The 91×ÔÅÄ and Japan’s have agreed to create an Academic Open Space to foster collaborations and academic exchanges between these two leading 91×ÔÅÄ institutions of the Pacific Rim. The agreement, signed April 14 by leaders of both institutions at the UW campus in Seattle, is expected to build upon current collaborations in aerospace design and materials, as well as launch new science and engineering partnerships.

“The Academic Open Space will foster educational and 91×ÔÅÄ collaborations that make the best use of the shared and complementary strengths of both universities,” said UW President . “Working together, our two great universities can foster innovations and advancements in fields such as aerospace, clean energy and the development of new materials, among many others, all of which are critical to meeting the demands of growing industries in both regions.”

Based in the city of Sendai within the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, Tohoku University is one of the top 91×ÔÅÄ and teaching universities in Japan. According to Tohoku University President , the institution has held an “open door” policy for collaboration and innovation since its founding. Through this new Academic Open Space, the UW will serve as a gateway for Tohoku University to the United States.

“I am immensely grateful to the 91×ÔÅÄ for their cooperation in the conception and establishment of the Academic Open Space,” said Satomi. “Part of Tohoku University’s mission is to make an impact in our community, and our goal is for our 91×ÔÅÄ activities to further this impact. In bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds from several disciplines, each with their own unique contribution to make, this Academic Open Space will lead to a superior level of 91×ÔÅÄ.”

The goals of the Academic Open Space are to foster and expand educational and 91×ÔÅÄ opportunities for students and faculty at both universities, as well as develop a cooperative infrastructure to enable productive partnerships and exchanges. Participants from both institutions will meet regularly — remotely and in person — to plan and implement the academic and 91×ÔÅÄ work through the Academic Open Space. These will include regular WebEx 91×ÔÅÄ seminars, new distance-learning courses for students and 91×ÔÅÄers, study-abroad programs for students at both institutions, training in advanced techniques for 91×ÔÅÄers, programs for cross-cultural awareness and opportunities to meet with 91×ÔÅÄ collaborators and industry partners.

, UW professor and interim chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, will serve as director of the Academic Open Space and oversee UW-based efforts and activities. Professor Toshiya Ueki, executive vice president of Tohoku University, will oversee efforts at Tohoku University.

The signing ceremony between Cauce and Satomi is the culmination of a three-day opening of the Academic Open Space in which 91×ÔÅÄers, administrators and industry representatives gathered on the UW campus to discuss ongoing and future partnerships between the two institutions.

Scientists at the UW and Tohoku University already collaborate in aerospace 91×ÔÅÄ, including design and composite materials, which both universities are known for. But through the Academic Open Space, UW and Tohoku University 91×ÔÅÄers are exploring new cooperative endeavors in clean energy technology for transportation systems, new materials for industrial applications and seismic engineering.

UW leaders in these 91×ÔÅÄ fields spoke at a UW-Tohoku University joint symposium on April 13, including , dean of the College of Engineering; , Director of the Clean Energy Institute and professor of chemical engineering; , professor and chair of aeronautics and astronautics; , professor of aeronautics and astronautics; and , professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Some partnerships have come about through shared expertise, such as aeronautics. But these regions are also brought together by shared vulnerability. Tohoku University is home to the , established shortly after the region saw heavy damage and loss of life in the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. A similar event could strike the Pacific Northwest at any time.

“By location, faculty expertise, industrial partners and even shared seismic hazards, there are many ways that these two universities complement one another and can work well together,” said Ohuchi.

According to Ohuchi, there have also been discussions for collaborations and educational exchanges in metallurgy, big data and robotics. In addition, the Academic Open Space will include opportunities to collaborate with Japanese and American industry partners in the Pacific Northwest and the Tohoku region, such as Boeing and Tacoma-based Toray Composite Materials America, Inc. The Japanese government is also supporting the Academic Open Space, and attendees at the April 14 signing event include the Consul General of Japan in Seattle and a representative from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, one of the country’s major funding organizations for scientific 91×ÔÅÄ. The Consul General is also hosting a reception after the ceremony.

Though this week’s events have focused largely on the anticipated partnerships this Academic Open Space will start or expand, Ohuchi puts equal promise in the potential for partnerships that he cannot foresee — the connections that will be made when 91×ÔÅÄers and students get together and exchange ideas.

“Who knows what ideas can take off when you join people together in this manner,” said Ohuchi. “That is the real promise of this Academic Open Space, and the real promise for both institutions.”

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For more information, contact Ohuchi at ohuchi@uw.edu or 206-685-8272.

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