GIFU UNIVERSITY

NEWS Letter 50
JAPANMarch 2021

For International Exchange
Gifu University

Gifu Joint Degree Symposium 2020

December 8 - 9To nurture global-minded young individuals, GU launched four international graduate Joint
Degree (JD) programs with Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) and Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in April, 2019.
"Gifu Joint Degree Symposium 2020" webinar
was held to review what has been achieved
so far. As a keynote speaker, Mr. Yoshinori
Hakui, Director-General, Higher Education
Bureau, MEXT delivered a speech on international education, etc. in the post-pandemic
world. The symposium shed new light on thenew aspects of JD programs and marked yet
another milestone in its history.
Main Symposium

Academic Session

Industry-Government-Academia-Banking
Institution Collaboration Session

Collaborative Video Making Program
November 2020 - March 2021T

he online “Collaborative Video Making Program” kicked off inNovember with eight students from GU, four from IITG, andfour from UKM. The members formed four teams (with representatives from each institutions) to collaborate in creating international exchange videos under the professional guidance from avideo creator in Australia. In the “FinalCompetition for Collaborative Video
Making Program (CVMP) on Webinar”
held on March 9, the best performing
team received the Best CVMP Award.
Four teams’ video footages are accessible in GU-GLOCAL Channel.

G I FU U N I V E RS IT Y

1"Recent Advances in Translational
Research in Food Science andTechnology" Webinar October 16I

n line with the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the United Nations global missions, theInternational Joint Webinar was jointly organized byIITG and GU with the aim of generating a synergisticeffect for JD programs and accelerating industry-academia partnership. Five speakers delivered keynote
speeches regarding the latest trends in translational
food science and technology (390 registered participants).

March 2021

Gifu-Lithuania Ties

Chiune Sugihara (1900 – 1986), a Gifu native, served as a vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas during WWII. His heroic act of issuing transit visas
to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution resulted in many lives saved. By virtue of this historic tie between Gifu and Lithuania forged by Chiune, GU concluded
academic partnerships with two Lithuanian universities: Kaunas University of Technology (KTU, 2010) and Vytautus Magnus University (VMU, 2012).

Gifu University &Lithuania Panel Exhibition
December 3 - 25

G

"Beneficial Cooperation:Lithuania-Refugees-Sugihara" December 11

Lithuania Study Meetingin Yaotsu Town

AGcommemorative lecture titled "Beneficial Cooperation: Lithuania-Refugees-Sugihara" was delivered virtually by
Dr. Simonas Strelcovas (Siauliai University).
In the lecture, he expounded on thesocio-political situation in Lithuania leading
up to the ordeals of Jewish refugees fleeing
Nazi persecution, and the act of humanitydemonstrated by Chiune Sugihara during
WWII.

U-GLOCAL hosted a “PANEL EXHIBITION - Significant Milestones ofExchanges between Gifu University &Lithuania -” in the University Library. Thepanel exhibition presented an overview ofthe history of our partnership with
KTU/VMU, and highlighted the “2019Special Commemorative Lecture” by thePresident of the Republic of Lithuania, H.E.
Gitanas Nausėda and his Honorary Doctorate Awarding Ceremony.

December 12
U-GLOCAL organized "Lithuania Study
Meeting in Yaotsu Town" in Gifu where
one of our graduate students made apresentation about her short-term study in
VMU in 2019. She spoke
about her motivations,goalsforstudying
abroad, achievements
and life in Lithuania.
Listening to her firsthandnarrative stimulated theaudience’s interest inLithuania.

Career Development Program for International Students commissioned by MEXT
Aigi Career Development Consortium for International Students

Gifu Region Workshop

October 28

F

our consortium members (Gifu University, Gifu Prefecture, Gifu
Employers’ Association, and JETRO Gifu) co-hosted the “GifuRegion Workshop” to assist international students in seeking
employment in local industries in the Gifu area. Information sharing
and opinion exchanges between international students and business
representatives have always played a critical role in paving the way
for the students' successful employment in Japan.

