TWO PROFESSORS from Japan’s University of Tokyo (UoT) on May 22 visited the university to sign a memorandum of understanding on international exchange with MMSU officials led by President Miriam E. Pascua.

Dr. Kensuke Fukushi and Dr. Ryo Honda, representing UoT’s Transdisciplinary Initiative for Global Sustainability (TGIS), came to an agreement with MMSU to promote exchange of faculty and scholars as well as of academic information and materials and periodical academic publications; and to organize joint research programs, conferences, academic meetings, and other academic exchanges.

The agreement made by both institutions is in force for five years.

While here, Fukushi and Honda spoke in a partnership forum at the Administration Conference Room where the former presented “Environmental risk management for sustainable society” while the latter discussed “Sustainable water environment management in developing rural areas”.

The UoT’s TGIS where the two Japanese professors are based engages in “problem structuring” to give structural form to complex, wide-ranging global environmental issues that involves taking a comprehensive overview of problems and clarifying their structure and mutual relationships. 

To overcome the limitations of conventional individualized sciences and technologies, TGIS also engages in “academic structuring” to comprehensively link existing individual academic fields and takes a comprehensive and practical approach to problem solving.  It uses IRS3 research centers in Asia to promote research on sustainability – an issue of decisive significance to global sustainability.

TGIS focuses on five research areas, namely:  research to serve as a common foundation; global warming and energy issues; population, water, and food supplies; amalgation of urban and rural areas; and environmental risk management.

As the MMSU-TGIS takes full implementation, Fukushi will initiate the installation of small wind power and solar energy systems to demonstrate high technology application for small areas in Ilocos Norte or at the MMSU compound.  The two partner-institutions will also develop a proposal for a Philippines-Japan international meeting to be held at MMSU and which will tackle issues on climate change and food, water, environment, and bio-energy application/biomass resource assessment and utilization.

Dr. Fukushi, likewise, proposed to conduct – for free – a lecture-visit in July 2008 where he will also do collaborative proposals for big international meetings such as the Water Environment Partnership Forum in Asia.  He further spoke on the possibility of accepting MMSU faculty members and students for on-the-job training at TGIS. Lastly, Fukushi and Honda will be invited by the university to serve as external editors of the MMSU Research Journal.

The recent tie-up of MMSU with UoT and the visit of the two Japanese professors were made possible by the Office of International Programs headed by Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis.  This office is under the umbrella of the External Affairs and Partnership Directorate headed by Dr. Carlos M. Pascual.