Translated into English from Tokyo Tech Chronicle No.528  (March 31, 2019)

 

From 17:30 on January 10, at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), an event took place to rename the "ELSI Hall" (a capacity of about 100 people) to the "Mishima Hall". The metal nameplate was placed above the entrance doorway, and the unveiling ceremony was undertaken.


Mishima Hall-1

The unveiling ceremony (Photo credit: N. Escanlar / ELSI)

 

This naming is to acknowledge the leadership and contributions of the former Tokyo Tech President Yoshinao Mishima in establishing ELSI in 2012 as a center of the World Premier Research Center Initiative (WPI). The WPI program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is designed to launch research institutes that are internationally visible and attract world top level researchers to carry out cutting-edge science.

At the unveiling ceremony, Tokyo Tech President Kazuya Masu and ELSI Director Kei Hirose delivered a speech, and then Mishima, Masu, Hirose, and Mary Voytek (ELSI Executive Director and Special Advisor to Tokyo Tech President) unveiled the nameplate. Mishima then delivered an acknowledgement speech.

 

Mishima Hall-2

Speech by former President Mishima (Photo credit: N. Escanlar / ELSI)

 

The ceremony was held following the annual ELSI International Symposium, and attended by many symposium participants as well as Osamu Watanabe, Executive Vice President in charge of research. After the ceremony, a commemorative concert was held by the Japanese drum group “Yukigaya Daiko” which is based in the town of Yukigaya, Ohta Ward.

 

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Performance by Yukigaya drum group (Photo credit: N. Escanlar / ELSI)

Enjoying the performance of Japanese drums: (from the left) Masu, Mishima, Hirose, and Voytek (Photo credit: N. Escanlar / ELSI)

 

The Hall was designed by Professor Yoshiharu Tsukamoto of the School of Environment and Society, and has been used by many organizations and groups in the university. On this occasion, the whole ELSI staff wishes that the Mishima Hall will be more known to the whole campus and be widely used throughout the university,

Earth-Life Science Institute