President's Message INTRODUCTION

President of Nagasaki University

President of Nagasaki University
Hiroshi Saito
M.D., Ph.D.

President's Profile

 

On Dr. Shimomura's Winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
-- Message by the President of Nagasaki University --

October 8, 2008

It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Osamu Shimomura, an alumnus of Nagasaki University and recipient of the University's honorary alumni award, has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. On behalf of Nagasaki University, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Shimomura, and share the joy of this exciting news with all parties concerned.

Dr. Shimomura entered Nagasaki Medical College Specialized School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (now the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Nagasaki University) in 1948, only three years after the City was devastated by the A-bombing. After graduating in 1951, he began working as an research associate at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Nagasaki University in 1958, then as an associate professor at the Hydrospheric Atmospheric Research Center of Nagoya University in 1963, research biochemist at Princeton University in 1965, and senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole in 1982. From 1981 to 2000, he concurrently served as visiting professor at Boston University.

Dr. Shimomura discovered Aequorin (photoprotein) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. The discovery of GFP was particularly helpful in developing a technology for fluorescent labeling of specific sites and functional proteins in live cells. This technology enabled scientists to observe processes that were previously invisible. Today, GFP is frequently used as reporter genes, contributing greatly to the advancement of molecular biology.

Because of his outstanding academic achievements, Dr. Shimomura was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and received the Asahi Award in 2006. Even though he is already known well in academic circles, I believe that his receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry will make him and his extraordinary achievements known to far more people.

On October 20, 2007, Nagasaki University honored Dr. Shimomura with the third honorary alumni award. On that day, he gave a commemorative lecture to students and faculty/staff members. I vividly remember the strong impression and great inspiration we received from his lecture.

As the President of Nagasaki University, I would like to emphasize that we are so greatly proud of Dr. Shimomura and his achievements because he commenced his academic carrier at this regional university in a small city devastated by A-bombing. He demonstrated to us that studying at a regional university never hinders advanced research and that all students and faculty members of our University can contribute to the world through their academic commitments, if they cherish lofty ambitions and dedicate themselves to pioneering scientific frontiers.

I would like to conclude my message in the sincere hope that Nagasaki University will be able to foster many more talented scientists like Dr. Shimomura.



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