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Professor Fujino Incentive Award Ceremony 2020

Five students have been conferred the Tohoku University Professor Fujino Incentive Award for 2020. They received their certificates from university president Hideo Ohno on September 25, at the former lecture hall of Chinese literary figure Lu Xun.

The ceremony was one of the first university events to be held in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic moved everything online in March.

Genkuro Fujino, for whom the award is named, was the beloved professor of Lu Xun when the author was a student at Sendai Medical College, the forerunner of Tohoku University. Lu Xun would later immortalize his time in Sendai in a famous short story titled "Mr. Fujino."

President Ohno congratulated the students for their strong spirit and determination especially in this difficult year. "I believe that the threat of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on your studies and research activities. But remember that Lu Xun also faced many hardships when he studied at Tohoku University more than a hundred years ago. He nonetheless persevered and went on to write some of the most influential works of literature in China and other parts of the world."

President Ohno also spoke of Tohoku University's strong ties with China and urged the students to be a bridge in future Japan-Sino relations. "I hope that all of you, under the warm guidance of your academic advisors, will go on to be the next generation of leaders who will play a key role in creating great exchanges between our two countries."

Liu Lujie from the Graduate School of Engineering, gave a speech on behalf of the recipients. He highlighted the impact that Lu Xun's writings have had on him, and noted some similarities to Professor Fujino that he saw in his own professors.

"Just like Lu Xun's description of Professor Fujino, my supervisors - Professor Tomishige and Associate Professor Nakagawa - also gave me step-by-step guidance in my research work and supported me in my daily life," he said. "Before leaving China, I never could have imagined that I would achieve such personal growth. Coming to Tohoku University was the best decision of my life."

The other four recipients of the award were: Bao Shuangyue (Graduate School of Arts and Letters), Lyu Chunbing (Graduate School of Medicine), Wang Shuoyao (Graduate School of International Cultural Studies) and Wang Jingwen (Graduate School of Environmental Science).

"When I read Lu Xun's article about Professor Fujino, I was impressed not just by how much the professor cared about Lu Xun, but also his friendship with the Chinese people," said Wang Shuoyao, after the ceremony. "Winning the Professor Fujino Award is a great honor, and the result of my professors' guidance and encouragement."

Lyu Chunbing agreed, adding that "This is an affirmation of my research. I know that my family and friends are also really happy and proud that I won this award."

The Tohoku University Professor Fujino Incentive Award was set up in 2005 to recognize outstanding Chinese students enrolled in graduate programmes here. Recipients are selected based on the achievements of their research papers, as well as their potential to contribute to future academic exchanges.

News in Japanese

Contact:

Student Exchange Division, Tohoku University
Email: sed2grp.tohoku.ac.jp

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