Dr. Gordon Grau, Director of the Sea Grant College Program at the University of Hawai'i, which has a partnership agreement with our university, paid a courtesy call with two others to President Kiyoshi Morita on March 11.
　The University of Hawai'i at Manoa, the world Mecca for oceanographic research, and the Ushimado Marine Institute of our own Faculty of Science (Ushimado, Setouchi City) have been engaged for over twenty years in joint research on bioregulation. In 2012 the institute became the focus of activities as a jointly used site for the holding of a Bioregulation International Course, with over twenty universities inside and outside of Japan participating. An agreement between the universities was signed in August of that year. This visit is the first since the signing of the agreement.
　Dr. Grau, on visiting the president's office, stated that the Ushimado Marine Institute is an extremely important place for research and education and that he hopes for greater shared research in the future, and suggested promotion of educational exchanges such as the acceptance of more graduate students from Japan to the University of Hawa'i in the future. Dr. Morita expressed his hopes for further enhanced exchange activities in the future. It was also confirmed that both universities will cooperate to ensure international exercises for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's program to aid the fostering of science and maths students now being implemented largely by the Faculty of Science.