Welcome to the second year of GSEP!

On April 4, 2017, the Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP) enters another year. Fourteen (14) students were accepted from Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Taiwan, Philippines, and Vietnam. The 2nd batch of successful entrants to the program has begun their new life at Tokyo Institute of Technology. Together with their tutors and a sophomore GSEP student, the freshmen joined a university-wide ceremony in the morning where a welcome speech was given by Prof. Yoshinao Mishima, the president of Tokyo Tech.

In the afternoon, a series of orientations and welcome greetings were done together by the Tokyo Tech faculty, staff, and students. The freshmen joined two orientations in the afternoon, starting with the academic group orientation followed by the GSEP orientation. While the freshmen were attending their 1st orientation, the sophomores were introduced slowly to the major subjects that they will be taking in the 1st and 2nd quarters. Simultaneously after the separate orientations for freshmen and sophomores, the GSEP orientation was finally held. More than just an orientation, it was a special event participated by Prof. Kikuo Kishimoto, Dean of the School of Environment and Society; Prof. Junichi Takada, Chair of the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering (TSE); members of the TSE faculty, Prof. Naoya Abe, Prof. Shinya Hanaoka, Prof. Tom Hope, Prof. Jeffrey Cross; GSEP lecturers and staff; GSEP sophomores; and the Tokyo International Students Association (TISA) leaders.

After the orientation, a welcome party was held to provide an opportunity for the students to exchange greetings and converse freely with their seniors and professors. Organized by the GSEP lecturers and the sophomores, the party was formally opened with a toast led by Dean Kishimoto. Other professors of TSE joined the party to welcome the students and to celebrate another year of GSEP. In the middle of the party, a memorable song and guitar performance dedicated to the new students was given by the sophomores through the team effort of Zoon and Banzai. Self-introductions were given by the freshmen and advice were then shared by the sophomores. The event was finally closed with a “Tejime” led by Prof. Hirofumi Hinode, the senior faculty of TSE.