MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour for the Royal Canadian Government—who participated in the G7 Kurashiki Education Ministers’ Meeting—visited Okayama University on May 13, at which time she and her delegation members met with university individuals including Executive Director and Vice-President Dr. Masaru Araki, and also toured the Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science.
　　
Minister Mihychuk, additional Canadian government officials, and Executive Director Araki held a meeting in the Salto Floresta area of the Central Library—a relaxed space where they were able to enjoy the fragrance of Japanese cypress wood from Okayama prefecture. Executive Director Araki explained the dynamic relationship between Okayama University and universities in Canada, including the Co-op in Okayama program that is put on by the University of British Columbia (UBC) as part of its long-term internship program, whose first interns arrived in 2015. The delegation members also heard explanations regarding the internship program from local businesspersons in the prefecture.
　　
The ministerial delegation additionally toured the　Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, which was launched in April in order to strengthen the university’s research foundation in physics and basic life sciences—areas in which the university already excels. They spoke with institute director Yoshihiro Kubozono, as well as with Tanaka Hideki, who heads the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology. Kubozono gave a summary of his institution’s highlights, and the visitors were also able to tour the facility and sit in on some of its research reports.
　　
The ministerial delegation’s visit owes to the fact that Okayama University has been actively engaging in relationships with Canadian universities, as well as emphasizing the cultivation of internationally-minded human resources after being selected for the Top Global University Project.

Contact information
Public Relations and Information Strategy
www-adm (a) adm.okayama-u.ac.jp
For inquiries, please contact us by replacing (a) with the @ mark.