Studying in GU
The Best Giftfrom the God
to Study Abroad
Wingki Mey Hendra
Indonesia

Graduate School of Natural Scienceand Technology

Online Meeting with Gifu University
Graduates
January 23, 2021

T

he Consortium also hosted the “Online Meeting with Gifu
University Graduates.” Five graduates who had successfully
found employment in Japan were invited to offer advice to the 17international students wishing to work in Japan. Words of encouragement from the old grads helped the new graduates develop abetter understanding about job seeking and work in Japan.

Isaid it is a best gift from the god that I am a student in Gifu University. I had twice
failed when applying to the school, but I did not give up until finally I was declared asa student for autumn admission 2019.
Being a student in this brilliant University I got many experiences that never had before,
like operating the expensive equipment by myself and touching four seasons. Furthermore, I join many activities outside of campus, like being ateacher assistant in an elementary school, joining meeting withGifu NGO, and doing some part time jobs. From these experiences, I can learn the Japanese culture, how to use good manners, discipline, and hardworking Japanese people are.
Thank gods for this present and thanks to my beloved mom‘RAMAITI’ who always supports my dream.

G I FU U N I V E RS IT Y

2March 2021

International Month 2020

October 1 - 30

GU carries out a wide range of events during the annual international month with the view to facilitating intercultural understanding amongstudents and staff. In “International Month 2020” in October, despite the constraints imposed by the pandemic, a number of international
programs were undertaken thanks to the availability of latest digital technologies.

See the World Through
Google Earth VR

International PR Exhibition October 9 - 29
October 7G

U-GLOCAL hosted a photographic exhibition by one of ourEngineering professors, Takashi Sugiura. The exhibition titled“International PR Exhibition - PR Activities of GU-GLOCAL & Natureof Gifu University” was held in the University Library. Guests on andoff campus were welcome to view breathtaking photographs featuring seasonal changes on campus as well as highlights of the Lithuanian President's commemorative speech (2019), etc.

Through the amazing Google Earth VR technology, participants
were able to take a virtual reality tour of overseas partner universities. They also experienced "mixed reality" using a device called
HoloLens 2, and operating Double 3 for remote communications.
These state-of-the-art technologies are expected to spearhead
Japan's endeavors for digital transformation.

English Circle ofFriends (EC)

Online Chat Meetings with Students ofPartner Universities
October 14 - 29

October 14 and 28

WSe entered AY2020 at the beginning of the Covid pandemic
without knowing what to expect with English Circle (EC). In
spite of the initial cancellation of all club activities on campus, wewere able to resume EC at the end of June. Although the option tomove it online was offered, an overwhelming majority surveyedstated their preference for face-to-face meetings (of course withstrict protective measures and social distancing). With so many
events going virtual this year, perhaps
students are once again realizing thevalue of in-person communication. EC
events went on as planned for the rest of
the year with greater participation fromold and new members.

tudent exchanges offer many great benefits for students interested in exploring other cultures. And when people can’t meet inperson, modern technology allows us to meet each other virtually. For
this reason, the “Online Chat Meetings with Students of Partner Universities” was organized, with seven sessions held separately between
GU and four partner universities overseas. A total of 103 students
enjoyed communicating in both English & Japanese about topicsranging from campus life to different food cultures, enriching theirviews of other cultures.

Online Study Abroad AY 2020 Briefing Sessions

December 18 and 23

COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted our short-term study-abroad programs thissummer. Our students, who would normally be traveling and studying on the campuses ofour partner universities, were unable to do so. All the host institutions’ decision to move their ESL courses online in lightof COVID-19 meant that many prospective students had to give up or defer their plans to study abroad. Informationsessions for online ESL courses were conducted at the end of the year. The final results based on the number of students
who registered indicate that around 39% of prospective students were willing to study online.
The briefing session was posted in GU-GLOCAL Channel.

