Japanese Students from Miyagi Prefecture Participate in 2018-2019 TOMODACHI Randolph Macon Research Exchange Program and share their Research on Disaster and Recovery
The 2018-2019 TOMODACHI Randolph Macon Research Exchange Program is a two-week research and cultural exchange program between Ishinomaki Senshu University (ISU) and Randolph-Macon College (R-MC) .
This marks the second Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund Research Exchange Program, created in memory of Taylor Anderson, a 2008 alumna of Randolph-Macon College who lost her life in the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. The focus of the exchange program is to deepen each institution’s connection with the other, while giving special attention to the themes of disaster and recovery, in recognition not only of the Great East Japan Earthquake, but also of the ongoing challenges posed more recently by natural disasters in the U.S. and elsewhere.
From September 1 to 12, 2018, five ISU students and two ISU faculty traveled to Washington, D.C. and central Virginia for this exchange program.
While in the U.S., the ISU delegation spent time in Washington, D.C. and central Virginia. It was the first visit to Washington, D.C. for all members of the group. In addition to taking in the sights of the U.S. capital, the ISU delegation’s visit included a private tour and briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a tour of the U.S. Capitol, and a visit to the Library of Congress.
After several days in Washington, D.C., the ISU group traveled to central Virginia, visiting to Randolph-Macon College’s campus, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, James Madison’s Montpelier, and many local attractions in Ashland and Richmond, Virginia.
While at Randolph-Macon College, the ISU students each gave individual research presentations in English, centered on one of two themes: “Marine Plankton Studies Triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake,” or “The Current Status and Issues of Regional Revitalization in Ishinomaki After the Great East Japan Earthquake.” The presentations covered a wide range of information about marine plankton revitalization, the use of local festivals to aid recovery from disaster, the impact of the 3.11.11 disaster on marine fisheries, and the use of disaster-preparedness apps to support foreign visitors in Japan during times of disaster.
In 2019, a group of Randolph-Macon College students and faculty will travel to Japan and to ISU to complete the second year of the two year program.
This program was funded by TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd.
