Reiwa First Year United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Graduation Ceremony Announcement
Reiwa First Year United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Graduation Ceremony Speech.
March 16, 2020
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Hiroyuki Ohno, Director
Today, congratulations to all of you who have completed the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate United Graduate School of Agricultural Science PhD program and received your Ph.D. degree. On behalf of all the faculty and staff, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations. Today, as the new coronavirus is raging around the world, please understand that today's graduation ceremony will be held in an unprecedented way as a result of considering various angles to celebrate with the safety of all graduates as the top priority.
In the first year of Reiwa, a total of 39 students were awarded doctoral degrees, including 14 Department of Biological Production Science, 1 Department of Applied Life Science, 11 Department of Symbiotic Science of Environment and Natural Resources, 7 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, 2 Department of Science on Agricultural Economy and Symbiotic Society, and 4 doctoral dissertations. After many years of hard work, you have achieved great results, and you who have received your doctoral degree today must be filled with a great sense of accomplishment. Research does not proceed as planned. I think there were many difficulties. I'm sure you've had an unexpected problem or you've gotten stuck in your thoughts. But you have overcome those difficulties. Praise yourself for a job well done. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to your family, friends, and other people for their warm love and affection during your hard work at our university. It is a great blessing to say that there are people around you who are grateful. We, the faculty and staff, would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and respect to those who have supported your growth so far, and share the great joy of today's sunny day.
As I mentioned at the beginning, diseases caused by toncholera and the new coronavirus are spreading on a global scale. There are many issues that veterinary researchers need to take the lead in solving. In addition to this, there are many other problems in our lives that need to be solved by making full use of our research capabilities in the field of agriculture. I hope that even after you complete graduate school, you will make use of your knowledge and experience to contribute to society with a strong will. And as a member of the university's Faculty Member, I sincerely hope that many more highly conscious juniors will follow in their footsteps after seeing your success.
Now, there are other things that you have gained while you are a student besides your research achievements. It is a great asset in the form of friends and acquaintances. Human networks will become more and more important and useful in the future. For those of you who are going to enter the flow of various people, the friends you don't care about are a lifelong treasure. You will not be alone, but will play an active role with individuality while stimulating each other in a group. Please cherish the friends you have made at our university, and make many friends and acquaintances when you go out into society. As the name suggests, this United Graduate School of Agricultural Science that you have learned about is a collaboration between three universities that conducts education and research. We provide an environment with different personalities for each of us, and we nurture you as a large-scale doctor. Agriculture is not only a fundamental discipline, but also very important for humanity and the earth itself. Many of the problems that are already in danger, such as food and the environment, and various problems that will arise in the future, should be solved by you. In order to keep our planet healthy, it is your mission to use what you have learned so far to tackle unsolved issues.
After completing your Ph.D. and graduating from our university, it would be great if Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology could continue to maintain a stronger bond with you and build a relationship that inspires each other. In the future, when you return to our university for school festivals and homecoming days, please tell us about your activities after graduation. We will continue to strive to be your alma mater a "home of the heart" that you can be proud of, and to support you at any time. The faculty and staff of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology will continue to work together to become a competent university that is useful to the world and recognized by the world.
I would like to congratulate you on the conferral of your degrees today, and hope that you will continue to deepen your exchanges with our university through alumni activities and your respective work, and I would like to conclude my remarks by wishing you all the best in your future endeavors.