NUGELP and Forefront Program Closing Ceremony AY2020 Autumn

 

 

14 Master’s Course students and 5 Doctoral Course students successfully completed the NUGELP / Forefront in the Autumn of 2020, and the Closing Ceremony was held for their graduation on September 28.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, only graduating students were allowed in the venue, and the closing ceremony was broadcast on YouTube Live. A foreign student who had already returned from Japan also participated via Zoom.
 
International Program Certificates were provided by Associated Professor Iryo, the leader of CEEIPO. And Professor Tanikawa, the International Committee Chair, gave a congratulatory message.
 
CEEIPO sincerely congratulates the graduates on their graduation and wishes them success on the new stage as graduates of our international programs.

Here are some pictures of graduates and the speeches that four student representatives gave at the completion ceremony.

 
  
  
My heartfelt thanks to the “Forefront studies program” and “NUGELP” for accepting me as a representative of graduate master students from the school of engineering at the closing ceremony of Autumn’2020. I am also delighted to represent my beloved “Concrete Structures and Materials” laboratory at this ceremony. Again, my heartfelt thanks to respected professors and laboratory members for facilitate me to complete my graduation under such splendid international programs.
Undoubtedly, the last two year’s graduation period was an auspicious journey for us through our involvement in the international study program as “Forefront” and “NUGELP”. In Japan, the graduate program is always ornamented as research-based study. While these international programs enable us to keep in touch with some interesting and fruitful course works that could be helpful to increase our potentiality to think and lead forward.
In short, the objective of “ForeFront studies program” is to develop the international engineers and researchers who can take leadership for sustainable co-development of Japan and foreign countries in civil engineering discipline. As it is known to all that the situation of this co-development journey is going to be worse day by day for new challenges like COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we, the graduates, always keep in mind the program objectives, and I believe that “ForeFront” studies program has sufficiently improved us to satisfy the program objective to take leadership in the emerging civil engineering field even under the challenging situation of new pandemics.
On the other hand, the “NUGELP” program fosters to develop the environmental leaders to identify and investigate the environmental problems and propose practical measures. The NUGELP program has also been helped us to emerge our insight potentiality for making us compatible with the program objective.
I believe that we, the graduates will show our potentiality and capacity in the practical field within the near future and enhance the brightness of these international study programs. I, as a representative of graduates from school of engineering, would like to thanks the “ForeFront” and “NUGELP” for selecting us eligible for the program and wish a wholehearted success of the programs in near future.
Thanks everybody for your participation in this ceremony.

 
 
SARRAZ Atik (Master’s Course, Graduate School of Engineering) 
  

To the distinguished professors, faculty and staff, fellow graduates, friends, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to each and every one. First and foremost, congratulations to all the graduates! I am truly honored to be given this opportunity to speak in front of you in this very momentous occasion.
 
Two years ago, when I arrived here in Japan to pursue my Master’s degree, I was very excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because finally I would be able to see and experience the life in Japan. Being a civil engineer by profession and a government official who is inclined into the field of transportation, Japan is one of the countries where I wish to visit to witness firsthand the sophisticated and state-of-the art transportation infrastructures and facilities. Aside from that, the thought of experiencing the snow fall during winter (which was my first time by the way), and the stunning sakura in spring, the romantic feels of fallen leaves during autumn, gave me more reasons to be excited about living in Japan.
 
However, I also felt nervous due to the fact that I was not here just for leisure. Cliché as it may sound, but just like some of my colleagues here, we were chosen and sent here by our respective governments with the high hopes of acquiring substantial knowledge and expertise in different fields that could be of help in improving the status quo and addressing the developmental issues of our respective countries especially the developing ones like the Philippines. Indeed, studying here in Japan, in Nagoya University, is both an honor and a responsibility.
 
Fast forward to today, after 2 years, we have finally received the fruit of our labors. These certificates are the physical testaments of our hardships, dedications, and perseverance we exerted during our academic endeavors. And looking at all those certificates I received makes me emotional. They just bring back all the memories I have had in 2 years. The sleepless nights, the feeling of anxiety, of excitement, and a fair share of frustrations and disappointments of myself. But deep down, I also think of the good memories and experiences I have shared with different people from different walks of life, most especially my friends, the Bagets, who have been with me all this time, from working lunch in saizeriya to sing and dance session in Jankara.
 
