FY2012 Annual Report Preface

I am pleased to introduce this Annual Report because 2012 was a very satisfying year for the Okinawan Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). Knowledge creation, which has been the defining role of great universities since time immemorial, remains the central mission of 21st century research universities. But the manner in which we create knowledge, namely the way that we conduct education and research, must undergo major change if universities are to retain their central relevance to society. Students must be educated to be effective citizens and leaders in the new world reality, a world that that is truly diverse and highly globalized, a world that desperately needs sustainable solutions to planet-threatening issues like climate change, the energy supply, human health, and food and water shortages. The engine of true innovation, basic research, is arguably the most powerful weapon for solving these problems. In the words of Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Our University is at the forefront of creating change in how research and education are practiced. With the generous and sustained financial support from the Japanese government, we hired world-leading faculty and have been able to give them substantial support and the needed freedom to pursue basic research. It is widely believed that the solutions to science's great challenges are likely to need a cross-disciplinary approach. By avoiding traditional administrative and physical boundaries and by creating easy access for people to each other and to research equipment, OIST Graduate University has established an intimate environment that naturally promotes cross-disciplinary education and research.

In 2012 we accepted our first class of 34 graduate students and became a fully operational graduate university. We also succeeded in completing the set-up of facilities for the university's 47 research units. Highly innovative, cross-disciplinary research abounds. After many years of preparation, we have been able to turn the vision for change in science education and research into reality.

We are training a new breed of students and young researchers to become future leaders in the global world of academia and/or industry, outstanding young talent that is receiving strong disciplinary training while additionally being exposed to a truly multi-disciplinary experience that challenges them to bridge the boundaries between the physical and the life sciences. I encourage you to read this Annual Report and appreciate the outstanding progress that was made at OIST during 2012.

Jonathan Dorfan
President, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University