On October 1, 2016, 20 new program students were accepted. These program students, through a selective examination, were accepted from among Master’s Degree Program students in five majors related to the Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science, Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of Engineering, and the Graduate School of Environmental Science. This program has become a large family, totaling 61 people. The program students accepted in the initial year are currently in the second year of the Doctorate Degree Program, and at the end of 2017, they will head into society as our first graduates.

Upper Photo:Director/University Vice-President Takahiko Nitta presented an approval certificate to each new program student.
Lower Photo: At the acceptance ceremony, Coordinator Koichiro Ishimori gave words of encouragment to second-term transfer students and third-term students.

At the acceptance ceremony, held in the afternoon of September 28 in the main large conference hall, the new students were individually awarded approval certificates by Director/University Vice-President Takahiko Nitta, who directs this program. Program coordinator Koichiro Ishimori gave the following words of encouragement. “We have accepted students with extremely high motivation and strong will. All of Hokkaido University, and perhaps all of Japan, has great expectations for all of you. I want you to be aware of that and work as hard as you can so that you become talented individuals who will shoulder responsibility for the world.”

View of the research ethics seminar “Why Science and Technology Ethics? – Concerning the Desirable Relationship between Science and Citizens”.

Following the acceptance ceremony, we held a research ethics seminar titled “Why Science and Technology Ethics? – Concerning the Desirable Relationship between Science and Citizens.” Takahiko Nitta, who specializes in applied ethics, gave a lecture at this seminar. In this program, we strongly urge students to cultivate deep insights (an introspective intelligence) into the relationship between society and researchers themselves. By attending this seminar immediately after the acceptance ceremony, new program students became aware of the weighty expectations and responsibilities with which each is charged.
Three years have passed since the adoption of this program, and from our experience thus far, instructors have accumulated vast “knowhow” for providing effective graduate school education. I hope that new program students make use of this cutting-edge educational program to the fullest extent. All faculty members hope from the bottom of our hearts that new program students have a more fruitful graduate school life through this program’s activities.

Report: Kei Kitahara (Program Faculty)