On behalf of my fellow graduates, I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our academic supervisors for guiding us all throughout in our academic endeavors. Special mention to my academic supervisor, Associate Professor Miho Iryo, for giving me invaluable support and trust during my research undertaking. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you so much! Same goes to my lab mates, the faculty & staff of Iryo and Interchange Lab.
 
I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Philippine and Japan governments through the JDS scholarship program for giving me this life-changing opportunity to study here in Japan. Of course, to the NUGELP/Forefront Programs, thank you so much for the opportunity. Indeed, these programs have provided me significant perspective and understanding about environmental and engineering issues globally. Truly, these experiences have been an integral part of my academic journey.
 
As now alumni of Nagoya University, with “contribution to society” as its major goal, it is our responsibility to always contemplate on how we can contribute to the betterment of the society, be it in the academe, public or private sector. With that, I will end my speech with a challenge to myself, and to my fellow graduates, to always try to live up and adhere to this responsibility.
 

Once again, congratulations! And thank you very much!

Domo arigatou gozaimashita
 
 
OBINGUAR Domer Dacles  (Master‘s Course, Graduate School of Environmental Studies)
 
 

It’s my great honor to share my experience of attending the FOREFRONT program in Nagoya University today.
I came to Japan in 2017 to do my PhD study and thanks to this, I had an opportunity to join FOREFRONT program. I attended lectures, seminars, and study tours which all of them are highly featured by efforts in protecting our global environment. The knowledge I gained was not only useful for my PhD study, which covers environmentalism, but also expanded my limited view on environmental issues before I attended the program. Particularly, Japan is a country with many recurrent natural disasters and many modern technologies have been applied here. This is an ideal condition for environmental studies where I can learn about the technologies and observe the realizations of these technologies at the same time.
Another important point that I would like to mention is the opportunity to meet people coming from various countries. We have discussed in our lecture time, in our seminars, or even on the bus in the study tour. Exposing to people of different cultures was a great experience for me. We the students are different in many aspects, from the age, gender, or language, but we share the same interest in environmental issues. This suggested me an idea that protecting our join environment is the task of everyone and every countries. Together, all of them relieved the high workloads and stresses I sometime experienced in my PhD study, and made my study in Japan more meaningful and unforgettable.
By this chance, I would like to express my big thanks to the program, and to the organizers who prepared all for our study. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to experience something that is totally new to me. I wish that more and more future students, particularly from developing countries like me, will have opportunities to study abroad thanks to this program.
Congratulations to the success of the program, and to the organizers too. I’m proud to be a student in the program. Thank you.

Tran Viet Yen  (Doctoral Course, Graduate School of Engineering)


 

I just received my doctoral degree. It is my great honor to be invited to make a speech here. Also, I am very happy to say some words as a forefront student.
 
Firstly, I will make a short summary for my time as a student at Nagoya University. When I first time came to see this beautiful campus it was Autumn. My first impression of this university is the golden lawn before Toyota Auditorium. The color of golden means harvest. Therefore, at that time I made a wish that I could have a big harvest from the upcoming three years. The experience in Nagoya University fully realized my expectations. I knew many responsible and friendly professors and staffs here. I learned a lot of knowledge and I made a lot of new friends. Also, by the way, I gained the transformation from a man to a father.
 
Then, I would like to say thank you to the lovely people I met here. My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to my supervisor Prof. Hideki Nakamura, for his constant encouragement and guidance. He illuminated the road ahead for me when I was confused in my study and life. I am also greatly indebted to professors and staffs in CEEIPO, who has been committed to organizing various high-quality activities for students such as study tour, tea chat party, internship which provide us precious opportunity to learn and to communicate. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their time in listening to me and helping me.
 
Thanks to your favor, I finally graduated successfully. But as a graduate, we are a very special generation. Just in 2020, we have experienced so many different things. For instance, I am the first doctor in my lab who made the final defense through ZOOM. In this year, we had seminars through the internet, tea chat parties through the internet, conferences through the internet. Even now we are having an online closing ceremony. In the future, more incredible changes will come to our lives along with many challenges. At that time, we will be working as engineers or scientists in different countries over the world. I believe that the knowledge we learned and the friends we made in Nagoya University will become our keys to the changing world and sword to difficulties. Thank you.

 

ZHU Hong (Doctoral Course, Graduate School of Environmental Studies)
 
  
 
 


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