Last April 4, 2016, an orientation for new students was held at the Ishikawadai 6th Building of Tokyo Tech in the afternoon of all new students’ welcome ceremony (click here for Tokyo Tech President Yoshinao Mishima’s welcome address). From this school year, 14 undergraduate students coming from Mongolia (5), Indonesia (2), Thailand (6), and Vietnam (1) were accepted into the GSEP program. The students were warmly welcomed by the Prof. Kikuo Kishimoto, Dean of the School of Environment and Society; Prof. Jun-ichi Takada, chair of the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering (TSE); GSEP and Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering professors, Prof. Kunio Takahashi, Prof. Shinobu Yamaguchi, Prof. Shinya Hanaoka, Prof. Naoya Abe, Prof. Yuriko Sato; Administration Representatives for GSEP, Ms. Naoko Oono and Mr. Shimozono; GSEP lecturers; tutors; and members of the Tokyo Tech International Students Association (TISA) led by Mr. Kevin Brown.
The students were briefly introduced to the curriculum, the required classes, immediate events, and facilities of Tokyo Tech by Prof. Shinya Hanaoka and Prof. Naoya Abe. TISA, along with its activities and members, was then introduced by this year’s organization president, Mr. Kevin Brown. After the orientation, final application procedures were done by the GSEP students together with their tutors. International students of Tokyo Tech are assigned with a tutor who will assist them in adjusting to their life in Japan.
The orientation ended with a party at the basement of the Ishikawadai 4th Building, location of most laboratories in the TSE Department. In the party, Japanese cuisine, pizza, non-alcoholic drinks were served to lighten up the mood after a long day of orientation. One-by-one, participants gave a self-introduction highlighting their hobbies and well-wishes to the new students and GSEP.
To the GSEP students, may you have an enjoyable and fruitful college life in Tokyo Tech!
Written by Alvin C.G. Varquez