UPLB, Nagoya U officially welcome new students
Nagoya University in cooperation with UPLB, formally welcomed two new students this semester to its Nagoya University Satellite Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries.
These are Rowena Dorado, a faculty member at the College of Economics and Management of UPLB who will attend the Graduate School of International Development (GSID); and Darwin Landicho, research specialist at the Bureau of Plant Industry who will attend the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences (GSBS).
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Seiichi Matsuo, Nagoya University president, and Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS) chancellor expressed gratitude to the organizers of the entrance ceremony.
Dr. Matsuo expressed his happiness to have accepted the 5th batch of students and assured them that this will surely shape their future and destiny.
He briefly shared the history of the Nagoya Satellite Transnational Doctoral Program with its provision of graduate study opportunities in Japan for government leaders.
He said that NU established the program to be able to accommodate the students who would like to pursue their studies without having to be away from the office for a long period of time.
The program has been extended not only to government leaders but also to faculty members, researchers, and professional staff of the University of the Philippines, Visayas State University (VSU), and researchers from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
UPLB-NU partnership
According to Dr. Matsuo, 80 students are enrolled in this program in 6 satellite campuses across Asia since 2014, and 20 out of the 80 have earned their doctorate.
In the Philippine campus, 14 students have been enrolled since 2016, including the two new students.
Two students have already obtained their PhD degrees from the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences.
He also said that they have initiated new activities in the campus which are now on the second stage, including the establishment of the NU-UPLB Central Laboratory for International Tropical Agricultural Sciences, which was officially launched in February 2019.
He expressed his gratitude to UPLB for the collaboration and acknowledged that the Philippines is one of their most important partner countries.
Also present at the virtual ceremony was UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr.
In his speech, Chancellor Camacho said that he sees the ceremony as an opportunity to reaffirm the UPLB Nagoya University partnership as part of the mandate to future proof UPLB as it seeks to strengthen current institutional collaborations of which NU is one of most important partners.
Chancellor Camacho said that to future-proof the university, it should cultivate its existing linkages.
He took the opportunity to thank NU for playing a key part in UPLB’s continuous modernization, especially for its donation of PhP 12 million worth of laboratory equipment for research and instruction in crop, animal, and forestry science.
He congratulated the two new students and expressed his hopes that when they graduate, they will look back to this day and pay it forward.
Program updates and commitments
Dr. Akira Yamauchi, vice dean of GSBS, presented updates on the study programs of ongoing NU scholars at GSID and GSBS, as well as the plans for the NU-UPLB Central Laboratory for International Tropical Agricultural Sciences.
Professor Satoru Tsuchikawa, dean of the GSBS, and Professor Hideo Yamagata, dean of GSID, formally introduced and welcomed the incoming students, expressed their support for them, and introduced some of the faculty members who will be working with them.
The two new students then took turns to express their gratitude to the people who helped them get into the program.
Dorado said that the program will provide her the opportunity to earn a doctorate degree from one of Asia’s leading universities, gain new perspectives, hone her skills, and work under the wing of the respected faculty members without leaving the country for a long time.
She committed to put forth the necessary effort to produce quality work in a timely effort in the fulfillment of this degree.
Landicho who is a plant quarantine inspector and laboratory analyst at the Bureau of Plant Industry said that he looks forward to contributing and expanding his knowledge in plant pathology, particularly in diagnostics and mechanisms of disease spread.
Landicho said that he recognizes that this is a good opportunity for government employees like him to study in a world-class institution without having to leave his job.
The event was attended by Ms. Junko Sato, director of the Japan Information and Culture Center (JIIC), Japan Embassy, Manila; Prof. Fumio Isoda, director, Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campuses Institute-Japan, and NU Asian Satellite Campus in Laos and the Philippines; Dr. Cynthia Saloma, president of the Nagoya University Alumni Philippine Branch; Dr. Glen Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA); Mr. Romeo Recide, who attended on behalf of Matthew Morell, director general of IRRI; and Dr. Edgardo E. Tulin, president of VSU. The online entrance ceremony was held through a video conference on Nov. 19 and was also joined by Nagoya University officials and students, representatives from the Embassy of Japan, and UPLB officials. (KEAraguas)
