Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.
Report on the "2024 Faculty Council of The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science and Emeritus Professor
Kazuo Emoto ( Professor, Department of Biological Sciences)

In the foyer in front of Koshiba Hall, Faculty of Science Building No. 1
The 2024 meeting of the Graduate School of Science and School of Science Emeritus Professor Council was held on Thursday, September 12, at 4:00 p.m. in Koshiba Hall in a hybrid face-to-face and online format. The Emeritus Professors' Meeting is an annual autumn event of the Graduate School of Science, where past Professors Emeritus are invited to introduce the current status of the Graduate School and to enjoy conversation with them. This year, 19 Emeritus Professors participated in person and 2 Professors participated online. Nineteen members of the current Academic and Administrative Staff participated, including the Graduate School Dean, the Executive Committee, the Head of Department, the General Manager from the Administrative Division, and the Managers of each section.
First, Dean Shinichi Okoshi introduced the current status of Graduate School of Science and explained about the Atacama Astronomical Observatory (TAO) of The University of Tokyo in Chile, which was finally completed this year after 26 years of work since the project was launched. In addition to personnel and financial matters, the Graduate School of Science took the lead in promoting a double degree program with overseas universities and the Global Standard Science Education Division, which was approved as part of the budget request. Professor Osamu Kobayashi of the Department of Chemistry then gave a lecture entitled "Toward a Sustainable Society: Approaches from Synthetic Organic Chemistry," which was followed by a lively Q&A session with Professor Emeritus. After the lecture, the audience moved to the foyer for a face-to-face discussion. During the round-table discussion, each Emeritus Professor gave a brief update on his or her recent activities. This year's Faculty Council proceeded in a friendly atmosphere from start to finish, and we heard a wide range of stories from Professor Emeritus Professors, from nostalgic stories to stories that could only be told now, giving us an opportunity to feel the history and depth of the Faculty of Science. The day was an opportunity for us all to become keenly aware once again of the importance of not remaining in the status quo, but always continuing to take on challenges, aiming for new breakthroughs, while maintaining the atmosphere of freedom to pursue individual interests that the Graduate School of Science and School of Science have maintained for so many years.