91探花

The connection between Chubu and Ohio Universities endures and prospers anew, 45 years on.

More than 6,700 miles separate 91探花 and Japan鈥檚 Chubu University. Yet they share some striking similarities. Both are located atop hilly terrain鈥攐ne in Athens, Ohio, and the other in Kasugai, Aichi, Japan; both are adjacent to rivers, the Hocking and Utsutsu, respectively; and both have cultivated a mutual appreciation and a long-standing friendship with the other for almost half a century.

鈥淚 cannot think of any other [strategic] partner that has this deep of a relationship and commitment,鈥� says Ji-Yeung Jang, OHIO鈥檚 director of Global Affairs. 鈥淲e鈥檝e built a truly meaningful partnership.鈥�

The relationship dates back to 1971, when Professor Tomoyasu Tanaka joined OHIO鈥檚 faculty in the physics department. Tanaka worked with his friend and colleague Hiroshi Katsumori, also a physics professor and the vice president of CU at the time, to initiate an exchange program. From that initial collaboration emerged today鈥檚 OHIO-CU study abroad programs, faculty exchange programs, scholarships, fellowships, and the Tanaka-OHIO Award for Excellence given to CU professors.

The bond has been sealed with the exchange of gifts and gestures of friendship over the years. OHIO gifted a replica of Cutler Hall鈥檚 cupola built for Chubu University, while CU supported the 2004 dedication of the Yamada International House on OHIO鈥檚 Athens Campus.

Perhaps CU鈥檚 most notable gift to OHIO is the delicately fragrant grove of Japanese cherry trees that line the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway alongside the Hocking River.

While these gifts visually mark the bond between OHIO and CU, the primary thread that cements the relationship is the exchange of talent and knowledge.

The OHIO-CU visiting professorship exchange allows OHIO faculty to visit CU via the Kohei Miura Visiting Professorship, now in its 46th year, and CU faculty to visit OHIO via the Robert Glidden Visiting Professorship, currently in its 16th year.

During his five weeks in Athens last fall as the Glidden Visiting Professor, Yutaka Hirata enjoyed weekend runs along the bike path, meals at locally owned restaurants, and weekly lab meetings over craft beers, not to mention the opportunity to study the inner workings of lobster brains with Biological Sciences Department faculty.

鈥淲orking with Professor Scott Hooper and his lab members was fascinating, and I learned a lot of neurophysiological and computational techniques that I didn鈥檛 have in my lab,鈥� says Hirata, whose specialty includes studying motor learning and memory in primates and fish. 鈥淚 also learned an important skill in the Hooper Lab: how to catch a huge, active lobster!鈥�

Hirata鈥檚 experience spawned more collaboration between CU and OHIO. In September 2019, Hirata returned to OHIO鈥檚 Athens campus with eight CU faculty for a research information exchange meeting. It鈥檚 all part of further developing and expanding the relationship, says Hirata.

鈥淒espite the long-lasting, strong partnership between OHIO and CU, somehow scientific and engineering research collaboration has not been well-cultivated. I wanted to initiate a movement toward fruitful research collaboration that involves both our universities鈥� faculty members and grad students.鈥�

September also marked a big month for Hirata鈥檚 counterpart Chris Thompson, last year鈥檚 CU Kohei Miura Visiting Professor. Every fourth weekend of September, Thompson leads a group of students in tsunami relief efforts in Japan鈥檚 Iwate Prefecture, a region badly damaged in the 2011 magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake. This year marks the ninth year Thompson and both OHIO and CU students have been serving that region.

鈥淥ur trips started as weekend cleanups and have evolved into community development work,鈥� explains Thompson, adding that the group gives English lessons and takes part in neighborhood cultural festivals. Thompson, associate professor of linguistics, plays a vital role in keeping the Chubu-OHIO relationship alive, co-chairing the Chubu University Relations Committee and acting as OHIO鈥檚 Japan Study Abroad Coordinator.

Both Hirata鈥檚 research exchange meeting and Thompson鈥檚 involvement play an important part in the stalwart relationship between OHIO and CU, says Jang.

鈥淲e鈥檙e always looking for ways to open more doors between the two institutions and internationalize our campus.鈥�

A relationship in bloom

Since 1979, the cherry blossom trees that line the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway along Shafer Street on the Athens Campus鈥檚 West Green have been beloved by students and alumni alike. , naming the campus one of eight 鈥渂est places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S.鈥�

Tourists may only see the beauty of the blooms, but OHIO and Chubu University see it as a symbol of their beautiful friendship. Chubu University gifted OHIO 175 Yoshino cherry trees in 1979 in honor of OHIO鈥檚 175^th anniversary, and in 2003, Chubu brought the number to 200 (including a number of double weeping cherry trees) to commemorate OHIO鈥檚 bicentennial celebration.

Peak bloom typically happens between late March and mid-April, and says Susan Calhoun, OHIO鈥檚 landscape coordinator.

鈥淲hen they鈥檙e blooming, they鈥檙e like a [people] magnet,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing like a mass display of those pink blossoms. They鈥檝e just become more popular every year.鈥�

To protect the trees, Calhoun and her team posted signs that encourage visitors to not climb on or hammock in the fragile trees. 鈥淚 often receive concerned phone calls鈥攑eople are so attached to these trees that they feel ownership,鈥� says Calhoun. A note about their cultural significance and a 鈥渢hank you鈥� in Japanese accompany the sign.