NYK Holds Departure Ceremony for Student Recipients of NYK Nature Fellowship
June 22 2006
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Miyahara), in collaboration with Earthwatch Japan,1 a nonprofit organization, held a departure ceremony at the head office of NYK for five university students to be dispatched to research and survey sites as part of the NYK Nature Fellowship.2
Among 50 applicants from university undergraduate and graduate programs in Japan, the five university students were selected by Ms. Yoko Takahashi, president of Japan Philanthropic Association;3 Mr. Isao Koike, a professor at Tokyo University; and NYK representatives, all of whom participated in impartial reviews of applications and interviews. The fellowship recipients are scheduled to engage in marine environmental-research activities supported by Earthwatch. The recipients will work together with volunteering NYK staff members from overseas countries and receive instruction and guidance from scientists. An internal debriefing session will be held at the NYK head office in October after completion of the fellowship.
At the departure ceremony, Mr. Makoto Igarashi, managing corporate officer of NYK, stated, "I hope the recipients will utilize the experiences they gain through this marine research and cultural exchange in their future fields of expertise."
Research content and dispatched locations are as follows:- Biological research on penguins on Robben Island, South Africa, from August 14, 2006, to August 25, 2006
Biological research on penguins living in the world's third largest colony in an area registered as a world heritage site.
http://www.earthwatch.jp/project/projectlist/world/8_af/penguins.html
(Information is currently available only in Japanese.) - Research on sea otters and dolphins in California from August 17, 2006, to August 26, 2006
Research on sea otters and bottlenose dolphins living in one of the most famous landscapes in North America-Monterey Bay in California.
http://www.earthwatch.jp/project/projectlist/world/4_na/mammals_monterey.html
(Information is currently available only in Japanese.) - Biological and environmental research on dolphins around the Kaikoura Peninsula and Admiralty Bay along the South Island of New Zealand from August 20, 2006, to September 1, 2006
Research on how tourism affects the lives of dusky dolphins.
http://www.earthwatch.jp/project/projectlist/world/3_oc/nz_dolphins.html
(Information is currently available only in Japanese.) - Research on the recurrent migration of gray whales along the west coast of Canada from August 20, 2006, to August 25, 2006
Research on why gray whales migrate 29,000 kilometers between Canada and Mexico.
http://www.earthwatch.jp/project/projectlist/world/4_na/gray_whale.html
(Information is currently available only in Japanese.) - Biological research on dolphins in the Alboran Sea off Spain from September 2, 2006, to September 13, 2006
Biological research (on a wooden sailboat) for the purpose of protecting dolphins and whales.
http://www.earthwatch.jp/project/projectlist/world/7_eu/2_spanish_dolphins.html
(Information is currently available only in Japanese.)
Earthwatch, established in 1971 in Boston, is the world's largest international nongovernmental organization and provides researchers with both human and financial support for overseas field research and surveys. Volunteers dispatched all over the world by Earthwatch have taken active roles at cutting-edge scientific sites, receiving instruction from world-class scientists.
Earthwatch Japan was established in 1993 for the purpose of promoting Earthwatch activities in Asia. In 2003, it was certified as a nonprofit organization.
NYK, in commemoration of its receipt of the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award4 in May 2005, established the NYK Nature Fellowship as one of two NYK-Heyerdahl commemorative projects. The fellowship is aimed at supporting various activities for conducting research and surveys, and supplying human resources to six selected maritime environmental-protection projects. The fellowship is supported by approximately 50 million yen: the US$100,000 (approximately 10 million yen) cash prize that accompanied the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award and an additional 40 million yen contributed by NYK.
3 Japan Philanthropic AssociationEstablished first as a study group by journalists, scholars, and commentators in 1960 in order to create a free and democratic society, the Japan Philanthropic Association engages in activities that promote social participation by providing information and supporting communication between NPOs, political organizations, and corporations. Additionally, the association holds seminars every month on various themes and publishes a monthly magazine titled Philanthropy. http://www.philanthropy.or.jp/ (Information is currently available only in Japanese.)
4 Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental AwardThis award was established by Dr. Thor Heyerdahl5 and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association in June 1999 in order to improve the global environment, announce to all segments of society the environmental benefits of shipping as a mode of transport, and encourage the implementation of new, specific environmental measures.
An award recipient is generally selected every two years. The Green Award Foundation won the inaugural award in 2001, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation won the award in 2003, and NYK won the third award in 2005 and received a cash prize of US$100,000. (http://www.heyerdahlaward.com)
A Norwegian cultural anthropologist and explorer, Dr. Heyerdahl successfully completed a voyage in 1947 on the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia on a kon tiki, a light raft made of balsa without nails or wires.