SNU Extends a Warm Hand Towards Tohoku University

Nearly two months have passed since the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake hit. The Japanese nation, and moreover the global community, has witnessed triple disasters all in a row-the earthquake, the tsunami, and then the Fukushima nuclear crisis. And in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Japan received generous donations from all over the world to reconstruct her cities in the Tohoku region.

SNU has also taken part in making a warm gesture. On the day following the news of the Tohoku earthquake, a banner asking for students’ donations for the disaster victims was immediately put up. The SNU Administration Office carried out a large-scale fundraising plan according to which every single student as well as faculty and staff member of SNU was sent a SMS encouraging everyone to lend a hand. Despite the fact the SMS cost 15 million KRW to the effect of raising a mere four million KRW from twenty students, because 260 million KRW was raised in total the quick effort SNU made to take action has been applauded.

Although the initial shock and horror are fading away with only fears of radioactive leaks now left, SNU’s support for those affected continues. On April 6 the Office of Research Affairs announced that it will academically support Tohoku University, which has an Academic Exchange Agreement with SNU. Tohoku University’s research has been temporarily suspended due to major damage in their education and research facilities and infrastructure resulting from the calamity. Accordingly, SNU invited its research teams, including the professors, researchers, and graduate students, to use SNU’s laboratories of their relevant areas of study. These members from the Tohoku community will be provided with all necessary research facilities in addition to having their basic living expenses paid for by SNU for six months of their stay in Korea. SNU is planning to prolong this research support program upon review of its progress.

SNU pronounced that through this research support program it “hope[s] cooperation and joint research between Seoul National University and Tohoku University will expand.” SNU is also planning similar research support programs targeted at other universities within the earthquake-tsunami affected areas.

Tohoku University is a prestigious university that was founded in 1907 as the third Imperial University of Japan. Located near Japan’s eastern coastline, it was the university most severely hit by the earthquake as well as by its aftershocks, during which several buildings collapsed and most of their education and research facilities were damaged, forcing them to close down the school entirely until recently reopening on May 6. Tohoku University was one of the first universities to sign an Academic Exchange Agreement with SNU as early as 1998, and has since observed various student exchanges as well as research cooperation.

Written by LEE BoYoung, SNU English Editor, bylee0708@gmail.com   ?
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies
Proofread by Brett Johnso, SNU English Editor