Osaka University (大阪大学 Ōsaka daigaku?), or Handai (阪大 Handai), is a major national university in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan, as the Prefectural Osaka Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan. Hideki Yukawa obtained his Nobel Prize in Physics on his early work conducted at Osaka University.
Osaka University is recognized as a leading university, especially in basic sciences and medical field. The university was ranked the 44th among the world's best universities and the 3rd best Japanese university in 2008, according to the QS World University Rankings .
History
Osaka University traces its origin back to 1869 when Osaka Prefecture Medical School was founded in downtown Osaka. The school was later transformed into the Prefectural Osaka Medical College with a university status by the University Ordinance (Imperial Ordinance No. 388 of 1918) in 1919. The college merged with the newly-founded College of Science to form Osaka Imperial University（大阪帝國大学） in 1931. Osaka Imperial University was inaugurated as the sixth imperial university in Japan. As part of the University, Osaka Technical College was later included to form the school of Engineering two years later. The university was eventually renamed as Osaka University in 1947.
Merging with Naniwa High School and Osaka High School as a result of the government's education system reform in 1949, Osaka University started its postwar era with five faculties: Science, Medicine, Engineering, Letters, and Law. After that, faculties, graduate schools, and research institutes have been successively established. Among these are the School of Engineering Science, the first of its kind among Japanese national universities, which draws upon the excellence of both sciences and engineering disciplines, and the School of Human Sciences, which covers its cross-disciplinary research interest as broadly as psychology, sociology, and education. Built on the then-existing faculties, 10 graduate schools were set up as part of the government's education system reform program in 1953. Two graduate schools, the Graduate School of Language and Culture and the cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional Osaka School of International Public Policy, add to the list, making the number of graduate schools reach 12 in 1994.
In 1993, Osaka University Hospital was relocated from the Nakanoshima campus in downtown Osaka to the Suita campus, completing the implementation of the university's plan to integrate the scattered facilities into the Suita and Toyonaka campuses. In October 2007, a merger between Osaka University and Osaka University of Foreign Studies was completed. The merger made Osaka University the only national university in the country with the School of Foreign Studies, with the exception being Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. In addition, the merger made the university the largest national university in the country.
Academic traditions of the university trace back to Kaitokudo (懐徳堂 Kaitokudō?), a Edo-period school for local citizens founded in 1724, and Tekijuku (適塾?, a school of Rangaku for samurai founded by Ogata Kōan in 1838. The spirit of the university's humanity sciences is believed to be intimately rooted in Kaitokudo, whereas that of the natural and applied sciences, including medicine, is widely believed to be based on Tekijuku.
Campus
Suita, Toyonaka and Minoh are the university's three campuses. Home to the university's headquarters, the Suita campus extends across Suita city and Ibaraki city in Osaka prefecture. The Suita campus houses faculties of Human Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Engineering. It contains the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences and a portion of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology. The campus is also home to the Nationwide Joint Institute of Cyber Media Center and Research Center for Nuclear Physics. Because access to the campus by public transportation is relatively inconvenient, automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles are commonly seen within the campus. While club activities are primarily conducted at the Toyonaka campus, only tennis circle activities are concentrated in the Suita campus because of its home to many tennis facilities.
Research Activities
Osaka University has produced research results and many excellent researchers renowned throughout the world.
1. Nobel Prizes and Other Distinctions:
Winner of Nobel Prize: 1 person, YUKAWA Hideki (Thesis produced while working at Osaka University)
Winners of Order of Cultural Merit: 18 persons
Persons who have made outstanding cultural contributions: 25 persons
Winners of Imperial Prize of Japan Academy: 15 persons
Winners of Japan Academy Prize: 41 persons
2. External/Third-Party Funding
Selections for the 21st Century COE Program (21st Century COE Program)
o The 21st Century COE Program supports the development of internationally competitive, world-class universities. The following projects have been selected thus far as research strongholds at the doctoral level. 2002 Life Sciences (2 projects), Chemistry/Materials Sciences (2 projects), Information/Electrics/Electronics (1 project), Human Sciences (1 project), Interdisciplinary Research/Combined Research Areas/New Fields of Research (1project) Total: 7 projects
2003 Medicine (3 projects), Mathematics/Physics/Geological Science (2 projects), Mechanical Engineering/Civil Engineering/Architecture/Other Engineering Sciences (1 project), Social Sciences (1 project) Total: 7 projects
2004 New Scientific Fields (1 project) Total: 1 project
Selection for Government Financed Projects
Osaka University has ranked among the highest in the number of projects which have received support of basic research systems from government-affiliated corporations and other corporations receiving government funds, and in the amount of funding which has been received.
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)-Systems for the promotion of fundamental research in information communication fields
Other fundamental research promotion projects operated with various government funds
Selection for "Research Revolution" (RR2002)
A lot of Osaka University's projects have been selected as research commission development works in five major fields supported by the Special Coordination Fund for Promoting Science and Technology. Osaka University has ranked among the highest in the number of projects receiving support and in the amounts received.
Selection for the Strategic Research Center Development Program (Special Coordination Fund for Promoting Science and Technology)
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) started this program in 2001 with the aim of creating a research development organization for producing excellent results. The program aims to promote the restructuring of the organizational management of research institutes through the outstanding vision and leadership of the organization leaders in order to create internationally outstanding and attractive research centers.
Osaka University ranks as one of Japan's top universities in terms of the number of research grants per scholar provided by MEXT.
Osaka University is one of the top Japanese universities in the number of times it has been selected for commissioned research, joint research, as well as in the amount of scholastic donations.
3. Research Results and Achievements
Osaka University scholars are nationally among the highest in the number of articles published, including ones published in magazines like Science and Nature.
Osaka University is among the highest in the number of patents registered in the USA.
4. Establishment of the Organization for the Promotion of Nanoscience and Nano Technology Research (2002)
Along with integrating Osaka University's educational organizations pertaining to nanoscience/nanotechnology, both strategically and organizationally, Osaka University is planning to promote campus-wide education and research through coordinating, integrating, and organizing a framework of education and research.
5. Establishment of the Organization for the Promotion on Research on Bioscience and Biotechnology (2003)
Along with integrating Osaka University's educational organizations pertaining to bioscience/biotechnology, both strategically and organizationally, Osaka University is planning to promote campus-wide education and research through coordinating, integrating, and organizing a framework of education and research.
Schools and Graduate Schools
Schools
- School of Letters
- School of Human Sciences
- School of Foreign Studies
- School of Law
- School of Economics
- School of Science
- Faculty of Medicine
- School of Dentistry
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- School of Engineering
- School of Engineering Science
Graduate Schools
- Graduate School of Letters
- Graduate School of Human Sciences
- Graduate School of Law and Politics
- Graduate School of Economics
- Graduate School of Science
- Graduate School of Medicine
- Graduate School of Dentistry
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering Science
- Graduate School of Language and Culture
- Osaka School of International Public Policy
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences
- Graduate School of Law (Law School)
Osaka University was ranked 44th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment