mr. Ikeda to Soka University President Hideo Yamamoto. BSU was founded in 1916 and focuses on the fields of agriculture, education and medicine. It has also been a forerunner in environmental protection and natural resource development. |
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Soka University Launches New Websites
2008.07.03
Soka University has renewed its website and launched related sites in English, Chinese and Korean.
In 1971, Daisaku Ikeda established Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, giving form to a vision that had been carried over three generations of educators: a university offering excellent academic training that would produce students of rich humanity with a commitment to the peaceful and just development of human society. Since its founding, Soka University has undergone the steady development of its facilities, academic programs and links to the broader society, including an extensive exchange program with universities in over 30 countries. The new websites offer up-to-date information on what the university offers in all these areas, and describes the founding humanistic ideals that inform all the university's activities. Specific information for foreign students is included.
Soka’s women’s judo team wins in national meet
2008.06.28
Members of the women’s judo team at Soka pose in a victory photo after the national meet |
The Soka University Women’s Judo Team prevailed in the All Japan University Judo Federation’s three-person match on June 28. It was the first time the women judo team won a national championship. The match was held at the Budokan in Tokyo, with teams from 32 public and private universities participating. Team captain Akane Endo, a senior majoring in education, noted that while the team lacked in individual talent and strength, it succeeded through teamwork and an unwavering sense of solidarity. |
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Soka Women's College confers Malaysia's First Lady with top award
2008.05.24
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Soka Women's College, the affiliated junior college of Soka University, conferred its Award of Highest Honor on Mrs. Jeanne Abdullah, wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdulla Ahmad Badawi, on Saturday. Her husband, who was in Japan to attend an international business conference, accompanied her for the conferral ceremony. Mrs. Abdullah was conferred the college's highest honorary award for her contribution to and support of the development of women in Malaysia. The award was presented by Soka Women's College President Katsuhiko Fukushima. |
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In her acceptance speech, Mrs. Abdullah commended women for proving that they were just as capable as men. "Even when women are faced with many challenges, we persevere and prove that we can be leaders and excel in our chosen fields," she said.
Education ministry adopts Soka University study for third straight year
2008.04.06
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April 6, 2008: The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has adopted a Soka University economic research project as part of the ministry's University Education Internationalization Promotion Program for 2008. This is the third consecutive year that a Soka research project has been recognized under the MEXT program, which supports efforts to further internationalize university education in Japan through active cooperation with foreign universities and by dispatching students and faculty members abroad. |
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The latest project, headed by Prof. Junichi Kanzaka of Soka's faculty of economics, will conduct a comparative economic analysis of Japanese and English villages in order to shed greater light on the roles such communities played in economic development. Prof. Kanzaka will be carrying out his research at the University of California, Davis, U.S.A.
Last year, the Japanese ministry selected "Analysis of Financial Markets by Realized Volatility—Asymmetric and Multivariate Models," a study by Soka economics professor Manabu Asai. Prof. Asai worked together with researchers at the University of Western Australia and Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to develop models of realized volatility to analyze financial markets. Given that such advanced modeling tools have yet to take root in Japan, expectations are high for their potential in financial market analyses.
In 2006, MEXT awarded Kazuhiko Sekita, professor of education at Soka, for his study carried out at the University of Minnesota's Cooperative Learning Center in Minneapolis, U.S.A. Prof. Sekita's work helped lay the groundwork for a network of leading U.S. and Japanese researchers on cooperative learning, and the holding of an international forum to be hosted by the Japan Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education in Nagoya in June 2008.
Noting that the ministry has recognized Soka research projects for three straight years, Soka University President Hideo Yamamoto called the latest MEXT decision "most gratifying" because it reaffirms Soka's commitment "to contribute to peace through international exchange."
Soka University, Soka Women's College hold entrance ceremonies
2008.04.02
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April 2, 2008: Soka University held the 38th Entrance Ceremony and two-year Soka Women's College's 24th Entrance Ceremony were held at the Ikeda Auditorium. Some 4,000 students, members of the faculty and administration, and guests attended the combined ceremony, including 1,829 newly enrolled undergraduates of the university and 107 international students from 24 countries and regions. President Katsuhiko Fukushima of Soka Women's College delivered the opening address, while Soka University President Hideo Yamamoto urged students to exert themselves in scholarship and develop into individuals worthy of service to world peace in his address. |
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Also in attendance was Soka University founder Daisaku Ikeda, who was conferred an honorary professorship from Tula Lev Tolstory State Pedagogical University (TSPU) in Tula, Russia, on the occasion. TSPU Rector Dr. Nadezda A. Shaydenko presented the honorary degree, citing Mr. Ikeda's work pioneering new paths of education founded on humanism and for his longstanding promotion of Russo-Japanese friendship.
Tula Lev Tolstory State Pedagogical University was founded in 1938 and named after the Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy on its 20th anniversary by parliamentary decree. TSPU, which the Russian Federal Education Agency ranks among the top ten teachers training universities in the nation, currently has an enrollment of some 6,000 students.
Among the other Russian dignitaries who were present was Tula Governor Vitacheslav Dudka, Museum-Estate of Leo Tolstoy Director Vladimir Tolstoy, who is the grandson of the famed Russian author; and Professor Mikhail Sokolov of the M.V. Lomonsov Moscow State University. Other guests included a contingent led by Liu Weizhong, President of Bauhinia Magazine in Hong Kong; former Askov Folk High School Principal Hans Henningsen and his wife Ulla Henningsen; and a delegation from China's Jiaying University headed by President Cheng Biao.
