Dean's Greeting

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Message from Dean

 
  • Professor Kimio Hanawa

    Hiroshi Fukumura, Dr. Sci., Prof.

    Dean of the Faculty and the Graduate School of Science

  •       The March 11 mega-quake and tsunami has brought enormous damage to the northeastern part of this country. We would like to express our sincere condolences to all the victims of the quake and tsunami. We strongly hope that human lives in the devastated area will be improved very soon. Since the mega-quake and tsunami, we have received many offers from foreign friends and colleagues expressing sympathy for us and suggesting thoughtful support to our Faculty and Graduate School. We are deeply grateful to these friends and colleagues for their kindness.
          It was miraculously fortunate that there was no human loss on our campus. The only victim whom we are sadly taking into account is an Ishinomaki inhabitant who was going to be enrolled in our Graduate School from April 1. Three tall buildings on our premises were partly damaged and many instruments were destroyed. Building restoration has partly begun and we already have regular lectures which started from the beginning of May. Some labs have already regained their original research activities.
          We will have reached the Centenary of opening lectures in our Faculty on September 10 in this year. This coincides with the awarding of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to Marie Curie just 100 years ago. She left the words: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Under this era of disaster, we would only wander darkness if we do not have proper knowledge and profound understanding of nature. Science can be a torch for illuminating the darkness of knowledge, thus contributing towards the advancement of our society. On this heavy responsibility we, as scientists, have to carry on our works.
          Finally we would like to encourage students who have already enrolled with us, or who are thinking about studying here. When looking back on history, we find great pioneers who concentrated on scientific study with strong will, even under pressure from battles or disasters. Modern science has been built on the foundation of their works. It is only you who can produce intellectual value which would be the cornerstones for the next generation 50 or 100 years from now. We are expecting you to have enthusiasm for challenging unknown worlds with the everlasting spirit of inquiry. What you need to achieve this is all ready in our Faculty and at Graduate School of Science. We staff members will constantly support you to let you finalize your studies.