Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education (WISE Program) of Sustainability in the Dynamic Earth held the "International Symposium TU x SDGs Forum" on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, in a hybrid format combining on-site (Westin Sendai) and online.

Following opening remarks by President Hideo Ohno, Assistant Director Kotaro Takahashi of the Office for the Promotion of University Reforms, University Promotion Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi (in charge of graduate school reform), the first part of the international symposium featured presentations by various speakers from inside and outside the university, including partner companies, institutions, and foreign universities, on their efforts to prevent and mitigate disasters and on advanced research that contributes to building a sustainable society. Among them, coordinator of the graduate school program, Professor Michihiko Nakamura (Department of Earth Sciences), introduced the WISE Program, and Professor Ryota Hino (Department of Geophysics) gave a lecture titled "Observation and Prediction".

In the second part of the TU x SDGs Forum, Ms Mami Mizutori (Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Management and Head of the UN Disaster Management Organization), Mr. Jo Scheuer (Representative of the UN Development Program in Mali), Mr. Tetsuo Kondo (Representative of the UN Development Programme in Japan), and Prof. Kimio Takeya (Special Advisor on Disaster Management to the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Specially Appointed Professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science) gave lectures. A panel discussion was held on the role of academia and education in proactively responding to risks. There were many questions from the students, and the panelists answered questions about career paths for doctoral students and skills that should be acquired to work in international organizations, based on their experiences.

A total of about 250 people (about 70 onsite and 180 online) participated in the seminar, and students who participated in this program said, "It was a very valuable opportunity to ask questions directly to the top executives of UN organizations, who I would never normally be able to talk to," and "I was keenly aware of the weight and passion of the words of people who are working on the front lines of various issues in developing countries".

Professor Michihiko Nakamura (Department of Earth Sciences)

Professor Ryota Hino (Department of Geophysics)

TU x SDGs Forum

*Photographed by syde-office