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| Lord Hunt leading tour of House of Lords |
On 7 September, the second meeting of the executive committee of European JSPS alumni associations was convened at JSPS's office in London. In tandem with it, the third annual general meeting of the UK JSPS Alumni Association was held that evening at the Attlee Room, House of Lords. Attending the executive committee meeting were officers of the UK alumni association along with representatives of the other JSPS alumni clubs in Europe: namely, French club chair Prof. Marie-Claire Lett, Swedish club chair Dr. Ma-Li Svensson, and German club treasurer Dr. Arnulf Jäger-Waldau. They reported on their respective club activities and discussed future collaboration among the clubs including a concept of establishing a European Alumni Club that would organize seminars on topics of shared interest and other pan-European activities. The committee's next meeting will be held in Bamberg, Germany, in May of next year.
At the general meeting, a new group of executive officers was elected, as the term of office for the current officers had expired and association chair Prof. Peter Sammonds had stepped down to give another alumnus a turn at the helm. Newly elected were chair Dr. Martyn Kingsbury, vice-chair Dr. Hugo Dobson, treasurer Ms. Melody Liles, secretary Dr. Che Connon, and associates Dr. John Fossey and Dr. Ruth Goodridge.
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| EU Executive Meeting |
After discussing several items of business among the members, the meeting was opened to representatives of UK's government, funding agencies, Japanese organizations based in the UK, Japanese researchers residing in the UK as well as members of the UK alumni association. Some 50 in number, these participants engaged in a spirited exchange of views and opinions. Then, Mr. Hiroshi Okajima, project manager, Research and Development Management Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, spoke about the company's R&D thrust in environmentally friendly technologies, including a hybrid car. As a grand finale, Prof. Lord Julian Hunt, University College London, who had arranged the venue, gave the participants a rare experience by escorting them on a tour of the House of Lords.
- JSPS London Office
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