On Friday, August 20, 2009, the 8th Masataro Sawayanagi Memorial Tohoku University Gender Equality Award ceremony and lecture were held online, and the OCU Support Office for Female Researchers received the award.

　The Masataro Sawayanagi Memorial Tohoku University Gender Equality Award is named after the first president of Tohoku University, Masataro Sawayanagi, who was the first person in the nation to open university doors to women.

　Since being selected for the "Program to supporting research activities of female researchers" in 2017, the OCU Support Office for Female Researchers has been focusing on the support of female researchers as a representative organization and has been accumulating achievements in promoting gender equality within the university. Furthermore, the award was given in recognition that the university has developed a wide-ranging and productive support system for industry-academia-government collaborations through participation with multiple universities and private companies in the southern part of the Kinki region.

From left to right: Vice President Kanazawa,
President Arakawa, Director of the OCU Support
Office for Female Researchers Dr. Miyano,
Specially Appointed Associate Professor Nishioka,
Special Assistant to the President Ms. Nabeshima,
Director of the University
Academic Affairs Department Ms. Orihara

Commemorative lecture by Dr. Miyano, Director of the OCU Support Office for Female Researchers