Studying Abroad
Be Yourself inOnline-StudyAbroad
University of Alberta

Aimi Matsui
Faculty of Regional Studies
CanadaIlearned the lifestyles, culture, and the World Heritages of Canada from picturesand videos through a two-week-lecture. The online classes made me feel like I
could go there. Though many Japanese students par ticipated in this online study
abroad program, I tried hard to speak only English even though we chatted with
only Japanese. I sometimes had chances to talkwith exchange students from many other countries
enrolling at the University of Alberta. I also tried
to speak to them using my English as much as possible to enjoy the conversations. I think you can
improve your English skills and enjoy global comm u n ic a t io n e n o ug h t h r o ug h t h e o n l i n e s t u d yabroad program.
G I FU U N I V E RS IT Y3March 2021

General Agreement for Collaboration
with The University ofSouth Florida concludedDecember 15

Gifu University and The University of South Florida(USF) signed the General Agreement for Collaboration on December 15, 2020. As a public university, USF has
one of the largest student enrollment (approximately 50,000) andis highly recognized for its world-class education and research
activities. The partnership between the two institutions started in
1989, and in October 2016, Gifu University School of Medicine
and the Health Administration Center signed the General Agreement for Collaboration withUSF. The new university-level agreement is expected topromote both institutions’productive, fruitful partnership long into the future.

Courtesy Call by Consul Général
from Consulat Généralde France à Kyoto
December 22C

onsul Général Jules Irrmann and his delegation(including the members of Japan-France
Association in Gifu) paid a courtesy visit to Gifu University tofurther strengthen Gifu University’s academic ties with our French
partner institutions: Paris-Sud University (2014) and University ofLille (2020). The French delegation and President Hisataka
Moriwaki exchanged views on academic exchanges, study
abroad programs, and research on space engineering. Consul
Général Irrmann also had the opportunity to observe a French IIclass and spoke directly tothe students about thecultural differences between
the two countries and theFrenchgovernment's
COVID-19 responses.

Gifu University AdministrativeTraining Online 2020
October 26 – 30I

n a “normal” year, GU would be dispatching two
staff to the Alberta Administrative Training Program,a professional development program for workplace English
designed in close collaboration with our partner institution inCanada. The ongoing global uncertainty resulted in offering thetraining through virtual instruction. Ten administrative staff wereable to take advantage of the online training with minimal disruptions to their regular office work. On the final day, participants
gave their PPT presentations showcasing the significant progress
they had made during the training. This is the first-ever for GU
staff. Crisis does bring about new changes!

Graduation and Welcome Party
October 29

T

he Committee of Gifu University Alumni Association Indonesia Chapter hosted the virtual “Graduation and Welcome Party” to congratulate the batch of 2020 GU
autumn graduates and welcome their new membership to thealumni committee. GU has concluded 12 university- andfaculty-level agreements with Indonesian universities. Many excellent Indonesian students have already received their formal education in diverse disciplines at GU. After research presentations by
13 graduates, the participants enjoyed casual conversations andreminisced on the good old days at GU.

SDGs Study Sessions for Glocalization

G

U’s “glocalization” policy extends to Gifu Prefecture and thebroader Tokai Region with the aim of making the most of vital
assets such as global human resources, information systems andnetworks. To this end, we launched SDGs online study sessions inAY 2020. A total of five sessions were hosted with the participationof prominent researchers on and off campus in an effort topromote glocalization in regions and create a sustainable society.

Theme
1st Session

Glocalization in the Era of Bioeconomy

2nd Session

Introductory for Biomass Use

3rd Session

Industry Community's Expectations for
Bio-strategy

4th Session

Biopesticide and Overseas Trends

5th Session

Comprehensive Analysis of Food
Components (tools for high-added value)

Published by Gifu University Organization for Promotionof Glocalization (GU-GLOCAL)
International General Affairs OfficeE-mail : int_exch@gifu-u.ac.jp
Inbound and Outbound Student Affairs Office E-mail : direcent@gifu-u.ac.jp
International Engagement Division, Student Affairs Department

The 3rd Session

TJanuary 22, 2021

he 3rd SDGs Study Session on the theme of “Industry
Community's Expectations for Bio-strategy” was conducted.
With the participation ofMr. Yuji Sakamoto (JapanBioindustry Association)
as a guest presenter, thewebinar
offeredGU
staffers and members in
the private sector an
opportunity to gain new
insights into bioindustry’s
contribution to society
and the industry community’s expectations for thefuture of bioindustry.

Newsletter for International Exchange Gifu University Vol.50
https://www.glocal.gifu-u.ac.jp/en/planning/data/newsletter/index.html

GU-GLOCAL Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMJkzg04fsxzo3ogeNHC-PA