November 7, 2017
On November 3, 2017, Professor Masaru Tomita of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies received the Prefectural Special Distinguished Service Award from Yamagata Prefecture at the Bunshokan in Yamagata City.
This award was established in 2004 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Yamagata Prefecture, and Professor Tomita is the third person to receive it.
Professor Tomita received this award in recognition of his many contributions. Since the establishment of the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, he has led cutting-edge biotechnology research that integrates with information science. He has also contributed to academic and industrial promotion by commercializing research outcomes in a way that is rooted in the local community, leading to the creation of university-launched ventures. Furthermore, his contributions to regional development through the establishment of a science park, and to education and human resource development by creating opportunities for local and national high school students to experience cutting-edge research, were highly praised.
Comments from Professor Masaru Tomita
I was born and raised in Tokyo, so I am very happy to be recognized for what I have done in Yamagata Prefecture for the past 17 years.
This is thanks to the unwavering and concerted efforts of the three parties—Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka City, and Keio University—in promoting the grand project of "revitalizing the region through science."
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff, Keio students, all related parties, and the citizens of the city and prefecture who have worked together with me.
From left: Hideki Shida, Chairman of the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly; Masaru Tomita, Director; Mieko Yoshimura, Governor of Yamagata Prefecture; and Yasuhiro Omori, Director of the Administrative Affairs Office, Yamagata Prefecture.
Source: General Affairs (Public Relations) Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office