Ceremony held for OU asiam Activity Contributions Awardees

On Tuesday, January 30, the award ceremony for the 5 winners of the 2023-24 Osaka University asiam Activity Contributions Award was held in the President’s Office.

This award was established in academic year 2023-24 by a generous donation from Professor Emeritus KUDO Mayumi to the fund for supporting women’s activities of the Osaka University Foundation for the Future.

The award recognizes student members of asiam, a network for female students in natural sciences, who engage in activities to develop knowledge and skills needed to be female researchers and leaders who can create a new path to the future.

Four of the five award winners attended the ceremony, which was held in the presence of President NISHIO Shojiro, Professor Emeritus Kudo, Executive Vice President INOUE Keiji, Vice President SHIMAOKA Mana (Director, Center for Diversity and Inclusion), and Professor UMEDA Junko (Joining and Welding Research Institute).

The winners received award certificates and supplementary prizes from President Nishio, while Professor Emeritus Kudo spoke about the background to the establishment of asiam and her expectations for the network.

Award Ceremony

Professor Emeritus Kudo

Following the ceremony, the award winners had a pleasant talk with the ceremony attendees, speaking about their reasons for joining asiam and pursuing natural sciences in a friendly atmosphere.

The awardees said that although they know that the percentage of female students majoring in sciences is low, they would like to engage in asiam’s activities so that unconscious bias, which leads to fewer opportunities for women, will be eliminated and female students in elementary, middle, and high schools can choose their path in life based on their own interests and abilities. The winners looked reliable enough to trust with our future, offering a glimpse of their leadership qualities.

Finally, President Nishio expressed his expectation for the role of asiam, sending words of encouragement.

At the meeting held after the ceremony